Observation of the House of Blues

In the fading light of a November night, the air around Landownes Street is buzzing. The sidewalks seem to vibrate, if only slightly, with an energy that can be traced back to the red and blue neon sign blaring the words “House of Blues.”

Nestled in the shadows of Fenway and tucked amongst some ancient and not so ancient history lies the home of one of Boston’s most popular concert venues. The music hall is home to performers big and small, hardcore and hip-hop, which attracts crowds back to the Fenway area even after the stadium lights have grown cold with November frost.

Landsdowne is covered with discarded disks of gum that shine like a trail of blood, spelling out a pattern of summers past, shows past, games past. The street is lined with sleeping cars, the sleeping cars lined with sleeping sidewalks, the sleeping sidewalks carpeted with yellow crinkled leaves. These remainders from October’s chilly nights beg to be swept up, but remain motionless on the cold cement.

Although it is only a Wednesday night, the House of Blues still emanates a pulse and a beat that gives life to this area. Outside the House of Blues, neon clad security guards flank the doors and murmur in steady voices to each other. What exactly they are discussing is insignificant; they are on the outside, they are not apart of whatever is going on behind the heavy blue metal doors. A Boston Police van is parked right in front of the venue in a statement of comfort that is simultaneously unsettling. Whatever is being contained by this wood and cement, bolds and nuts, has a mind of its own and once it is unleashed onto Landsdowne there is no telling where it will go.

Slowly, groups of two and three people begin to trickle out, having tired themselves out in the warmth of the music halls’ beating heart. They weave in between the orange traffic cones that line the perimeter of the House of Blues’ sidewalk space. Their laughter echoes out into the city as they pass Boston’s Best and Original Sausage cart. The proprietor, with a blood red apron covering his beer belly, smiles eagerly and shouts out “Sweet sausages? Anyone?” The passing college kids look back, hunger and desire written on their face, but their feet carry them forward.

The sound of their footsteps dies down and is replaced by the staccato of a street performer. He sets up camp at the top of the street, and the echoing of his empty white, orange, and red containers compete with the dull thudding of the concert inside. His beats are steady yet jarring, unlike the tide of humming, cheering, and wailing coming from the House of Blues. He seems to be waiting for something. Like the wave of taxicabs that flow down the pavement, hungry to be filled with passengers, the drummer is one of many living on the life force contained in the House of Blues. One of many who finds himself on the outside.

Profile of Hillary Larson

Nine-year-old Hillary Larson stood at the gaping mouth of the world’s most powerful waterfall, Niagara Falls, and was spellbound. Not by the 31-mile wall of raw, wet, power, but by the image of a rainbow her camera had just captured. Although not her first experience taking pictures, up to that point she thought it was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. “It really wasn’t though,” she said.

Hillary, a sophomore at Boston University, has felt drawn to journalism, specifically photojournalism, since her childhood. Hailing from Burlington, MA, an area seven and a half times smaller than Boston, Larson has encountered characters of all sorts in her 19 years. Three older siblings, a mother in Narcotics Anonymous, and two dogs, Hazel the husky and Ginger the “insane” Rottweiler-Lab, certainly kept life busy. And on top of this, Hillary’s mother effectively turned their home into a boarding home for recovering Narcotics Anonymous (NA) members, making the Larson household an interesting place to be around the holidays.

The first NA member moved in when Hillary was about nine. An extra room in the house and a warm heart lead Mrs. Larson to rent the room to one of her sponsors for a short time. This then turned into a quasi tradition, with the Larson hosting nine people in their home, usually two people at a time, in the past 10 years. Currently, a girl Sarah Abrams and her pit-bull Macaroni live with the Larsons. Mrs. Larson, a nurse, assists Abrams with her multiple sclerosis.

Growing up in such an unusual environment was not always easy for Hillary. In a violation of trust, a boarder once stole her mother’s grandmother’s engagement ring to pawn it for drug money. She often begged her mother to kick everyone out so it could just be their family living together. Now, Larson has warmed up to the generosity that makes her home such a unique place and even considers some of the boarders a part of her family. She has known one girl, Laura, since she was 12 and “can’t imagine life without her.”

