The Daily seems to have forgotten that it is comprised of students, in publishing "Grow up, Tufts!" in the Sept. 24 issue. Many of us were offended that our peers would have the audacity to lecture and admonish the rest of us as if we were foolish six-year-olds, caught with our hands in cookie jars.
The editorial staff admits that the "majority of students...are level headed," and acknowledges that it is presumably just a small portion of the out-of-control student body that has tarnished the Tufts name and soiled its reputation. To be sure, belittling hospital staff and fighting bouncers is rude and inappropriate.
It is also a reality that is not specific to Tufts but is specific to drunk, stupid people. Our TCU president, the Daily Editorial Board and everyone else who has taken this opportunity to judge 'the rest' are most surprised to find that even at an elite, small, liberal arts college, stupid people exist.
Alcohol is a depressant. Anyone who uses it should know that. People who are angry and insecure while sober will further demonstrate these emotions as alcohol enters their bloodstream. In essence, jerks become bigger jerks when drunk.
The coverage of the events at Fall Ball and Senior Pub Night seems to imply that they are drastically worse than in years past (though no evidence has been provided to support such a claim). Perhaps if drinks at Senior Pub Night were not so expensive, students would not binge as hard before hand to 'keep the buzz alive.' It is hard for full time students to get belligerently drunk when a shot costs $8 and a beer $5. Our student representatives are allowed to rent out a bar as a venue; why can't they negotiate prices on drinks?
Many of us who are successful, ambitious and occupied by both academics and extracurricular activities enjoy drinking. Some of us have vomited or urinated while inebriated. Some have probably done both at the same time! Perhaps even members of the Daily editorial staff and elected TCU senators have vomited and urinated, despite their audacious lectures to the rest of the student body. For its annual retreat at the Tufts Loj in New Hampshire this year, the TCU senators were not allowed to bring hard alcohol because of their disruptive, rowdy and embarrassing behavior in past years.
The binge drinking culture is not unique to Tufts. It represents a shift in drinking habits unique to our generation - when our parents were in college, drinking games existed but usually were played by athletes and frat boys. I am sure President Bacow, who was a fraternity brother at MIT as an undergrad, can attest to this.
Now, though, things have changed. Drinking, binge drinking in particular, is popular among almost every social group. Its roots, I think, go deeper than the existence of frat houses: it has to do with our culture, our affluence, our boredom.
A real discussion and examination of binge drinking as a culture would be important and fascinating. It is deserved and warranted. But shutting down frat houses forces freshmen to hold up in their dorms and pound drinks.
We do share the community with others. Some valuable lessons my housemates and I learned after we got in trouble for throwing a party last year have helped to improve our relationships with our neighbors. Because of that incident, we have introduced ourselves to our neighbors and gave out a list of our cell phone numbers so they have recourse to calling the police. We try and keep people off the porch. At the same time, I think our neighbors understand that a hidden cost of their real-estate is its proximity to a modern university in the United States.
If it turns out that the individuals who drank excessively at Fall Ball and Senior Pub Night end up ruining it for everyone else, that's too bad. But it is the fault of those individuals. The Daily Editorial Board and the TCU Senate would do well to remember that, and can turn the moral judgments upon themselves.
Jake Pearson is a senior majoring in international relations.
