Forum Addresses Drinking Age and Related Topics

The Office of Off-Campus Living reached out to students living off campus to answer any questions they had concerning events from the past weeks. Richy Kless, director of Off Campus Living, and Sgt. Greg Long, met in McPhail's yesterday to discuss issues ranging from the drinking age to Operation Red Cup. One student asked Kless if Providence College would consider joining the Amethyst Initiative. The initiative was started by former Middlebury College president John McCardell. It seeks college and university presidents to support legislation which would lower the drinking age to 18 years old, to combat the binge drinking problem many colleges across the country are facing. Kless did not want to speak on behalf of Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P., president of Providence College, on the issue. However, Kless did say that he thought changing the legal drinking age is and will continue to be an important issue, and that the age will be decided by the current generation of college students. "I think it's going to be your generation that needs to do that," said Kless. He said that personally he thinks that the drinking age should be reexamined. "I think young people want to be adults," said Kless. "I think the age 21 has created a wall." He said that he thinks that if young people were able to share experiences like drinking with other adults around it would benefit them. He feels that it would encourage responsibility. He does not think that his generation from the 1970s is any different from the current generation in wanting to experience alcohol. "I don't think we are any different," said Kless. He said that drinking habits were different when he was younger. He said that people rarely did shots like college students do today. "The only time we did shots was when someone was going off to Vietnam," said Kless. The shot served as a salute to the young man who was being deployed. Other students were concerned about the current image of PC students as being distorted by other area college students. "I feel that PC is misrepresented," said Lauren Bernie '10. "Have you been in touch with either RIC or JWU?" Bernie asked Kless. Kless has been in touch with both institutions and two weeks ago moderated a panel discussion at Rhode Island College. The panel focused on the issue of underaged drinking and effective ways to combat it. Kless also said that the issue of off-campus alcohol abuse is not a new issue. "It's a 30-year history," said Kless. He said that PC has been trying to alleviate the problem of having too many college students in the neighborhood. The apartments and Suites Hall were built to move more students back on campus so more families would move into the neighborhood. However, more college students from other schools moved into the neighborhood in their stead. Kless said that he told Lt. Daniel Gannon, of the Providence Police Department, that the neighborhood was not only PC students. According to Kless, Gannon did not believe him at first, but he eventually realized that the problem was not only confined to PC. He stressed that PC does not give out any personal information to police about its students, such as off-campus addresses without just cause. It does confirm or deny if PC students live at a certain address if there has been a violation or arrest. One student said that he lives across from a Johnson & Wales fraternity house. He complained that he has seen JWU students exit the house and argue about who would be the designated driver. His biggest grievance was that the seemingly intoxicated students piled into cars lining the street as a Providence Police patrol car drove past. Long told the student that any time students witness such an event they should call police. If Providence Police receive a report of a drunk driver and are supplied with a license plate they will stop the care and ensure the driver is not intoxicated. Long also emphasized that students should not hesitate to call police if they have a suspicion that someone is driving under the influence. "There's nothing wrong with calling the police to save someone's life," he said. Long said that police do not want to let Operation Red Cup overshadow safety. He said that police are still very concerned with protecting students from "more dangerous stuff." Long also told students to be sure that they "have a plan," and "be responsible." He encouraged them to call a cab if they go out drinking, and not to break any laws. One student asked Kless if he had any ideas about how to draw bigger turnouts at alternative events. "We are getting an embarrassing number of people showing up," she said. Kless said that he did not have an answer but that it was a "great question." "I know it's frustrating at times but never give up because it's frustrating," said Kless. Kless also showed the film Haze to start off the discussion. The short film exposed the dangers of binge drinking. Kless said that PC students have to "reject" dangerously abusing alcohol to the extent that was shown in the film. "That is the extreme of drinking…I want to impress upon you guys that's not everybody," said Kless. "But don't be part of that one percent that's way out there on the fringe." He described the kind of drinking which was portrayed in Haze as like a "gang mentality." He encouraged students to stand up and say, "That's not happening."