2008 Woodie Awards
RSSParty Mountain
Columnist
By Tom Lyden
Issue date: 10/5/07 Section: Opinion
On the weekend, Lehigh students have two choices: get wasted or get wasted.
"But, what if we got wasted instead?" Exactly.
Next to academics, leisure drinking bordering on alcoholism is a tradition at Lehigh.
In 2006, Lehigh ranked No. 32 as a university, but No. 3 as a party school.
The administration's answer to drinking has been three-fold. First, there is the AlcoholEdu internet course required of all students. Second, there is the "be great or be gone" mandate which eliminated Delta Sigma Phi fraternity. Third, Late Night Lehigh puts on square dancing events and the like as alternatives to drinking.
The truth of the matter is, Late Night Lehigh events are poorly attended, the decision to kick off fraternities has been poorly received and the success of online alcohol education has been questionable at best.
Every year, Lehigh's Board of Trustees pours large sums of money into "dry" Late Night Lehigh events with the hopes of quenching students' alcoholism. But, their link (lehigh.edu/~inmoon/inmoon.html) doesn't work.
But, trying to prevent drinking, whether by distraction or by force, is like trying to prevent urination. The more you hold back, the more likely things are going to get wet.
Instead of cutting students off midstream, Lehigh should let them flow. Instead of shunning alcohol use, Lehigh should embrace it for the better.
Through moderate investments, Lehigh could turn student alcoholism into a positive for the school.
"But what if we got wasted instead?" Exactly.
The plan: First, instead of dictating rules and regulations, let students make the right choice; guide them in the right direction.
Start by ending unpopular Late Night Lehigh events. That will free up considerable amounts of wasted money. Any extra funds can come from the unappropriated $1,098,000 listed on Lehigh's budget.
Appropriate that money for the creation of personal "leisure funds" for students. Allow the spending of leisure funds on food and alcohol served at school events. If a student attends an event but doesn't spend leisure funds, that student should receive a stipend check in the mail.
Students should get extra leisure funds by participating in enriching events or by winning them in school-sponsored competitions. Parents should be able to deposit into leisure accounts and initial semester balances should be connected to students' grades.
After establishing leisure funds and allowing drinking on campus, South Mountain will naturally become more party-friendly.
Barely used spaces such as Coxe Hall should be converted into POPZ or "Pimp Out Party Zpaces." A generous ratio of spending to fund POPZ would ensure students want to go there. Moreover, a special edition POPZ-Wheelie mobile party-unit should also be created.
The perfect POPZ would have five things: good friends, food, drink, entertainment and the honor system. The Board of Trustees won't let that go, so Alumni Social Adviserz or ASAz should be present at every POPZ and POPZ-Wheelie. ASAz could include alumni, professors or administrator members who feel like partying.
Students renting POPZ would surely love their ASAz.
The Conclusion: If they are encouraged to drink, students will attend more events. With increased attendance at football games, concerts, guest speakers and the like, both the school and student spirit would improve.
For too long, the philosophy has been to better the No. 32 and shun theNo. 3. This has been counter intuitive to who we are as Lehigh students.
By adapting to the student identity, Lehigh would improve as a university to where we could become the No. 1 university and the No.1 party school.
"But, what if we got wasted instead?"
Hey, if it takes borderline alcoholism to bring us together, then God bless borderline alcoholism.
Thomas M. Lyden is a senior journalism and Asian studies major. His column, Ne'er-do-well, appears alternate Fridays.
"But, what if we got wasted instead?" Exactly.
Next to academics, leisure drinking bordering on alcoholism is a tradition at Lehigh.
In 2006, Lehigh ranked No. 32 as a university, but No. 3 as a party school.
The administration's answer to drinking has been three-fold. First, there is the AlcoholEdu internet course required of all students. Second, there is the "be great or be gone" mandate which eliminated Delta Sigma Phi fraternity. Third, Late Night Lehigh puts on square dancing events and the like as alternatives to drinking.
The truth of the matter is, Late Night Lehigh events are poorly attended, the decision to kick off fraternities has been poorly received and the success of online alcohol education has been questionable at best.
Every year, Lehigh's Board of Trustees pours large sums of money into "dry" Late Night Lehigh events with the hopes of quenching students' alcoholism. But, their link (lehigh.edu/~inmoon/inmoon.html) doesn't work.
But, trying to prevent drinking, whether by distraction or by force, is like trying to prevent urination. The more you hold back, the more likely things are going to get wet.
Instead of cutting students off midstream, Lehigh should let them flow. Instead of shunning alcohol use, Lehigh should embrace it for the better.
Through moderate investments, Lehigh could turn student alcoholism into a positive for the school.
"But what if we got wasted instead?" Exactly.
The plan: First, instead of dictating rules and regulations, let students make the right choice; guide them in the right direction.
Start by ending unpopular Late Night Lehigh events. That will free up considerable amounts of wasted money. Any extra funds can come from the unappropriated $1,098,000 listed on Lehigh's budget.
Appropriate that money for the creation of personal "leisure funds" for students. Allow the spending of leisure funds on food and alcohol served at school events. If a student attends an event but doesn't spend leisure funds, that student should receive a stipend check in the mail.
Students should get extra leisure funds by participating in enriching events or by winning them in school-sponsored competitions. Parents should be able to deposit into leisure accounts and initial semester balances should be connected to students' grades.
After establishing leisure funds and allowing drinking on campus, South Mountain will naturally become more party-friendly.
Barely used spaces such as Coxe Hall should be converted into POPZ or "Pimp Out Party Zpaces." A generous ratio of spending to fund POPZ would ensure students want to go there. Moreover, a special edition POPZ-Wheelie mobile party-unit should also be created.
The perfect POPZ would have five things: good friends, food, drink, entertainment and the honor system. The Board of Trustees won't let that go, so Alumni Social Adviserz or ASAz should be present at every POPZ and POPZ-Wheelie. ASAz could include alumni, professors or administrator members who feel like partying.
Students renting POPZ would surely love their ASAz.
The Conclusion: If they are encouraged to drink, students will attend more events. With increased attendance at football games, concerts, guest speakers and the like, both the school and student spirit would improve.
For too long, the philosophy has been to better the No. 32 and shun theNo. 3. This has been counter intuitive to who we are as Lehigh students.
By adapting to the student identity, Lehigh would improve as a university to where we could become the No. 1 university and the No.1 party school.
"But, what if we got wasted instead?"
Hey, if it takes borderline alcoholism to bring us together, then God bless borderline alcoholism.
Thomas M. Lyden is a senior journalism and Asian studies major. His column, Ne'er-do-well, appears alternate Fridays.
