<p>Recently I have been reading over some old issues of one of the W&L papers, the Trident, and I noticed a bunch of students complaining about the administration beginning to "crack down" on drinking, especially at fraternity parties. Apparently this consists mostly of strictly enforcing the wrist-band rule at frat parties and only allowing those of age to consume alchohol. The few issues of the paper that addressed these policies seemed to contain very few articles that didnt pertain to this news. Current students and alumni were outraged at the administration, claiming that they were trying to "swathmorize" W&L and change the uniqueness of the school. Apparently the new alchohol rules were viewd as an attempt to make the school less socially dependent on Greek Life. Most of the articles about this came in the november issues of the paper, right after the news of the new alchohol policies was revealed. However, since then there have been few articles on this, and I was wondering if students had just begun accepting the changes or if the new rules werent actually enforeced. Doe</p>
<p>(sorry, posted before i was finished)
does anyone know about these new "rules"? and how they have affected the social scene?</p>
<p>Welcome to the board, interesting first question to ask. I'm glad you have your priorities straight.</p>
<p>As for the question, I'll leave that to current students to answer.</p>
<p>Whoah. didnt mean to offend you. And i certainly didn't mean to imply that drinking was my first priority- you jumped to a pretty quick conclusion. However, i was genuinly curious. Anyone who knows anything about W&L knows that when you are there, there will be alcohol at any party that you go to. If you think otherwise, you are unbelievably naive and in for a shock. I applied early desision and will be going there next year, and so I am intrested in what goes on on campus. As I stated before, I could tell from the paper this was a pretty big deal among students and alumni. I didnt even say if I supported it or not, but the issues are more complicated than wether or not to turn a blind eye to underage drinking or not. For instance, there is much concern that these rules will simply drive parties off campus, increasing the number of risks such as drunk driving and put students in a place where there is no infirmary in case of an alchohol related illness. Also, there has been speculation that the administration is gradually trying to faze out the greek system, and this was the first step. Now pardon me for being curious, but I was intrested in what really was going on. This appeared to be a large controversy which could potentially mean big changes at Washington and Lee, and as a future student, I wanted to know the truth.</p>
<p>also, i dont know why you got so worked up when i inquired about alcohol. I can assure you that if you are so put off by a person who (you assume) is intrested in drinking, you will have a long four years.</p>
<p>Hi there-- Exciting to meet another future classmate! I think you've raised a good question, and I don't think Dima meant his response offensively. I read the articles in the Trident and was wondering the same thing about the alcohol policy. Hopefully someone who is on campus can post and tell us a little bit more about it. Are you going to be on campus in March? If so, can't wait to meet ya. Hope y'all are having a nice weekend. Fifteen days!</p>
<p>Nah actually i didnt even apply for scholarship. i am a huge procrastinator and every single one of my applications was sent the day of the deadline, and dec. 15th was right in the middle of exams, and i just missed it completely. I wouldnt have gotten scholarship anyways.. im just thankful to have gotten in.</p>
<p>LOL, well, it'll be good to meet you next fall, then. Where else did you apply?</p>
<p>Vanderbilt, UVA, wake forest, SMU, and UNC</p>
<p>Hmm, as most of you know, I'm another (potentially) future student, but I do have something to say. A year or so ago, on the old CC, I asked similar questions about articles in the Trident. Basically, I was told by current students that The Trident (and almost all college newspapers) is where students go to complain. Don't take too many things to heart.</p>
<p>I suppose I'm also curious to know about the alcohol policies, but like someone else said recently on the live journal W&L community when asked the same question, we've never been to W&L when the rules weren't there, so there's nothing for us to miss.</p>
<p>:( You've misread me, I meant no offense.</p>
<p>That post was a joke, I was actually concerned about the issue too if you look at previous posts. I guess my way of welcoming you to the forum didn't work.</p>
<p>Please accept my apologies.</p>
