Spring Break
The goose steppers cometh
Ted Hamilton
Issue date: 2/5/09 Section: Opinion
There is nothing like living in Kent State's residence halls: The washer and dryer are right down the hall, the halls and bathrooms are cleaned regularly, and you get to hang out with your friends while avoiding the watchful eye of your parents.
Oh, and if you are under the age of 21 and get caught drinking, you get dragged down the hall as the Alcohol Nazis stand ready to throw you in the gulag.
I jest of course, but, in all honesty, I was a bit taken back by KSU's new policy toward underage drinking. It was not long ago that I was sneaking cases of beer into Verder Hall myself, filling the book bag up with little 12-oz. cans of happiness and walking past security while sweat dripped down my back at the fear of getting caught.
Now, the safety of the dorms are gone. A first degree misdemeanor can cost students a couple hundred dollars and time spent in alcohol awareness classes they will never get back. Instead of dealing with underage drinking "in house," students are subject to having the Kent State Police arrive after security - and for what?
Someone who is old enough to die in a war should surely be allowed the right to make an intoxicated ass of his or her self. Alas, the university has decided to crack down on drinking because of a 22 percent increase in alcohol violations.
What that tells me is the university is more worried about stopping underage drinking than limiting the robberies, assaults or rapes that have the potential to happen while the police are writing citations for a crummy underage. When the police are busy dealing with underage drinkers, they are not patrolling campus and are not protecting us.
Maybe the question that should be asked is, "Who does underage drinking really hurt?" It is yet another victimless crime that we are supposed to follow - much like lemmings off of the cliff.
Is it really that intolerable to have acne-ridden teens guzzling beers in the safety of their own dorm? They do, in fact, pay thousands of dollars to live in their "luxury cell."
Even so, a little policy like this is not going to curb the number of underage drinkers very much, if at all. What it will help accomplish is give the college the highest number of students with first degree misdemeanors. Maybe they should put that on their pamphlets: "Kent State. Imagine - yourself with a misdemeanor." Sure, it is not too catchy, but it rings true.
First they started sending letters home to parents, now they call the police - I wonder what the next step is to curb drinking. Electroshock therapy, thumbscrews or maybe being forced to listen to Barbara Streisand albums for three straight days?
Personally, I hope they use aversion therapy and give the little underagers booze until they puke all over their Hollister shirts.
I would sign up for that one.
Ted Hamilton is a senior magazine journalism major and a columnist for the Daily Kent Stater. Contact him at thamilt2@kent.edu.
Oh, and if you are under the age of 21 and get caught drinking, you get dragged down the hall as the Alcohol Nazis stand ready to throw you in the gulag.
I jest of course, but, in all honesty, I was a bit taken back by KSU's new policy toward underage drinking. It was not long ago that I was sneaking cases of beer into Verder Hall myself, filling the book bag up with little 12-oz. cans of happiness and walking past security while sweat dripped down my back at the fear of getting caught.
Now, the safety of the dorms are gone. A first degree misdemeanor can cost students a couple hundred dollars and time spent in alcohol awareness classes they will never get back. Instead of dealing with underage drinking "in house," students are subject to having the Kent State Police arrive after security - and for what?
Someone who is old enough to die in a war should surely be allowed the right to make an intoxicated ass of his or her self. Alas, the university has decided to crack down on drinking because of a 22 percent increase in alcohol violations.
What that tells me is the university is more worried about stopping underage drinking than limiting the robberies, assaults or rapes that have the potential to happen while the police are writing citations for a crummy underage. When the police are busy dealing with underage drinkers, they are not patrolling campus and are not protecting us.
Maybe the question that should be asked is, "Who does underage drinking really hurt?" It is yet another victimless crime that we are supposed to follow - much like lemmings off of the cliff.
Is it really that intolerable to have acne-ridden teens guzzling beers in the safety of their own dorm? They do, in fact, pay thousands of dollars to live in their "luxury cell."
Even so, a little policy like this is not going to curb the number of underage drinkers very much, if at all. What it will help accomplish is give the college the highest number of students with first degree misdemeanors. Maybe they should put that on their pamphlets: "Kent State. Imagine - yourself with a misdemeanor." Sure, it is not too catchy, but it rings true.
First they started sending letters home to parents, now they call the police - I wonder what the next step is to curb drinking. Electroshock therapy, thumbscrews or maybe being forced to listen to Barbara Streisand albums for three straight days?
Personally, I hope they use aversion therapy and give the little underagers booze until they puke all over their Hollister shirts.
I would sign up for that one.
Ted Hamilton is a senior magazine journalism major and a columnist for the Daily Kent Stater. Contact him at thamilt2@kent.edu.
Viewing Comments 1 - 9 of 14
no tact...no talent
posted 2/05/09 @ 1:10 PM EST
Ted Hamilton. I can't believe you are a senior journalism major. Or were you drunk through all of your classes?
First of all, to compare univeristy compliance with federal and state law to genocide carried out by the Nazis in Europe is outrageous! You may not agree that it is justifiable to prevent individuals under the age of 18 from drinking alcohol, but it is a tactless comparison, and you should be ashamed of yourself. (Continued…)
notanignoramus
posted 2/05/09 @ 7:56 PM EST
I'm sure all of us have met at least one adult in our lives who was not, by any definition, a "mature" adult.
Part of becoming a mature adult is knowing right from wrong, and learning to be a law-abiding citizen. (Continued…)
Smart One
posted 2/07/09 @ 11:46 AM EST
Issues? Right from wrong? The law and government aren't always the best indicators of "right an wrong."
Some people are right to question authority from time to time. (Continued…)
Josh
posted 2/08/09 @ 1:37 AM EST
"Kent State. Imagine - yourself with a misdemeanor."
You're right. Not too catchy at all...in fact it's not even funny. "Imagine" went out the door a while ago. (Continued…)
anon.
posted 2/08/09 @ 7:16 PM EST
People tend to treat drinking underage as if it's nothing serious, and still, getting drunk in general like it's some sort of right of passage in college. (Continued…)
Ian
posted 2/08/09 @ 10:13 PM EST
No one is whining themselves to sleep over this. They are laughing their tired butts off about how your wrote your opinion in the paper, taking a swipe at the new policy, Security, and the Kent State Police Department. (Continued…)
Mr. Jesse Merino
posted 2/09/09 @ 2:24 PM EST
Drinking, and being plain stupid..(Good title for this one).
My Son, who has been an RA for 4 years now, has seen it all... Water fountains ripped off the wall, urinals broken, shaving cream all over the walls, mirrors busted and so many other, 'ahem' victimless occurances that result from the usual Thursday night binges that occur weekly. (Continued…)
Ian
posted 2/09/09 @ 2:52 PM EST
Sure it wasn't.
I'm gonna go have a beer and read my Bible. Excellence in Action.
no tact....no talent
posted 2/09/09 @ 4:55 PM EST
I might have been a touch harsh, critcizing Ted's talent for writing. Maybe it was just a bad week....It does, however, concern me GREATLY that a soon to be Kent State graduate, heading out into the working world, presumably to a career in journalism, cannot critically analyze an issue such as this. (Continued…)
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