Dry Campuses Research Paper

Words: 820
Pages: 4

Time for a change Each year approximately 1,400 college students are killed in auto accidents due to being under the influence of alcohol, (Gruenewald and Saltz). This is due largely to the fact that the majority of colleges now proclaim to be “Dry Campuses” meaning that it is against the rules for students to obtain, consume, or possess alcoholic beverages on campus grounds. This results in many students leaving the campus to drink, which can lead them driving back to campus while intoxicated. If colleges convert to “wet campuses”, which would mean students 21 years of age or older could drink on campus, there would be a significant decrease in these unnecessary deaths. Until Universities begin making the transition to wet campuses, these …show more content…
According to David Hansen, “The legal age limit might increase drug use,” (Hansen). This can also be said for Dry Campuses. The lack of accessibility to alcohol only encourages drug use.
Drugs are undoubtedly more dangerous to students than alcohol, but students may be more inclined to do drugs on campus as they are easier to sneak onto campus than alcohol. If Colleges allowed alcohol on campus, students would be less inclined to do drugs on campus, thus improving the safety and control of substances on campus. The reason many Universities are dry campuses is because of the fear that underage students would have too easy of access to the substance, as well as the number of accidents on campus could rise. As this may be true in theory, Universities are being selfish in the matter. By not allowing drinking on campus, colleges are virtually encouraging students to leave campus and drink, which by reasons previously stated, is extremely more dangerous to the lives of the student than if they were allowed to drink on campus. But unfortunately colleges are more concerned with having statistics stating less accidents on campus than accepting the fact that their own students are putting their lives in more danger by leaving campus to party and drink. If Universities truly value the lives of their students, then they will forgo the appearance of having a “safer” campus to provide true safety to their