Research done at Villanova University shows that 80 percent of college students drink, a fact most undergraduates could attest to. Since beginning my college career at the University of St. Thomas, I have witnessed a wide variety of drinking habits. From a glass of red wine with dinner to crazy nights at the bars, one thing is certain: the majority of undergrads consume alcohol.
Colleges have tried using various tactics to promote responsible drinking, or even discourage alcohol consumption altogether. Though the latter is not an effective way to encourage good decision-making, an effective way to approach the former is through on-campus bars.
On-campus bars are quite popular in the United Kingdom and have become more common in the U.S. as well. There is no official research on drinking statistics at such bars, but I have read a few articles by people who have experienced on-campus bars and deem them a good idea. Common sense also shows the benefit.
Not only would an on-campus bar promote on-campus socializing, but the university — being a private institution — would also have a say in alcohol servings, thus providing a more controlled drinking environment for students, discouraging and even preventing some bingeing. In the case of eventual alcohol abuse, an on-campus bar would be closer to whatever aid students may need.
I’m not just one student with crazy ideas. Through a random survey I sent to the St. Thomas student body through Facebook, I found that 76 percent of the 97 respondents would find the presence of an on-campus bar beneficial, with 71 percent of those in favor being over 21. The most common reasons students stated in the survey were safety, distance, opportunity to create community and the fostering of a casual drinking environment.
On the other hand, common arguments expressed by students were the concern for underage drinking on campus, the belief that a supervised environment such as an on-campus bar would not get much business and the belief that the St. Thomas should not be promoting alcohol, being a Catholic institution.
However, underage drinking could be avoided through strict access protocol (for example, school IDs could be scanned at the entrance, thus preventing the use of fakes). In regards to the objection that it wouldn’t be popular, the fact that 76 percent of students surveyed would make use of an on-campus bar makes that concern moot. And as for the university being a Catholic one, Catholicism is not opposed to alcohol itself but to the unhealthy consumption of the substance.
Furthermore, St. Thomas has had a liquor license since 2012, so an on-campus bar would be a fruitful way to implement that.
The best way to nurture a healthy drinking environment is to not be afraid of alcohol, allowing students the freedom to enjoy a few drinks in an environment conducive to healthy alcohol use. By introducing an on-campus bar, St. Thomas would have the opportunity to promote healthy drinking and prevent alcohol abuse.
Letizia Mariani can be reached at mari8259@stthomas.edu.