Regarding the April 11 article “University plans to amend alcohol policy for 2007-08”
I fully support the university’s decision to change the policy, and I’m really saddened by the ignorance out there about this issue. Every news source that has reported on this story
has had an influx of comments from readers, most of which are painful for me to read because these people are idiots. I’ve always been of the mind that alcohol in itself is not the evil substance people (including many Christians) think it is – it’s the behaviors that are associated with drinking that are the larger problem. But people have a hard time separating the two.
Promiscuity, drunk driving, date rape, bar fights, disorderly conduct, domestic abuse, etc. are the bigger issues, but unfortunately we can’t make laws against idiots consuming alcohol, so we are forced to stick with age. Since none of those
things I listed have been an issue for me, I’ve always felt comfortable drinking with friends or in situations where I felt safe.
All that being said, if ACU handles this properly, I think it’s a great opportunity to teach students who are of legal drinking age how to handle themselves responsibly. When I think back to my college experience, certain friends come to mind who
would have chosen not to drink for personal reasons, regardless of school’s rules.
Certain friends also come to mind who may have benefited from learning to drink in a safe(r) environment, rather than making mistakes in the “real world” outside of Abilene. I also knew many people, myself included, who at the age of 21 might enjoy a drink with dinner at a local restaurant but feared running into a professor or school administrator.
There were of course other people who abused alcohol and broke school rules with total disregard to policy or consequences. The people in the two opposite ends of the spectrum will always exist regardless of what the policy on alcohol is. It’s the people in the middle that can benefit most from the change.
Katrina Kincaid
katrinalkincaid@gmail.com
