This thread should end with OHmomof2’s appropriate comments. We could start a discussion titled “Lets ban it because…” Note that based on my family’s experince at four colleges – 99% of frat guys are great guys, who respect women and will contribute to society.
I’m in favor of colleges either allowing alcohol or looking the other way. All it does is drive the frats off campus, so you still have alcohol-related deaths and sexual assaults. In addition, it creates new problems because these parties spread out into the wider community where people who thought they had a peaceful neighbor find out a frat moved next door.
@Joblue , while I would agree that binge drinking does happen in Europe, I would still say it isn’t nearly as extreme as in the US. I did a gap year abroad and while my friends and I did get drunk, it was never to blackout or vomiting levels and drinking in a bar/club over a longer period of time where the bartender can cut you off and knows a standard pour definitely helps.
In the US, at least at my college and from what I’ve heard from my friends, drinking until blackout or vomiting is seen as an achievement to many people, not something to be embarrassed by (particularly at fraternities…). Drinking involves a lot more hard liquor and is done over a shorter period of time- people drink the same number of drinks they might on a night out in Europe in a span of 3-4 hours versus 6-7. And drinking is pretty exclusively done to get drunk, at least until 21- wine or beer with dinner isn’t really a thing. So in those regards I would say a drinking age of 18 helps.
Just saying there are a lot of brothers that don’t get black out drunk. Don’t let a few bad apples smear the system. Being a part of a fraternity is a lot more than just drinking.