As I hope many of you know (or choose to ignore) Colorado Mesa University as of today is classified as a dry campus.
If you are unfamiliar with that term, that means CMU does not allow alcohol anywhere on the campus (except for The Point and pre-approved events, such as the annual concert). However, with the university growing, is it time to consider that this rule should change, or at least slightly.
According to the student code of conduct, “The possession or use of alcoholic beverages and illegal drugs is not allowed in any residence halls.”
While of course, it makes sense to not allow students under twenty-one years of age to have alcohol on campus, and if I have to explain that one to you, then there are other questions we need to be asking.
But, an argument can be made that if you are of age you should be allowed to drink alcohol on campus. Doesn’t that make sense though? If I can legally drink alcohol in a public bar, shouldn’t I be allowed to drink in the dorm room that I live in?
Realistically, that is a small population that I am referring to, but as this university continues to grow the more likely more students will remain living on campus past the age of 21.
With the university continuing to buy up more land, there are going to be fewer and fewer places for students to live off campus and it will just make sense for them to live on it.
So, my suggestion is that the school should get ahead of this trend and become a wet campus for the future. This is not an uncommon occurrence in universities across the nation.
According to the student alcohol policy at Butler University, “[You can] consume alcohol in your residence hall room/apartment (with the door closed) if you and all others present are 21 or older.”
Even Ivy League Schools like Stanford have similar rules and regulations in their student handbook regarding alcohol on campus.
“Stanford University places strict limitations on the use of distilled liquor/spirits/hard alcohol (alcohol by volume 20 percent and above; 40 proof); distilled liquor/spirits/hard alcohol in bottles, containers, etc. smaller than 750 ml are allowed under this policy for people 21 years of age or older, but must be contained and stored in the original bottle, container, etc. in which was purchased from a licensed establishment.”
CMU should get on board with this, similar to how Butler and Stanford are handling alcohol on their campuses. Make it acceptable if you are of age, and restricted if you are not.
If you are 21 anywhere else around the country, you are allowed to drink in the confines of your home or in an approved public setting.
We already have The Point, so why not fully jump into the lake and not just dip our toes in.
I am not saying that this is an open invitation to drink whenever you want, where ever you want and with whoever you want. That would be the dumbest thing you could do.
But if you hold students to the same expectations that the rest of the country does in their laws, then you will not only be on the same page as a lot of other universities, but it might help you retain students living on campus.
If students realize that they will be treated their age on campus, and they won’t get reprimanded for doing something they are legally allowed to do, then they would be more willing to stay in the brand-new apartments on campus then try and find some stingy house in the surrounding area.
While this might seem like a scary step for the campus to make, let’s accept the reality. Students are doing it anyway, so just make the rules and regulations make sense to the rest of the world.
Help prepare them so that when they do go live on their own they are ready to handle alcohol responsibly.
Provide the students with healthy drinking tips or have speakers come in to talk about the subject to help them be prepared for when they are legally allowed to drink.
It is time to go wet, CMU.