“My childhood was, well, different,” Larson said. “This made me curious about people and about their situations in life, which lends itself to journalism. I think people are really interesting; why they do what they do and why they say what they say.”

Larson picked Boston University specifically for its photojournalism program, even though it is so close to home she can bring her laundry back and see her family every day if she wanted. Although Hillary does feel like going to school elsewhere would have made her more independent, she has a sense of adventure that has always been pushing her out the door, no matter how close she is to Burlington.

“Since my mom has lived in the same house her whole life I wanted to do the opposite, to travel a lot and not settle down,” Larson said.

Senior year of high school, Hillary saved up money $4,000 worth of waitress’ wages for a car but once the time came to buy it, she decided to spend it on a trip to Spain and Ireland. She loved the experience of immersing herself in a foreign culture and wishes to seek this in her career in photojournalism.

“The most interesting thing I found, besides experiencing the culture, was that the people over there were not as different as I thought.”

Larson wishes to study abroad next summer in Australia and study travel writing.

Three siblings, one brother Shaun who has been married for two years who has one daughter, sister who is ten years older Andrea who lives in DC. Heather who is married with two kids who lives in Agua, MA.

Holds a job with Catering on the Charles, two internships, one at a photo studio and one at the aquarium feeding penguins and cleaning the tank, does take photos of events for the aquarium.

“People expect you to do so much but it’s frustrating since journalism internships aren’t paid.

Occupy Boston First Draft

With the Occupy Boston movement heading into its fourth week at Dewey Square, the passion and outrage that has led many participants to leave their homes and schools for flimsy tents and cardboard signs does not seem to be wavering, even as temperatures drop and police attitudes get hostile. According to protestors, they plan to stay there until the problem gets fixed, even if it takes 10 years. But what exactly is the problem for these students, teachers, musicians, artists, and various others who make up the self proclaimed 99%?

For University of Vermont senior Devon Pendelton, coming to Occupy Boston meant taking an incomplete for the semester and spending his twentieth birthday in a tent. With a $160,000 college debt, Pendelton feels like this is where he needs to be to fight for his right to make a living. For him, the big issues are our “corporatic,” corporate-run, government and debt soaked economy based on infinite growth. What this means to Pendelton is our government is protecting big business interests over its own citizens and is trying to sustain an economic system that is virtually unsustainable.

According to Business Insider, the protestors are responding to an unemployment rate that has not been seen since the Depression, while corporate profits are at an all time high. 14 million Americans who want to work can’t find a job, making the unemployment rate skyrocket to nearly seventeen percent, including those who have part-time jobs but want full-time or those who haven’t looked for a job in over 6 months. Meanwhile, CEO pay is now three hundred and fifty times the average worker’s.

Like many who find themselves on the outside of the Occupy movements springing up all over the world, Boston University sophomore Rose Kreditor was drawn to Dewey Square because of her curiosity.

“If you look form the outside, you don’t know what’s going on. You have to be inside the madness,” Kreditor said.

Kreditor describes the movement as more of an experiment than a protest, kind of like a “music festival of philosophers.” After spending multiple days helping out in the kitchen and one night in a tent, she said there is more than enough doing but not enough organization.

“There are a lot of chiefs and not enough Indians,” Kreditor said. “But we’re just succumbing to the state of nature. It gives clarity into what we’re fighting: the government is human too. The problems we’re having in society is a human thing. But can we fight it? Can we overcome our natural problems, like being a chief and becoming an Indian?”

According to 28 year-old Richard Anthony “Kansas” Dunlop, “The 99% is not how much you make per year but who is in control of things and making laws.”

Pendelton says for this to change we must spread the word. “I agree that we are the ninety nine percent for now, but in reality we are one hundred percent.”

