Much has been written about alcohol consumption on college campuses. Some universities conduct annual surveys of student opinions on consumption. Click here for PDF of results.
In order to ascertain student views of the alcohol culture on campus, the Bachelor developed a survey to get at the core of this important issue. The entire staff came up with a long list of potential questions and those selections were whittled down to the ten presented to the student body by me.
We decided to make the survey anonymous, so students could be liberal about their comments without fear of repercussion. We only asked students to identify their class year.
The response we received was very encouraging. We had 394 respondents. In order to discourage repeated submissions of the survey, each IP address was limited to one entry. The class breakdown also is encouraging as 23.4% of the respondents were seniors, 24.4% were juniors, 25.2% were sophomores and 27% were freshmen.
Although by no means scientific, with the excellent response rate and the relatively even distribution of answers across class years, we feel the survey measures the student voice regarding alcohol culture at Wabash.
The Bachelor opened five questions up for comment on the survey, and the staff compiled a list of some of the more instructive comments. They are as follows:
3. Should Alcohol Education be a part of Freshman Orientation?
"It seems to me that the real problem is that kids come to school not having knowledge about alcohol especially knowing what their limit is…it would be difficult to stop drinking altogether as we see on other campuses that do have alcohol policies but if freshman are educated they can make better decisions when and if they do drink."
"I would hope that other students on campus would fulfill this need. I think that the last two accidents, while tragic, are rare, and should not be treated as a call to arms against alcohol on campus."
"Not necessary. The Gentleman’s Rule encompasses following applicable alcohol laws, and if it were only enforced, underage drinking would be reduced."
"Teaching under classmen is not the answer; educate upper classmen on how to be role models."
"Yes, as long as alcohol continues to be such an integral part of the culture. Hell, we have diversity classes, don’t we?"
"Not only is there an extensive question and answer session during Gentleman’s rule orientation that tends to deal almost exclusively with alcohol on campus, but to make a mandatory alcohol education course would dilute the power of the message that the Gentleman’s Rule sends to the incoming Men of Wabash."
"It is the parents’ responsibility to ingrain good judgment into their child BEFORE they come to college. The alcohol course would likely only add stress to an already emotionally taxing experience (ie leaving home and going to college)."
"If we are going to continue to condone underage drinking, at lease educate students as to responsible drinking."
"Alcohol education isn’t enough. There needs to be penalties for underage drinking at Wabash. It’s unacceptable. Although it’s a ‘tradition’ or an ‘un-written rule’ that underage students can drink, this need to change for the sake/reputation of the college."
"Schools around the country need to accept that students ARE going to drink PERIOD. Anything else is simple naivety and is costing us. Knowing that the students are going to drink here and everywhere else around the country, an education course is critical so that students’ lack of knowledge is no longer the cause of any tragedies."
"The Gentleman’s Rule is inclusive of this."
"If people would man up and drink with some responsibility we wouldn’t have this conversation. Drink like a man, not like a boy."
4. Does single sex environment encourage drinking?
"Drinking happens everywhere."
"You have no women on this campus, there male bonding is the only way to make friends here. One of the most common ways to hang out is watch sports while drinking beer after a day of classes."
"Although I started drinking at Wabash, I did not drink DUE to Wabash. I made the decision myself."
"Drinking for minors is on every campus and Wabash does not encourage it in any way."
"There is nothing really enjoyable to do but drink or get high when there are no girls to interact."
"It has as there has been little for Wabash men to do on the weekends. I believe the college is in a transitional process where this won’t be the case anymore. Functions like TGIF, PanHel, etc. encourage drinking within the Wabash culture, but it will not be the same after recent events."
"What else is there to do with 900 guys around?"
"I would think the necessity to mix with the opposite sex (girls in our case) would encourage even more drinking = liquid courage."
"I do believe that the single sex environment affords us more liberties, but I do not think the single sex nature "encourages" drinking. College is about exploration, drinking tends to be a part of that for many people."
"Have you ever been IU? People drink hard everywhere."
"There is nothing to do here but smoke and drink and if you don’t do that you do not enjoy yourself. I fortunately do not fall into those pressures because my character and morals matter to my family and me."
"I think the ‘college’ environment encourages drinking. The all-male aspect of Wabash has nothing to do with it in my opinion."
"It may something to do with drinking. But as far as being pressured to drink was more pressured to drink at parties in high school then I ever have been at Wabash. Drinking is very much prevalent in a masculine world. The choice of drink at all American sporting events is beer. Besides, let’s face it, TGIF is an obvious example of our Single Sex Traditionalists upholding the tradition of drinking regularly and a lot."
8. Have you ever felt forced to drink?
"When we have social games and stuff in the house, you can have root beer or beer. It’s usually about a half and half ratio and nobody gives you trouble on which choice you make.
