Tucker, Occum, Wheelock, Thayer -- these are all monumental legacies of Dartmouth College, and their presence can be found everywhere on campus from the buildings to the artwork in the libraries. Honestly, then, why don't the powers that be name the next new dorm "Keystone Lite?""
Keystone has definitely made its mark on my life already as a Dartmouth freshman and is undeniably the official beverage of Dartmouth College. Even Odwalla fruit juices cannot compete. Dartmouth is infamous for its frat scene. I myself, however, disagree with the entire drunken fiasco. Yes, I said fiasco!
Call me conservative, a wimp or whatever else you please, but I have not touched a drop of alcohol since I've set foot on campus and I do not plan on drinking before I graduate. I know there are others like me somewhere staying quiet, and for us the Dartmouth social scene can be a very frustrating one.
For many freshmen, the grand realization that they are finally away from their parents' watchful eyes seemingly gives them the reassurance that they can go all out and not have to worry about the consequences. Many people drink to look more attractive towards others, particularly the opposite sex, or to "loosen" themselves up and help them feel less awkward. This is not a solution; in fact, it could be one of the first signs of a problem.
On the flip side many Dartmouth students justify their drinking by the fact that they work so hard throughout the week and are well within their rights to reward themselves on the weekend. If someone needs alcohol to help them unwind or socialize, then maybe they should reconsider what they are doing. So many people are unwilling or unable to see alcohol as a drug because its overuse has become so highly accepted in college culture.
The awesome thing I can say about Dartmouth's drinking scene is that you are never pressured directly to drink. This does not account for the indirect pressure that many suffer from the fact that everyone around at parties is usually inebriated, and therefore provides little incentive to be sober. I am not judging those who choose to binge drink, but I do want to make people aware of the stupid things they do when they are under the influence. These careless behaviors can become quite annoying, especially to the small percentage of us who aren't blacked out enough to forget the evening's events. I hate having to baby-sit my drunken friends every weekend, and having to watch people throw up on floors, vandalize dormitories and take the wrong North Face fleeces, which inevitably leads to spam the next day from their cold, sad owners.
Maybe we should blame good ol' Eleazer Wheelock for founding our great institution in the middle of the woods instead of in a real civilization like our sister Ivies. Perhaps then our drinking scene wouldn't be so overwhelming. There isn't anything to do on campus after 11 p.m. besides head to a frat or a private party with friends, and unless all of the people present are like me, alcohol will make an appearance.
Binge drinking is a serious issue, and not enough people speak up against it. "It's not alcoholism if everyone does it" appears to be the ideology for many Dartmouth students. I'm not simply blaming Dartmouth for binge drinking or preaching that students shouldn't consume alcohol. I simply want people to know that there are some of us out there who have to deal with the craziness of the Dartmouth drinking scene while being dry every day, and it's not always a pleasant experience.
