Cody Auer '09
I think the biggest problem Brown has is having inconsistency between what they get you in trouble for, and what they are relaxed about. You can walk down the street with a Solo cup, and the cops won't say anything, but the second that your music's too loud, they come and bust you up, even if you're not drinking.
I think they need to just decide how strict they are going to be and stick to that, so that it's not just from cop to cop to decide what's right and what's wrong. I think they need to make a more universal idea of what is wrong on campus and what isn't.
They've gotten a little stricter this year I think - there are more cops around campus. But I don't think there's been that big of a change. I do think it's a safe environment. A lot of my friends at big state schools are in frat parties, and that's a lot worse than a frat party here, or a sports house party.
The administration isn't that strict, which allows people to have fun and do their own thing, but when there is a problem, you have EMS right there. They do a good job of taking care of things when it gets out of control.
Sam Novacich '08
I I think a majority of the problem - I don't want to single out freshman and sophomores - but the big problem is people getting here and not being used to the freedom of being able to drink without any restrictions.
People who never really drank in high school, or middle school for that matter, end up being kind of overwhelmed with this new opportunity. And it's not to say that I'm advocating binging in high school, but I think appropriate alcohol consumption in high school may even level out some of these people that go crazy once they get to college. That's been my experience.
I guess there are juniors and seniors that have issues of reaching their limits. I guess it's also important to have friends around who can, if not protect you, keep you in line and tell you to shut up when you need to, and tell you to go home and sleep when you need to.
I personally love DPS and EMS. As opposed to other schools or outside of academia where they adopt a zero tolerance policy, it doesn't really prevent people from using substances. It prevents them from getting the help they need after using the substances.
I have no problem calling EMS on somebody who's vomiting, if I don't think I can take care of them myself. And I know that DPS isn't going to get me kicked out of school for being high or being drunk somewhere. I really get the feeling that they're actually there to protect and serve you, rather than discipline and repress you.
Kristin Cuthberson '09
I think Brown is a unique university, and one of the reasons students love it so much is because there is so much leniency in every aspect of life.
There's leniency in creating your classes, and doing what you want, and creating your own curriculum. And I think it's also shown in the social life of students. Brown trusts its students. Students obviously had to have good decision-making skills to get into the University in the first place. I think they are lenient on their drinking parties, and from my personal experience as a college student, I've appreciated that.
I see most of my peers making the right decisions most of the time. Obviously there are going to be those occasions when people over-consume and abuse it, but I think for the most part, students are pretty responsible in their drinking habits, and appreciate that they don't have to worry about getting written up by their residential hall counselors.
Looking at my peers at other universities, they seem to have less leniency in their residential life, and abuse alcohol more outside of their residence halls. I think everyone benefits from the system Brown has set up.
Dobbs Hogoboom '08
There are quite a few different perspectives and ways to consider drinking. You have the Greek life, which takes drinking to another level compared to the average Brown student. But either way, the safety of drinking is obviously a concern.
I've always compared the drinking at Brown to the open curriculum, where at the end of the day, it's personal responsibility. So you can go through taking some random classes, you can pass some classes, you can fail some classes, but you need 30 classes to graduate. Same thing with drinking, I would say. It's up to you. You can have a beer, you can have 8 beers, but at the end of the day, you have to facilitate a safe, healthy environment.
I can't really speak for what Brown was like before I came, and the administration's drinking policies. So far as I can tell, they seem good: they facilitate quite a bit of safe drinking.
The way that Brown University police, who are the enforcers ultimately, the way that they handle the situation is very decent. They don't make kids fear them. They are there, not to crack down on under-21 drinking, but rather just to be sure that it's a safe environment where kids can drink.
