So you come to Dartmouth and what do you know about this place? Do you think of the beautiful mountains, the idyllic hamlet known as Hanover where the college exists or do you think of the movie Animal House or a pervasive drinking culture that has all of the students at the pong table every weekend? Recently, I was standing in line in Collis listening to two guys comparing Dartmouth to other Ivy league schools. One with all the wisdom that Dartmouth could give, told the other, "Cornell is a school where students are expected to work hard while Dartmouth is a place where we work hard and drink hard." This mantra has been our excuse for an issue that be it from media representation or our own threatens the very health and image of Dartmouth today and the Dartmouth of tomorrow.
In 1997 College survey, 41 percent of the class of 2000 reported that they engaged in binge drinking in 1996 -- drinking five or more beers in a single sitting more than once in a period of two weeks. We're actually on par with the national average for binge drinking, and according to this definition, the survey found that 43 percent of Dartmouth's student body engage in binge drinking. Yet, to most Dartmouth students the national definition doesn't constitute binge drinking, the Dartmouth definition seems to be about 10 beers in a sitting, which only 17 percent students drink more than twice of in two weeks. While the Dartmouth version of binging and the national version of binging are in the minority on this campus, 93 percent of the students thought that alcohol was neccessary for other students to have a good time or attend a Dartmouth event. Why?
We tell "war tales" better called "beer tales" that recount our exploits at the table, how drunk we got how many times we booted. These are our marks of honor at Dartmouth. We develop this drinking culture that isn't about unwinding with a few beers but instead pushing ourselves to the limit. We talk about working hard and playing hard but what price are we paying at our "play."
Imagine a social gathering consisting of representatives from seven of the eight Ivy League universities. Several students stand around chatting in small groups, sipping on drinks in six-ounce cocktail glasses, while a few others drink beer from larger plastic cups. But over in the corner are the Dartmouth students, stripped down to their t-shirts playing quarters on a table covered with beer glasses and drinking mixed drinks out of the larger cups actually intended to hold beer. This is a true story, one which most Dartmouth students can easily relate to, and just the type of thing Dartmouth seems to be all about to the national press lately. Drinking is not just a social activity, but part of that "play hard," competitive mentality that translates drinking into a game.
We talk about introducing more low-risk drinking environments like Lone Pine Tavern or Senior Tails, but really the only audiences that will be reached are those who are over 21. By the time you have gone through three years of Dartmouth and reached the ripe old age of 21, binge drinking isn't neccessarily as attractive as before. If you're under 21, your drinking options lie in the dorm rooms and in the basement of fraternities and sororities. The alcohol is free and easy, so what price are the underclassmen paying? You buy into the perception that alcohol is the only option to a good time at Dartmouth.
We're not teaching each other to drink responsibly. This isn't the fault of the Greek system, but of us -- Dartmouth, the affiliated and unaffiliated. We have created a monster that feeds off a self perpetuating myth, you come to Dartmouth you're going to drink hard; you're going to learn to "boot and rally." Hey, maybe if you're one of the lucky and notorious, you'll be taken to Dick's House. Even if you're not drinking, don't think that you don't contribute to the myth -- your passive acceptance of the culture allows it to live and thrive here.
Another culprit to the drinking culture is the ease in obtaining alcohol. Kegs might be limited on this campus now, but the price tag on them is the same: beer runs freely for anyone and everyone. Do you really think you would play a game of pong where each beer costs you $2.50, the going rate of beer at most Happy Hours? One game could set you back 12 bucks alone. A game of Ship, a pong game favored by many, could set you back as much as 65 bucks at this price on beer. Binge drinking is easy to do here since we don't pay the price for what we get. So should people be paying at the door to get their fill? Would the campus have a further polarization between the drinkers and non drinkers?
Now that the Trustees have laid down the gauntlet and we are all asked to rethink social options at Dartmouth, we need to start thinking about the role alcohol plays on campus. Do we really want to be the alcoholics of the Ivy League, or do we want to be known as a place where working hard and playing hard doesn't mean hitting the table every weekend, but instead getting the most out of our four years here?