Works Cited

Blodget, Henry. "CHARTS: Here's What The Wall Street Protesters Are So Angry About..." Business Insider. 11 Oct. 2011. Web. 20 Oct. 2011. <http://www.businessinsider.com/what-wall-street-protesters-are-so-angry-about-2011-10?op=1>.

Education Rewrite

For teacher Hernandez D. Stroud, an Alabama-born teacher working with Teach for America teacher, the state of the American education system is in serious peril. In the place of teachers we have script-reading robots, while mindless droids fill desks that formerly held ranks of students. Under the burden of meeting state regulations, he feels that teachers are compromising quality teaching that empowers students as critical thinkers for tips on how to fill out a multiple choice sheet accurately.

And this is all due to one word: Accountability. Specifically, Stroud finds the stringent standardized testing that has come to define American education as backward, ineffective, and confining. According to U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan, the federal government is only another part of the problem holding back the advancement of the American education system. “For far too long we have been a compliance machine, rather than an engine of innovation,” Duncan said.

With the results of the 2009 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), internationally the United States ranked seventeenth in reading, twenty-third in science, and thirty-first in math, while Shenghi was first in every category. The report found that “the United States needs to produce roughly one million more graduates a year by 2020—about 40 percent more than today—to ensure the country has the skilled workers it needs.” For many bureaucrats and politicians like Duncan, this means tightening government restrictions and raising the standards of statewide tests and accountability programs.

For University of Michigan professor Yong Zhao, the American education system would seriously benefit from reversing its incentives; he would rather see emphasis on a diversity of programs, such as art or auto shop, than standardized testing. Accountability should be “input-based” rather than “output-based,” according to Zhao, and school should be evaluated on how well it facilities practical experience and creativity.

Michael Von Wahlde, a teacher at Westhill High School in Stamford, CT, strives to paint the walls of his classroom with creativity and the wisdom of his personal experience, if only to make it that much more accessible to his students. As a teacher of about 10 years, Von Wahlde is drawn to teaching because “if you want to change the world you must do it yourself. Do you want to subvert the dominant paradigm? Teach its faults.” Rather than teaching to a test, Von Wahlde finds it much more successful to teach by holding his students to a high standard in everything they do, just like his freshman English teacher Donal Nekrosious, while also allowing them room to explore new concepts and ideas.

“The most rewarding thing [about teaching] is having ex-students come back and say, ‘You illuminated this for me,’” said Von Wahlde.

“Right now we seem to be stuck with the idea of standards as the panacea to fix all of America’s education problems,” said Zhao. “I don’t deny that the U.S. education system has problems, but I don’t feel the problems can be solved by standards and high-stakes testing. Rather, standards and high-stakes testing run the risk of ruining the advantages and great tradition of the system.”

“There is too much corruption and emphasis on testing, and not nearly enough attention paid to the individual needs of students in order to nurture their learning,” Boston University student Ellen Pogson said. Pogson, a senior in BU’s School of Education, believes the current education system to be unsustainable. She would rather see money go into poorer school districts so that all children can receive an equal opportunity to achieve more.

Pogson is more hopeful about her future as a teacher. “Even though I am anxious and even a little nervous about having my own classroom in the future, given the training I have had thus far…I absolutely feel ready to teach the next generations of American youth,” Pogson said.

Works Cited

“A New Approach to Teacher Education Reform and Improvement.” U.S. Department of Education. 3 Oct. 2011. Web. 03 Oct. 2011. .

“Standardized Testing Hurting U.S. Education, New Book Contends | MSU News | Michigan State University.” Home | MSU News | Michigan State University. 2 Nov. 2011. Web. 08 Nov. 2011. .

“Teacher Salary - Average Teacher Salaries - PayScale.” PayScale - Salary Comparison, Salary Survey, Search Wages. Web. 03 Oct. 2011. .

Genzlinger, Neil. “Vanessa Roth’s ‘American Teacher’ — Review - NYTimes.com. “ Reviews, Showtimes and Trailers - Movies - New York Times - The New York Times. 29 Sept. 2011. Web. 03 Oct. 2011. .

