What the staff calls a "respected tradition" is a shameful and unhealthy history of collegiate binge drinking. Drinking in excess negatively impacts many undergraduates by forcing them to cope with dangerously drunk individuals. Moreover, too many students assume alcohol is essential for a fulfilling social life--a myth as false as it is stigmatizing to those who choose for a variety of reasons not to drink.

However, the administration is wrong to pursue an overly strict alcohol policy. Students who drink responsibly help to combat the idea that you must be drunk to have fun, as well as demonstrate the healthy consumption of alcohol. In doing so, they inject some much-needed maturity into the community. Administrators who really cared about the role of alcohol on campus would respect, not hound, responsible drinkers--whatever their age.