"Quite the contrary. People have gone out of the way to provide me with alcohol free alternatives."
"The pressure is tremendous."
"I have experienced naught but respect from my independent brethren. No one forces alcohol upon me, and respects my choice to obey the drinking age limit."
"You feel uncool when you aren’t drinking while all your friends do. That’s how most of the freshmen feel."
"I had guys my freshman year who saw that I didn’t drink a lot. These guys were good friends of mine and they made it their goal for the year to get me drunk. They wouldn’t pester me and tease or act condescending because I didn’t drink much. When I drank, it was a conscious decision on my part to partake. No one can make anyone do anything. Peer pressure is no excuse. Ultimately, the choice is up to the individual."
"People encourage me all the time to drink, saying that it will make things more fun and enjoyable when everyone else is partying."
"No, but I am surrounded by fellow non-drinkers in my fraternity. Fraternity Social Chairs, Party Planners, etc. should be coming up with activities and alternatives that can be enjoyed whether or not you drink."
"A gentleman thinks for himself and thoroughly considers the ramifications and possible consequences of his actions."
9. Are you satisfied with the Administration’s response to alcohol related issues?
"I wish they would be more stern, to be honest. I understand the investigation is still ongoing, but a stronger stand needs to be made."
"It seems as if more than 50% of the campus has consumed alcohol underage, and yet nobody to my knowledge has ever been punished in any way for it. This is a crime. It should have been punished."
"The administration can not do much to stop the alcohol related issues on campus. Alcohol related issues are better handled by peers and individuals. Did prohibition stop the entire country from drinking? Not at all. Alcohol related issues will always exist, whether we are in an environment that is supposedly full of nothing but gentlemen or not."
"They are scared of it. It is pitiful."
"The administration cannot control/supervise student life outside of school. We should be responsible and held to our own accord."
"Until this week, they didn’t seem to care when it came to alcohol issues. They have turned a blind eye to the problem for way too long."
"I respect that the administration places responsibility in the hands of the students, it is a respectable and at times risky predicament. I do not however believe that everyone is deserving of that respect, judging by actions taken. Most things done on campus in this regard by the students are responsible, but I believe that there are places that the Administration must place a hand in: like stopping inadvertently funding alcohol for frats and parties."
11. Are you comfortable with the current alcohol culture at Wabash?
"It’s surprising to what extent underage drinking is not even addressed as an issue. As for drinking in general, there are those who simply decide not to, but there are others who brag about their drunkenness. No major student event takes place on campus without some corresponding drinking (ie Homecoming, Monon Bell, Pan Hel, Close of rush). Maybe as a result of living in a fraternity, I see the extreme of it, but there is a certain anti-intellectual and hyper-masculine culture in fraternities that promotes getting (drunk)."
"I do what I want so what ever is going to happen around here doesn’t affect me."
"In fact, our reputation for knowing "how" to drink is one of many points of pride for me and many other Wabash Men. The reputation is one that often precedes students and alumni."
"How can we be happy when there is a death second year in a row by the consumption of alcohol????"
"No alcohol. Period. A man’s life is more important than the tradition of drinking at Wabash."
"Things need to change, but they will need to change from within. Students need to crack down on their peers and if they can’t, the Administration must crack down on everyone. This includes alums and professors who are just as guilty in encouraging alcohol use as ‘normal’ at Wabash."
"Less beer pong, more red wine. Less party atmosphere, more civilized, intellectual gatherings in the manner of French salons. Fewer barbaroi, more gentlemen."
"It has worked for the entire life of the college. Some stupid mistake by a freshman shouldn’t make the college crack down. Maybe the students should start to be more responsible for their own actions, not the college."
"The ‘culture’ is based on allowing us to make our own decisions, which is what Wabash does. I hope this information helps. Whomever this may concern, I would be willing to take an active role in helping resolve any more questions by the student body."
"If anything is done to change the current situation, it will only backfire. People will look at "Two deaths in two years" and say that something needs to change. But two non-related accidents that happened by chance are just that, chance. You can flip a coin 100 times and get heads every time. It’s not probable, but it is possible. It’s this type of misunderstanding that gets fine institutions like Wabash and the Delt house closed."
"Our obsession with alcohol must come to an end. Though drinking is not wrong when done in a responsible manner, we have behaved very irresponsibly, and now, two of our brothers have paid with their lives. We need to wake up and embrace the Gentleman’s Rule by being responsible, even with alcohol."
"I am very comfortable with the current alcohol culture at Wabash. Students are expected to act like Gentleman, they are to hold each other as well as themselves accountable. This personal responsibility that permeates through campus is what differentiates Wabash Men from students at other schools. If this culture were to change the entire identity of our school would be compromised."