Mourshed, Mona. “How the World’s Most Improved School Systems Keep Getting Better.” McKinsey on Society. Nov. 2010. Web. 03 Oct. 2011. .

Stroud, Hernandez D. “The State of American Education: The Era of ‘Obama-cation’” Philadelphia Public School Notebook. 1 Feb. 2011. Web. 06 Oct. 2011. .

Louisiana’s Turnaround Zone: Answering the Urgency of Now. Rep. no. 18099. New Orleans, 2010. Web. 3 October 2011.

Education First Draft

For teacher Hernandes D. Stroud, the state of the American education system is in serious peril. In the place of teachers we have script-reading robots, while mindless droids fill desks that formerly held ranks of students. Under the burden of meeting state regulations, he feels that teachers are compromising quality teaching that empowers students as critical thinkers for tips on how to fill out a multiple choice sheet accurately.

And this is all due to one word: Accountability. Specifically, Stroud finds the stringent standardized testing that has come to define American education as backward, ineffecetive, and confining. However, according to US Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan, “the existing accountability system is weak to non-existent.”

On September 30, Duncan proposed new measures to improve the quality of teacher preparatory programs, stressing the importance of evaluating, improving, and, if necessary, eliminating failing programs across the country. Duncan requested $250 million for a new Teacher and Leader Pathways program in order to increase accountability standards by paying more attention to “selectivity, accountability, and developing a stronger clinical practice,” and changing the way the feedback loop works.

Duncan believes that the current American education system has failed to identify weaknesses in teacher preparatory programs, which has decreased the effectiveness of schools nationwide.

“And let me be the first to say that the federal government has absolutely been part of the problem,” Duncan said. “For far too long, we have been a compliance machine, rather than an engine of innovation.”

Like Stroud, aspiring teacher and Boston University School of Education senior Ellen Pogson also believes the current American education system is unsustainable. This is a daunting reality for Pogson, since she feels that being a teacher is one of the most fundamentally important jobs there are. Pogson believes the issue of improving education does not lie in beefing up preparatory programs with stricter standards but in cleaning up the current system to make way for better educators.

“There is too much corruption and emphasis on testing, and not nearly enough attention paid to the individual needs of students in order to nurture their learning,” Pogson said. She would rather see money go into poorer school districts so that all children can receive an equal opportunity to achieve more.

Duncan proposed that states be required to report on new aspects of their training programs, specifically student growth for graduates of different programs, job placement and retentions, and how programs provide graduates with necessary skills for the classroom. According to Duncan, “Almost two-thirds [of teachers] report they were unprepared to enter their classroom.”

Pogson is more hopeful about her future as a teacher. “Even though I am anxious and even a little nervous about having my own classroom in the future, given the training I have had thus far…I absolutely feel ready to teach the next generations of American youth,” Pogson said.

MTV-AP Poll Rewrite

Standing at barely five feet two inches and amassing under 110 pounds with ivory pale skin, Victoria Vitanza might not be thought of as the typical person to say, “Fuck school nigga, I’m [going to] be a dope dealer.” But this is exactly what she posted on fellow University of Vermont sophomore Chris Heres’ wall without a moment’s hesitation; for her, the N-word is a term of endearment, humor, and meant for casual conversation.

“I guess I’m insensitive, but I wasn’t trying to be offensive,” Vitanza said. “All I thought was: I’m going to post some song lyrics and it’s going to be hilarious.”

Vitanza’s sentiments echo those of teens and twentysomethings in a recent Associated Press-MTV poll, which found that people’s inhibitions about using harmful language are lowered when texting or posting in public forums such as Facebook compared to face-to-face communication. According to the poll, 54 percent of American youth believe it is okay to use discriminatory words, such as “slut,” “fag,” “retarded,” and even the N-word, among friends since “I know we don’t mean it.” Humor is also a big motivating factor, as 57 percent say they use discriminatory language online because they are “trying to be funny.’’

