February 5, 2002

8:14 PM

Troubling News from the heartland: Looks like Double-Secret Probation for this Animal House. Yet as students emulate their heroes, serious questions arise over college alcohol abuse.
posted by Zbobo (14 comments total)

Upon entering the kitchen, officers and dean's officials found a trove of alcoholic beverages. The items found included one keg, two unopened 1.75 liter bottles of rum, one three-quarters full 1.75 bottle of rum, 15 empty 1.75 bottles of rum, 57 empty thirty-can cases of beer, and 20 unopened thirty-can cases of beer

Ahh, College.
posted by Zbobo at 8:16 PM on February 5, 2002

That's not a frat-hous, Zbobo, that's my kitchen.
posted by jonmc at 8:19 PM on February 5, 2002

College students drink alcohol? *gasp!*

Sounds like my weekend.

But seriously, I see nothing wrong with partying it up during some of the best 4 years of your life, as longs as you do it safely and consensually. The areas where we need to straighten people out are the bozo frats and whatnot that do things like make fresh-faced 18 year old kids drink 100 drinks in a weekend for initiation. That's just plain wrong.

The biggest problem here is that there's no way for party-hosts to enlist help in making sure things like this are being conducted safely and consensually, due to this country's hypocritical and overly strict alcohol laws and regulations.
posted by tomorama at 8:23 PM on February 5, 2002

I was looking for a link to a story I heard on my local talk radio station this morning, but couldn't find it. One of our universities (didn't catch which one, probably U of U) pulled the charter of one of its fraternities for repeated alcohol violations involving underage students.

So, Olympic visitors need not fret. To get a drink, just stop in at fraternity row. There's plenty for all!
posted by mr_crash_davis at 8:43 PM on February 5, 2002

Dean Wormer is gonna be pissed.
posted by sacre_bleu at 8:46 PM on February 5, 2002

All I have to say, as a 19 year old college student, is

Hooray for under-age drinking!

According to the law I am mature enough to be drafted into the military, or mature enough to get married and raise a family, or mature enough to vote, but I'm not mature enough to buy myself a beer. Incidentally, I think the reverse of all that is true.
posted by insomnyuk at 10:01 PM on February 5, 2002

Being a student at Indiana and reading similar stories at least once a week in the IDS, I think the administrations approach is all wrong. A dry campus is impossible. IU likes to believe that they can declare a campus dry, punish those who break the rules and that that will solve alcohol issues. The case of Seth Korona shows that doesn't work.

On the other hand, these fraternities seem to be wildly irresponsible. They hid the truth about what happened to Seth Korona and they have been shown to have no ability to self-police.

Do away with a dry campus. Make the resident assistants do their job and keep dorm residents safe from others and themsleves. Set up a system where Greek organizations tell the admin that they are having a party where alcohol is going to be served. Send either an admin official or a plainclothes IUPD officer to attend the parties, not to intimidate people, but to make sure that things do not get too out of control.
posted by ttrendel at 10:16 PM on February 5, 2002

I see nothing wrong with partying it up during some of the best 4 years of your life

Four years? I have found through extensive independent studies (and many of my colleagues agree) that 5 1/2 years or more at university allows one to thoroughly "party it up," thereby fully rounding out the student's education.
posted by brittney at 10:33 PM on February 5, 2002

Korona, 19, died last Feb. 4 of a skull fracture he sustained after doing a "keg stand" at Theta Chi. Korona was hospitalized two days later and remained in a coma until his death.

Whats a "keg stand"? Was he standing on the keg and fell down and hit his head?
posted by Keen at 5:00 AM on February 6, 2002

keg stand = hand-stand on the rails of a keg while drinking from the tap.

...so I hear.
posted by NortonDC at 5:24 AM on February 6, 2002

A kegstand
posted by insomnyuk at 7:55 AM on February 6, 2002

I'm confused by the apparent hypocrisy of school administrators. They all claim to be against underage drinking (as it's against the law and all), but they do nothing about it. It's common knowledge that parties happen, parties have alcohol, and parties have lots of folks under the age of 21. I'm not saying they should do anything, but rather that shooting your mouth off about it and doing nothing is rather weak. Why can't they just be honest and say "Yes it happens, no we don't do anything about it." But then they would get in worlds of trouble from parents or the law or something.

So yeah, I'm saying change the law. I mean, really, does anyone under the drinking age you know have any trouble whatsoever obtaining alcohol? It's ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.
posted by whatnotever at 8:14 AM on February 6, 2002

Legally, colleges are not subsitute parents (the Latin escapes at the moment), but there has been tremendous pressure recently for them to act like they are. It creates serious tension, as the administration talks tough to appease the parents, but then clings to its immunity, its lack of responsibility for it's legally adult students.
posted by NortonDC at 8:56 AM on February 6, 2002

NortonDC- it's "in loco parentiis"
posted by jonmc at 9:37 AM on February 6, 2002