<p>hahaha no big deal. sorry i took it the wrong way-- didnt mean to freak out.. thanks for the welcome!</p>
<p>i really hope somebody can shed some light on this issue though, because its frustrating to think that ive picked a college that could change completely before i even get there! and i dont actually think its that drastic, but it still worries me a little. i love it the way it is and really dont want it to change.</p>
<p>I'll second that - student newspapers are fora to complain, and most of said complaining is done by people who really don't know how good they have it. </p>
<p>Anyway, I can try to answer the question. The biggest problem is that, right after the new policy was instituted, four kids got DUIs in a weekend. A DUI will result not only in Lex fines (a few hundred dollars + a lawyer), but also in SJC sanctions. The Lexington police are, IMO, not unlike the Gestapo. They are everywhere, and they are harsh (the one traffic ticket I've received in my life was in Lex, and I drive a lot - like driven through every state from Maine to Florida). It does tend to drive parties off campus and away from university supervision. It's a trend that's been happening since the late '90s when a MIT student drank himself to death; MIT was promptly sued by his family, as this happened at a frat party. Anyway, it does push things off campus, which also can increase the risk of sexual assault.</p>
<p>While I'm never really in favour of breaking the law, I do find the drinking age to be absurd. Mostly, that realization hit when I was 20, leasing an apt with my own money, liable for any problems with the lease (no parents signed on to it)... and it was illegal for me to drink in said apartment. That, in my mind, is just nuts.</p>
<p>One thing to do in Lexington is to establish a designated driver when you go out/off campus - not a new concept there - the Lex cops can be a bit mutch - but there have been students injured or worse in the Lexington area related to alcohol - so just be forwarned and make some smart choices - that is pretty much the same where ever you go to school - cuz many schools are really cracking down on on-campus drinking and for the under 21ers.</p>
<p>Disclaimer: As I've probably mentioned before, I don't drink. Not a holier-than-thou attitude--just by circumstance. I'm happy enough remembering my good times the next day. I've been to several parties and heard about many more, so here's the deal.</p>
<p>When I got to campus for Orientation Week, the first night we all went out to check out the parties like good little budding Dubyunellers. The truth was, you could walk into a frat house down the street from the freshman dorms and grab a drink without batting an eye. Now the frats have taken their parties off-campus, due to the fact that they're carding at the frats. A lot more parties are taking place "in the country," which basically means that you need to either wait for Traveller to take you/bring you back, or secure a sober driver.</p>
<p>The alcohol policy is not new, but the new enforcement is part of a gradual plan of Burish's to eventually have it fully enforced. It's as big a deal as people will make of it. On the one hand, some people have blamed Burish for the DUIs (note the "Buck Furish" in one Campus Notice); on the other, some have just gone with it and kept right on partying.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info rakem.</p>
<p>"which basically means that you need to either wait for Traveller to take you/bring you back, or secure a sober driver." ha, great line</p>
<p>I guess some of us will be seeing you on campus in March, right?</p>
<p>But of course! And I'll say it right now--since it's the middle of the week I'm not sure if we'll be having a full "Sober Party" blowout, but I'll keep y'all updated on any plans for sober alternatives to the usual (tired old) party scene.</p>
<p>I have been prying at this issue forever and on the W&L LJ community (<a href="http://www.livejournal.com/community/dubyanell/%5B/url%5D">http://www.livejournal.com/community/dubyanell/</a>), I think my questions have sort of gotten answered. I also applied EDII and got in, so I'll be seeing you in September! IM me anytime at Im a Homosapiens.</p>
<p>I think that W&L is worried about their reputation. Honestly, if you are worried they will be too strict, I wouldnt lose sleep over it. If you hate the idea of people drinking I think that you may need to revisit your options. I hope that this post is does not offend anyone..........I like the school too.</p>
<p>YAY! A Yankee fan! Welcome to the forum.</p>
<p>my host's gf told me that during orientation there is puke covering the floor of the dorm because so many people get drunk...eew</p>