And when it comes to using the “N word” online or in text messages, only 44 percent said they would be offended, while 35 percent said it wouldn’t bother them much, and 26 percent would not be offended at all. However, there is still a significant minority of this demographic that is offended when they see these words used, especially when they identify with the targeted group. Sixty percent of African-American youth said they would be offended by seeing the N-word used against other people.

The AP-MTV poll was conducted August 18-31 and involved online interviews with 1,355 people ages 14-24 nationwide. This poll was a part of MTV’s “A Thin Line” campaign, one of many initiatives that call for teenagers “to identify, respond to, and stop the spread of digital abuse in your life and amongst your peers,” according to the campaign’s website. The campaign believes that this generation faces new challenges using social media such as Facebook and texting.

Since these forms of social media require society to define what funny, appropriate, and acceptable language look like, this poll highlights the fact that the N-word does not carry the same significance it did 20 or even 50 years ago, namely as a derogatory word toward black people. For some, it has taken on a new dimension of meaning, like that of an endearment or friendly nickname.

Although Heres is a white male, he was not of the latter persuasion when he read what Vitanza wrote. He responded with, “Don’t comment using the ‘n word’ on statuses that my black friends have liked…” Heres could not be reached for comment.

Laughing, Vitanza wrote back underneath his comment, “I don’t give a shit. Also [what I wrote] is a song [lyric]. And I didn’t put the ‘er’ so it’s friendly.”

Erin Gathers, an African American student at Boston University, has a severe intolerance for this type of linguistic intolerance. Gathers dislikes seeing the N-word used on Facebook and spoken aloud, no matter how it is spelled or pronounced, what context it is in, or who says it. Quoting songs is no excuse for her either since it only encourages others to repeat the N-word.

“I think that a lot of people freely use offensive or discriminatory language to be ironic or funny, but in my opinion, if you have to rely on those kinds of words to make other people laugh you’re probably not that great of a comedian,” Gathers said.

Even if new connotations have grown around the original foundations of the N-word, its hurtful meaning has not yet receded completely into the annals of history. Therefore, the sentiment of apathy or indifference toward using potentially offensive slurs online can be a dangerous one when combined with the saturation of popular culture with digital communication. So is it possible for American society to accommodate a positive interpretation of the N-word?

“It is definitely possible,” said Gathers. “In the future, if the word is completely accepted I hope that it could somehow represent pride in a history of suffering rather than a somewhat ironic or funny term that is thrown around haphazardly. However, there would definitely have to be a mindful transition to that usage and that does not seem to be happening.”

Works Cited

“About a Thin Line.” Web. 21 Sept. 2011. .

“Poll: Young People See Online Slurs as Just Joking - Page 3 - Boston.com.” Featured Articles From Boston.com. 20 Sept. 2011. Web. 21 Sept. 2011. .

“Young People Jaded By Slurs Online | News One.” Breaking News for Black America | News One. 20 Sept. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2011. .

MTV-AP Poll First Draft

When Tori Vitanza, a sophomore at the University of Vermont, read the comment from her friend Chris Heres on her Facebook wall, she remembers laughing. The comment read, “Don’t comment using the ‘n word’ on statuses that my black friends have liked…”

“I guess I’m insensitive, but I wasn’t trying to be offensive,” Vitanza said about her reaction. “I don’t give a shit,” she wrote back. “Also it’s a song. And I didn’t put the ‘er’ so it’s friendly.”

But is this word actually perceived as friendly by others? And even if it is, does that make it acceptable to post in a public forum? According to a recent Associated Press-MTV poll, 54 percent of young people ages 14-24 say it is acceptable for their friends to use discriminatory language because “I know we don’t mean it.’’ And when it comes to using the “N word” online or in text messages, only 44 percent said they would be offended, while 35 percent said it wouldn’t bother them much, and 26 percent would not be offended at all. However, when the N-word question was posed to African-American youth, 60 percent said they would be offended by seeing it used against other people.

