The issue of abusive drinking by college students is totally out of control. We have had too many wonderful students die and suffer life-long consequences due to this type of drinking. I believe that bars should be held legally responsible for what takes place in their establishments. Perhaps this will make bar owners stop pushing alcohol so much with their abusive advertising and become more responsible for the lives of their patrons. Fraternities likewise need to be held responsible for the alcohol they distribute or sell at their parties. There is nothing wrong with alcohol, but how it is consumed can make it deadly. What happened to the concept of personal responsibility? Everyone wants to pass the buck to someone else. Bars state that they sell the alcohol, but can't keep track of what goes on in their establishment. I ask, "Why not?" Fraternities say that they have alcohol, but can't be responsible for what the people who attend the parties do. Again I ask, "Why can't they be more responsible if they are choosing to serve alcohol?" Why do the college students of today intentionally go out to get as drunk as they can? What is wrong with their lives that they find it necessary to alter their feelings to such an extent? The fact that the most recent Harvard Study has shown that there is an increase from the 1993 survey in the number of students who are choosing to totally abstain from alcohol is encouraging. Also the fact that students have been requesting wellness dorms or alcohol-free residence halls due to their disgust of having their dorm mates coming in at all hours, being rowdy, keeping them up, and vomiting all over the place. Their seems to be a change in the works on college campuses, for this reason I also believe that universities should be held liable for what happens on the campus or by student groups that are sanctioned by the campus. Universities can no longer look the other way or feel that it is not their responsibility for what their students do. To me is seems that universities are fighting for the number of students that they can get to enroll at their institutions so there is a fear of making stringent rules for the residence halls, campus organizations, and the conduct of what is expected of students who attend their university. We can no longer stand by and allow a generation of wonderful young people destroy themselves by their use of alcohol. It takes all of us working together to create a change instead of expecting it to be someone else's responsibility.
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