Not far removed from ND, I argued while I was there and continue to argue that the higher powers at ND have created a culture of drinking that are constantly putting the kids in tough situations.
Let's get this out of the way first: college kids are going to drink. College kids with big time football programs (tailgating), living in nowhere Indiana, have a stressful academic environment are even more likely to drink.
Because of stricter rules over the last 10 to 15 years, students who do decide to drink will typically do so off campus. Dorm parties are risky and can only have beer. Those who are above 21 prefer to not attend because of all the underage students there.
Because of the restrictions and fear of dorm parties students hit off-campus parties and, while drunk, have to either walk back through the cold or mean streets of South Bend or hope they get a cab, which are often in very high demand and short supply.
Their third option is driving when they shouldn't. Plenty of people I knew while there did it often (myself not excluded). We were just lucky to not get caught.
Some simple changes could really help this:
1. Alcohol free dorms students can choose to live in.
2. Revert back to the more lenient drinking rules to keep kids on campus.
3. A shuttle for students that circles the nearby neighborhood and downtown. We do this on gameday and plenty of other schools do it for students throughout the week or on weekends.
I love Notre Dame and my time there. I would be curious to know the amount of thefts, muggings, injuries, etc. that have occured to intoxicated students off campus after the culture became more strict. It is also worth mentioning that students are forced to deal with South Bend police who, and this is no secret, have it out for ND students. The school needs to realize that the students drink, and they are doing more harm than good.
Jared Galvan
alumni
Pittsburgh, PA
Mar. 25