Erin Gathers, an African American student at Boston University, dislikes seeing the N-word used on Facebook, no matter the spelling. “I think that changing the spelling of the [N] word does little to negate its fundamental definition,” Gathers said. Although Gathers does acknowledge when people use certain language with friends, she believes that the use of discriminatory language is never necessary and people should find other words to use.

“I feel like words shouldn’t be off limits,” Vitanza said. “Black people call white people cracker all the time and if you say, ‘Excuse me’ they get all uppity. In our society now its more acceptable [to use the N-word] because there isn’t that tension behind it like there was before. It has become a term of endearment.”

This sentiment of apathy or indifference toward using potentially offensive slurs online as well as the saturation of popular culture with digital communication has spurred MTV to create their A Thin Line campaign in order to, “empower you to identify, respond to, and stop the spread of digital abuse in your life and amongst your peers,” according to the campaign’s website. The campaign believes that this generation faces new challenges using social media such as Facebook and texting that requires society to draw boundaries between acceptable and unacceptable comments.

Their poll also found that 57 percent of teens and twenty year-olds say “trying to be funny’’ is a big reason people use discriminatory language online.

“I think that a lot of people freely use offensive or discriminatory language to be ironic or funny, but in my opinion, if you have to rely on those kinds of words to make other people laugh you're probably not that great of a comedian,” Gathers said.

“It’s different if you’re trying to make somebody feel uncomfortable, or if you’re making a joke,” Vitanza said. “People say, ‘That shit is gay’ all the time. That doesn’t make it right for them to say it though.”

And when it comes to the question of using the term “gay” or “fag” in a jocular way, 39 percent of those who are gay or know someone who is gay are seriously offended while only 23 percent, who don’t know someone who is gay, are offended by their use.

“It’s degrading because and only because it’s used instead of and as a replacement for words like ‘stupid’ or ‘psycho,’” said Danny Tehrani, a sophomore at Emerson University. “It’s okay to use both words instead of ‘homosexual’ but to use it as a derogatory term, to have ‘gay’ be interchangeable with ‘bad’ in our lexicon, is absolutely awful and tells of how deep-rooted homophobia is in America.

Works Cited

“Poll: Young People See Online Slurs as Just Joking - Page 3 - Boston.com.” Featured Articles From Boston.com. 20 Sept. 2011. Web. 21 Sept. 2011. .

“About a Thin Line.” Web. 21 Sept. 2011. .

Binge Drinking Re-Write

Eight shots of vodka and a solo cup of gin was not enough to keep Chrissy Lovey, a sophomore at Boston University (BU), from trying to swipe into her dorm. However, after an unsuccessful attempt at persuading dorm security of her sobriety, Lovey found herself being placed on an ambulance stretcher, on the way to the hospital.

“I did the whole throw-up-on-a-cop thing and nailed him right in the arm. It was not as nearly as glamorous as it sounds,” Lovey said.

Lovey remembers regaining consciousness in a hospital room, face down, restrained to a bed by her arms and ankles. The nurse told her she had to strap her down because she was “playing hide and seek” throughout the hospital and scaring the patients.

“I’ve never been in trouble, let alone a serious threat to a hospital ward,” said Lovey. “I left with no papers and no dignity.”

Although many students believe that BU turns a blind eye for first offense drinkers who are taken to the hospital, the reality is hospital visits are serious business, with annual hospital visits reaching 250 last year, according to BU Today. Therefore, in an attempt to extend its influence into this Friday night game of flip-cup and prevent, last May BU joined a national organization whose goal is to reduce binge drinking on college campuses, according to the Boston Globe. This organization will perform 18 months of research to find more effect ways to reduce binge drinking.

According to David McBride, director of Student Health Services, most alcohol-related hospital visits occur during the first two months of school since workloads are not heavy and freshmen are getting accustomed to the drinking scene. For the weekend of September 11, 2011, ten BU students were sent to the hospital.

