Dear Editor,

I and, I assume, most other Washburn students, came to college to spend my Friday nights in the library making sure my homework was done.  If I didn’t, how would I be able to go to church on Sunday then rest as God intended?  Clearly I couldn’t and I would be banished to hell to gnash my teeth and drink warm beer with all the other lush sinners that populate the Earth.

I take issue with last week’s front page article titled “Washburn Alcohol Free Since 1865.”  What substance the article had to offer cast some light on the history of our dry campus and a one sided view of the policy.  The article needed the perspective of a student, not a faculty member, who would like to see a wet campus. I’ll try not to slur my speech as I advocate for wet campus.  

Blights on America’s higher education system such as Harvard, MIT, and Brown have wet campus policies.  While they sit in their ivory towers, raining empty beer cans down upon us common folk below, they manage to squeak by academically and become the leaders of America.  I don’t intend this to be a knock on Washburn’s academic curriculum, but I’m guessing the difficulty of the massive work load at these institutions exceeds Washburn’s.  

A major issue WSGA and the larger community at Washburn constantly battles is how to develop more of a traditional university atmosphere. Mini golf in the library? Wii Sports in the Union? I’m not [7 years old].   Tailgating before the football game? Why yes, I am [21]. It’s hard to draw large swaths of students who are willing to get rowdy to Washburn sporting events; Washburn’s teams lack the prestige and hype of programs like KU’s or KSU’s. There’s a mass exodus of Washburn students every weekend as they flock to the other college towns to experience the social scene of a major university. However, if WSGA provided a few kegs of ice cold Natural Light to of age patrons (obviously), I’m willing to bet that attendance at Washburn games would steadily increase. There would be more fan participation (thank you, liquid encouragement), more social interaction between the buzzed chatty Kathys in the student section, and a more authentic college experience for Washburn students.

Undeniably, alcohol has negative effects.  However, appropriate risk management training and an organized structure for wet events would allow students to do what they’re probably already going to do – hit the sauce – in a safe and controlled area. Why not take advantage of this and increase school spirit at the same time?

Sincerely,

Dave Clark