Everyone knows that danger is inherently a part of driving. However, some people make choices that drastically increase the risk to others on the roads. In my opinion, and in the eyes of the law, drunk drivers really are criminals.Drunk driving is not a "mistake." It is a choice. A drunk driver (sometimes underage) chooses to drink alcohol and then get behind the wheel of a car. I am sick of excuses. Call a cab or stay where you are. There is absolutely no excuse for drunk driving, and in my opinion, neither Notre Dame nor Saint Mary's do enough to punish students who receive a DUI on or off campus. Fines and community service are not enough. I believe that all three schools need to partner up with the South Bend and Mishawaka police to create a registry that alerts the schools when a student receives a DUI. That student should then be expelled from the University or College, just as he or she should be for committing any other heinous crime.Drunk driving is not a joke, so we need to stop treating it like it is. Students who make the ridiculously unintelligent choice to drive drunk and gravely endanger the lives of those around them and innocent people in other cars must be punished justly. I urge the schools in this area to seriously reevaluate their policies on off-campus DUIs and institute a much more strict policy.
Kelsey RobertsonsophomoreRegina HallNov. 11
