Should College Ban Alcohol - Research Proposal Example

Should College Ban Alcohol? Table of Contents Table of Contents Introduction College Entrants Are Young and Should be Guided Properly 2 Alcohol Drinking In Colleges Contribute to Lower GPAs 3 Alcohol Drinking Contributes to Poor Social Behavior 4 Anti-Alcohol Ban in Colleges 5 Trying to Ban Alcohol Will Never Succeed 5 Trying to Ban Alcohol in Colleges is Like Trying to Babysit Adults 5 There Should be Inclusion in the Decision-Making Process to Mitigate Alcoholism 6 Conclusion 6 Introduction Transition from high school to college is usually a challenge for many parents as well as for teenager. Nearly everyone joins college when they are teenagers. In some cases, some join college when they have not reached the legal age of eighteen years. The challenge that many parents face when their children join college is how to ensure that they will handle the freedom that comes with being in college. Unlike in high school where they are under strict regulations, the education system recognizes that college should allow some degree of freedom. The extended freedom is granted in the understanding that as emerging adults, students in college should be trained on making personal decisions about their lives. It is because of this that many colleges have not banned alcohol and other legal drugs such as cigarettes. The most notable instance of mismanagement of college freedom is drinking alcohol too much. Due to this, there has been a debate and various views about whether colleges should ban alcohol or not. This paper shall offer a discussion on the subject by analyzing various arguments for and against alcohol ban in colleges. The thesis statement shall be: whether colleges should ban alcohol or not, is a matter of institutional integrity, the law and morals. College Entrants Are Young and Should be Guided Properly Colleges allow students to drink though within certain regulations that promote order. Given that many students who undergo transition from high school to college suddenly find themselves with too much freedom, many abuse that freedom. Over the years, it has been found that many students who drink in college start doing so at an early age as soon as they enter college (Pérez-Peña 1). Research also shows that many students, particularly emerging adults in their teens, have found themselves in compromising situations. For instance, some young women have found themselves in men’s hostels without knowing how they ended up there. Many have had to procure abortions just because they went on a drinking spree and drunk themselves to oblivion. Likewise, alcohol in college has also been responsible for emerging irresponsibility and reckless behavior. Many male and female students have risked their lives in drunk driving, some even ending up in fatal accidents. Coupled with many other problems, the freedom to drink alcohol in colleges has been seen to be responsible for a number of social ills. A section of the society feels that colleges should ban alcohol so that students do not drink on campus (Correia 56). Similarly, there are also others who feel that colleges should not ban alcohol. Both sides of the argument have advanced various reasons for their arguments. Nothing much in those two wide opinions has changed. The debate still rages. Pro-Alcohol Ban in Colleges Arguments Alcohol Drinking in Colleges Impact Negatively in Learning Outcomes To begin with, supporting side of the argument on whether colleges should ban alcohols has advanced various reasons for this position. Research results published in AlcoholEdu between 2008-2009 found out that alcoholism in college impacts negatively on learning objectives and outcome. The authors say, “The number of drinks consumed correlate with the number of classes missed.” By this, the authors imply that the more a student drinks in college, the more such a student will be inclined to miss classes. The authors feel that it should be the responsibility of the society to shape the development of such student so that do not waste study time. The strength of this assertion is that it logically points out that missed classes may most likely result to a fail grade in the unit concerned. Therefore, as such students mature up with time, they should be guided on the right path by banning alcohol on campus. Even so, it appears that such an argument is weak in the sense that it insinuates that colleges should babysit adult students. Alcohol Drinking In Colleges Contribute to Lower GPAs Many parents have supported calls for alcohol ban in colleges. A number of them argue that their children hardly sit down to read and revise their work. Such parents feel that the fact that colleges allow alcohol is a hindrance to positive academic outcomes. Porter and Pryor (463) say that “students who drink heavily in campus tend to have lower GPAs.” Parents are concerned with academic outcomes of their children so that they can be competent in the job market. Porter and Pyor’s findings seem to support the need for alcohol ban in colleges for the benefits of the students. The strength of their findings is that it can be used to convince the public for the need to ban alcohol in colleges for the benefit of students. Arguments that have been advanced for the ban suggest that such lower GPAs result from the fact that students who drink alcohol in college at least four times in two weeks spend little time studying. That would present a weakness in the argument. One may argue that whereas episodic alcohol drinking may result in students not spending quality time on reading as well as scoring low GPAs, not all students who drink are affected in the same manner. Alcohol Drinking Contributes to Poor Social Behavior In addition to the above reasons for the suggested ban of alcohol in colleges, some have argued that alcohol in college contributes to poor social behavior. Some of those championing the ban of alcohol in colleges claim that students who drink have poor social behavior (Correia 42). They give an example that poor social behaviors may be seen in the inappropriate manner of how they behave around their peers and classmates. Other instances of poor social behaviors include seclusion and poor interpersonality skills such as mixing freely