BU does not in fact neglect when a student receives alcohol related medical attention, as even one incident can dramatically change students’ judicial standing. The only mention the BU online Lifebook makes towards the matter is that BU “strongly encourage[s] students to act with their own and others’ health and safety as the primary concern” when medical attention is necessary. It does not state that hospital visits will be neglected, overlooked, or pardoned, as many BU students have come to believe.

“My one incident was my strike one, two and two and a half. I literally live walking on egg shells with the school,” Lovey said.

Another BU student, who asked not to be named, was also taken to the hospital their freshman year. “[Going to the hospital] was an awful experience. They didn’t explain what the procedure was going to be at all. They wouldn’t even give me a glass of water. Having bad judicial standing prevented me from applying to be part of FYStaff [an officer of a summer community service organization] or getting a job on campus. Is that really a constructive punishment?” said the student.

This question of constructive punishment is an issue that the Dartmouth lead initiative Learning Collaborative on High-Risk Drinking will attempt to address. The group will hope to answer “what programs work best, where they work, and why,” according to the group’s website.

“Getting taken to the hospital made things pretty serious, pretty fast. I didn’t think I was drunk enough to get carted away, but I do think it was necessary in order for me to reprioritize my life a bit. It was a good wake up call for me…After my hospital visit, I don’t get as drunk [as I did before],” Lovey said. “All in all, I’m glad it happened. It’s a very fun story.”

Works Cited

“Boston University Dean of Students » University Statement on Illegal Drugs and Alcohol.” Boston University. Web. 14 Sept. 2011. .

“Learning Collaborative on High-Risk Drinking.” NCHIP. Web. 14 Sept. 2011. .

Associated Press. “Dartmouth Binge Drinking Project Adds Partners - Boston.com.” Boston.com - Boston, MA News, Breaking News, Sports, Video. 11 July 2011. Web. 14 Sept. 2011. .

Barlow, Rich. “New Crackdown on Alcohol Abuse | BU Today.” Boston University. 16 Sept. 2011. Web. 14 Sept. 2011. .

Binge Drinking First Draft

Freshman year is supposed to be a period of self discovery, growth, and a fair share of mistakes, but this does not mean students should be left to fend for themselves in the world of college drinking. Although university administration would rather not have students drinking at all, the reality is they are and they show no signs of stopping.

In May of 2011 Boston University (BU) joined a national organization whose goal is to reduce binge drinking on college campuses, according to the Boston Globe. This organization will perform 18 months of research to find more effect ways to reduce binge drinking. However, this long term solution leaves much to be desired. If BU wants to extend the reach of its influence into this weekend’s Friday night game of kings or beer pong, then it may not want to wait 18 months to change its current methods. Namely, it should focus on enabling and educating incoming freshmen now, so they can learn how to make wise decisions before they end up in the hospital.

“When I was a freshman I was completely new to the drinking and partying scene, so I didn’t really understand it. I thought it was really fun, but I didn’t know my limits or how to do anything but binge. I usually drank too much, too often, but for me it was fun and nothing bad ever happened,” said an anonymous BU senior.

“My freshman experience was pretty crazy; college ceased to be a place of learning and trying your best, but a recovery period until I could go out and drink again. I would rip far too many shots before I went out (probably five to nine) and then drink something when I got to a party. The more I drank, the cooler I felt, and my priorities got very jumbled,” said Chrissy Lovey, CAS ’14.

According to a recent study from the University of Washington, students’ perception of drinking is largely based on how many negative or positive experiences they have. This means that freshmen who are new to the college drinking scene will be willing to take more risks that may endanger their health since they see it as “fun.” In addition, according to Collegebingedrinking.net, a 2009 study found that a single intervention session can impact students’ drinking behavior, since many students overestimate how much their friends consume alcohol.

“Getting taken to the hospital made things pretty serious, pretty fast. I didn’t think I was drunk enough to get carted away, but I do think it was necessary in order for me to reprioritize my life a bit. It was a good wake up call for me…After my hospital visit, I don’t get as drunk [as I did before],” Lovey said.

With the right information, students can be guided in the right direction when it comes to binge drinking. We simply need to provide it for them.