No pub at SMU

Southern Methodist University's president, Gerald Turner, announced yesterday that the school will accept and implement most recommendations of a panel of students, professors, and campus leaders in order to curtail drug and alcohol abuse among SMU students. After three student deaths last year, the university is seeking an aggressive approach to change the school's image and encourage responsible behavior.

One suggestion not on SMU's "to do" list is opening a campus pub. As a graduate of SMU (MBA '85), I disagree. I admit it sounds counter-intuitive to combat drinking by opening a pub, but begin with the panel's reasoning. The current culture at SMU is this - the Greek community (sorority and fraternity members) have all the parties and all the fun. Non-greeks don't feel a part of campus life. Many greeks wonder why all these other kids even bother to show up if they aren't in a fraternity. Campus cameraderie among students of diverse backgrounds is lacking - some argue non-existent. The panel suggests that permitting students to enjoy socializing (including having a beer while watching sports on TV) fosters a relaxed atmosphere and teaches that it's not about drinking in order to get drunk. The on-campus pub was suggested to lessen students' impression that enjoying social life is limited to joining a fraternity and getting drunk until you pass out four nights a week. The lesson is that having an occasional brew with your campus mates is a better lifestyle choice.

Comments

[Jo Spears]

You make a good point, Carol. When I was an undergraduate in the late 70s at then North Texas State University, we had the benefit of an on-campus club. The Rock Bottom Lounge was located in the basement of the student union and served only beer and wine. It was a small intimate venue with a proliferation of live entertainment thanks to the fabulous music school at the college. I don't know that the existence of the RBL made a dent in the drinking habits of the majority of students, but those of us who frequented the lounge certainly enjoyed a calmer and more responsible atmosphere in which we could socialize - as in, actually converse with each other. And it's my opinion that, because it was an on-campus facility, the decorum was somewhat than that I experienced at the dance clubs and greek parties I also attended. Yes, it was only a small crowd at the RBL ... but often big changes have to start with small, and sometimes unexpected, steps.

[Triple Wildcat]

I disagree, and I'm also an SMU alum. While an on-campus pub would have many benefits, it's not going to curtail binge drinking. The "cool" kids aren't going to drink at the campus pub in front of faculty members and SMU police. They're still going to go off campus for parties where they can engage in reckless drinking.

The people who need alcohol education the most - freshmen and other underaged students - wouldn't be allowed to drink at a campus pub anyway. The pub would mainly serve campus-bound students over the age of 21. That's a very small pool to teach lifestyle choices.

When I first enrolled at SMU, fraternities could have parties in their houses on campus. One year SMU got fed up with all the complaints and kicked parties off campus. Smart move. Now, the Greeks have their blowout parties all over North Texas, where campus cops experienced in dealing with college kids can't watch over them. Many of the frats charter buses to these parties, but you know a lot of them are driving - more than if the parties were on-campus.

But in my experience at SMU, the non-greek kids had fun, too. They had parties, they were just on a smaller scale. Most of the non-greeks banded together like kids on any campus would - arts majors, the marching band, newspaper staff, etc. The Greeks get all the attention, but it's not so dreary being non-Greek at SMU. It's still college, and it's pretty hard NOT to have fun anywhere that has thousands of college-age kids running around. And bars within walking distance, like the ones on Yale Blvd.

Binge drinking is indeed a problem on nearly all college campuses (and, tragically, some high schools), but of the three alcohol-related deaths at SMU last year, two involved hard drug usage. That's the unique problem at SMU - the kids who have the access and financial means to use drugs beyond alcohol and marijuana. It's never a bad idea to try to curtail binge drinking, but SMU needs a serious crackdown on illegal drug use. Even if it means inviting outside law enforcement to run undercover stings.

[Dana Massey]

How does it work to have a pub at a college campus when it is illegal to drink until you are 21 years of age? How would this help? And why can't you find something like a pub to provide a place for socializing that doesn't serve beer? Or am I missing something?

[Brian LaCroix]

I have to chuckle about this. The name of the school is Southern *METHODIST* University. If a Methodist Church serves grape juice instead of wine at communion, why in the world would the school open a bar? :)

Brian