with other students from various cultures. Supporters of ban of alcohol in college argue that although such behaviors may also be common amongst some students that do not take alcohol, they are aggravated by alcoholism. However, a critical analysis would suggest that such a comparison is flawed since such social behaviors are more of personality traits than drug driven. What the alcohol does is that it temporarily inhibits the logic so that self-control is suspended through an inhibition. However, as soon as the person sobers up, many of them are very social and sensitive to others. Anti-Alcohol Ban in Colleges Trying to Ban Alcohol Will Never Succeed On the other hand, those who oppose the suggestion to ban alcohol in colleges have also forwarded various arguments for their position on the matter. According to them, there is absolutely no need to ban alcohol in colleges for the following reason. Some of them believe that attempting to ban alcohol in colleges is a wild goose chase as chances of succeeding are minimal. In a letter written to the editor, one Jackie Campbell, a former student of Liberty High School (2008) and Penn State College (2013) argues that the ban is unnecessary (Campbell 1). According to Campbell, college students will still find other ways to drink in secret if alcohol were banned. According to her, that is sure way to have even bigger problems. She says that they will “find ways to get drunk fast and in secret.” One may observe that Campbell’s claims outline some fact as much as it one would wish to dismiss it. It compares with the alcohol ban by the US Congress back when the house decided to legislate morals. The impossibility insinuated is that some habits are so ingrained in people such that it is difficult to mitigate them from a radical approach. Trying to Ban Alcohol in Colleges is Like Trying to Babysit Adults Similarly, Don Huebscher, an editor with the Star Tribune, has echoed such sentiments as Campbell. Huebscher (1) argues that college students should be left to make mistakes and learn from them. According to him, an attempt to ban alcohol on campuses is an attempt to shelter adults that should be accorded the freedom they deserve as they shape their personalities. The editor feels that such a move would be like baby-sitting adults whom sooner than later are going to be free and responsible for their lives. He feels that although many college students overindulge in alcohol, they should be guided rather than being controlled with an alcohol ban. There Should be Inclusion in the Decision-Making Process to Mitigate Alcoholism Some scholars and organizations also share the same opinion as the best approach to dealing with college alcoholism. As a solution, Saltz and DeJong offer that student drinking can only be solved after specific goals and objectives have been identified. The authors observe that many colleges usually “jump into prevention without taking time to explore what their goals and objectives are (Saltz and DeJong 7).” That observation points out that whereas the government and other agencies have recognized the need to mitigate alcohol in colleges, they also point out that the whole issue is a sensitive one. Being sensitive, only a balanced approach may work. Such an approach has to be objective so that specific achievable goals are set. The strength of this approach is that it is seen to cushion everyone. It cushions those who support a ban on alcohol in college through participative regulation. On the other hand, it also recognizes the complexities involved given that it is an attempt to implement control measures for adults. Rather than support a total ban or encourage consumption, it seeks to find where the problem lies so that it may offer a working solution. Conclusion As has been seen, alcohol drinking in college is such a controversial issue where everyone seems to have a divergent view. On one side, there are those who believe that there should be a ban on alcohol in college. Such opinions are usually backed with claims that alcohol drinking in college is responsible for academic irresponsibility, poor class attendance, poor grades and inappropriate behaviors. They feeling is that if there is a ban on alcohol in colleges, then such problems will not persist. On the other hand, those who do not support alcohol ban in college feel that college is a stage where students should not be allowed to take responsibility of their lives. Others also oppose alcohol ban on grounds that it will just not work since it is impossible to cage adults. Besides, there is a balanced approach that seeks proper engagement and assessment before making any decision about alcohol ban in colleges. All perspectives seem to be arguments informed by reason, emotions and responsibility. As it is now, solution is still elusive, as no conclusive measures have been adopted. As seen, the suggestion for colleges to ban alcohol is a matter of institutional integrity, law and ethics. Works Cited AlcoholEdu. College National Survey Database. 2008-2009, Outside the Classroom. On Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Campbell, Jackie. Letter: Alcohol Ban on College Campuses is Not Answer. 2014. Web. Accessed from http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2014/03/letter_alcohol_ban_on_colle ge.html Correia, Christopher J., Murphy James G., and Barnett Nancy P. College Student Alcohol Abuse: A Guide to Assessment, Intervention, and Prevention. New Jersey: Wiley, 2012. Print. Huebscher, Don. Sheltering Students Isnt the Answer. 2012. Web. Accessed from http://m.startribune.com/opinion/commentaries/182056071.html Porter Stephen R., and Pryor John. The Effects of Heavy Episodic Alcohol Use on Student Engagement, Academic Performance. Journal of College Student Development 48.4 (2007): 455-467. Saltz, Robert and DeJong, William. Reducing Alcohol Problems on Campus: A Guide to Planning and Evaluation April 2002. Task Force of the National Advisory Council, 2002. Pérez-Peña, Richard. Dartmouth in the Glare of Scrutiny on Drinking. New York Times, October 1, 2013. Web. Accessed from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/02/education/dartmouth- in-the-glare-of-scrutiny-on-drinking.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Read More