No kegs. No hard liquor. No "games" (although drinking is never a game). These were the first baby steps toward alcohol eradication taken years ago, and it seems that a next step must be taken. Alcohol is a deterrent toward the academic and moral development of students here at Notre Dame, due to its damaging effects on the spirit and body, which were raised in Daniel Cerrone's article ("Rethinking alcohol consumption," Apr. 4.)
Some disturbing facts about the effects of alcohol were presented to me in the form of a PILLARS poster by my roommate freshman year. "Did you know ... consuming five or more alcoholic beverages in one night can affect brain and body activity up to three days?!"
Moreover, "two consecutive nights of drinking five or more alcoholic beverages can affect brain and body activity for up to five days!" The poster is blatantly saying that alcohol will adversely affect the students' learning even after the deed has been done. It is unbelievable to me that the administration can be aware of these facts and still turn a blind eye to the rampant consumption of alcohol on campus. Do they want students to fail?
This is absurd. Alcohol consumption also leads to poor decision-making; stupid things can be done (I have heard of kids running through hallways with alcohol paraphernalia, right past the rooms of Assistant Rectors, and of others who lose personal items such as clothing and musical instruments) but many possibly life altering decisions can be made as well (for example, I know a student who habitually rides his bike around campus and South Bend while drunk, putting his life in perilous danger).
Alcohol is a main vector of sexually promiscuous activity here on campus, and many locales off. It is a depressant not only of our mental activity but also of our moral development. As a Catholic University whose goals are to educate the mind and develop the soul, Notre Dame should seriously reconsider its stance on on-campus permissibility of alcohol.
Alcohol use runs counter to the goals and mission of this great university. The prohibition of alcohol would cause an increase in academic and moral development here at Notre Dame. Mr. Cerrone, I tip my hat to you, for trying to bring change for the better.
Ryan Slaney
sophomore
Carroll Hall
April 8
