<p>My D has been admitted to Madison for the fall & probably will attend. She is a definite non-partier, plans to stay that way & is intrigued by the new substance-free part of Cole Hall in the Lakeshore dorms.</p>
<p>There's not a lot of info on the UW website about this, but was wondering in any admits or parents would care to comment on the feasibility of this on a campus that very recently was named the #1 party school in the nation.</p>
<p>UW residence hall law forbids alcolhol, illegal drugs, tobacco, etc. in ANY of their dorms, but I can't imagine they're enforced very stringently, which is OK I suppose---the 'college experience', right?</p>
<p>Are any admits signing up for this? If you're a non-partier, it sounds like a pretty good deal on this 'live & let live'-style campus.</p>
<p>Technically no dorm has alcohol, tobacco or illegal substances. Choosing a substance free space will probably mean being with a subset of the many nonpartiers who attend. I wouldn't worry about any of the lakeshore dorms if your D wants to live on that part of campus and prefers a different dorm. "Study hard, party hard" has been a phrase people have used- note that study comes first of the two. And not everyone parties, just as not everyone was an activist back in the Vietnam War era (personal experience). Also, the noisy ones get the media attention- I suspect things are a lot quieter than you think on a day to day basis.</p>
<p>I live in one of the Lakeshore dorms now and can confirm the quietness of the area. Yes, there is partying in all dorms but Southeast and Lakeshore are starkly different in the amount of partying occuring/number of people that routinely party. I think the substance free floor is unnecessary and redundant, in a way. You are not allowed to have alcohol etc. in your room unless you are of legal age AND if your roommate is legal as well. Therefore, unless your daughter is concerned about living with someone that is a smoker/partakes in other various illegal activities, it's not really necessary. A nice option though, if that's what she's looking for.</p>
<p>Enforcement depends entirely on the housefellow. I had one that actually came around to people's rooms to check up on us and called the police if he believed we did have alcohol and were hiding it. Jackass.</p>
<p>Yeah, I would second the suggestion that it seems pretty redundant, and pretty much all of what kimu08. If she feels like she'd be more comfortable in an official substance free floor, then by all means, she should go for it. If she's worried about meeting people who don't like to party as well though, she shouldn't worry. There's people who don't like to party or drink all over the place. They really aren't a rarity.</p>
<p>I kind of agree that a substance free floor sounds redundant, but it can be useful. Only people who really don't want to deal with drugs or alcohol are going to choose these floors, so it will make it a lot easier to meet people who feel the same way and be in maybe a more comfortable environment. I also agree that it is not hard at all anyway to find people who aren't big drinkers or partiers in Lakeshore. I live in Cole this year, though not the floor that's becoming substance-free (Buck House, first floor), and while the smell of weed permeates the floor at times, and there has been vomit in our halls, it is not an everyday thing (usually). There are a lot of people on my floor who don't do any drugs or drink, and they aren't the weird ones who hide in their rooms all the time.</p>