USG candidates discuss alcohol issue

Editor's Note: This is the fourth story in an eight-part series on how the Undergraduate Student Government presidential and vice presidential candidates would deal with specific issues. This story focuses on the issue of alcohol at the University.

On April 2, the newly elected candidates and supporters will be rejoicing. Confetti will be thrown. Horns will be blown. But will the keg get kicked?

BOWSER and WILDERS

Education is important to combat the alcohol problem, Wesley Bowser said. Students should be presented with facts, realistic speeches and realistic consequences in order to take precautions, Bowser said.

"Once students have a purpose, they won't have to look for cheap ways out," he said.

In a dry campus atmosphere, more alcohol-related violations would occur and more people who are not criminals would be branded as such, he said. A more stringent alcohol intervention program and a nonalcoholic night life are needed, Bowser said.

COVENER and NIGHTINGALE

"We have to let students make decisions for themselves -- whether to drink, how much they drink," said Jason Covener. "Even though there may be tragedies, that's the price (students) pay for freedom."

The alcohol intervention program presumes students are guilty on the basis of suspicion, he said. Hearings should be held to prove whether students have abused alcohol.

Pamphlets on the basic effects of alcohol and incidents of falling off balconies should be distributed to incoming freshman. The purpose of the alternative programming should be for enjoyment, Covener said, not only to deter drinking.

DESMOND and POLK

The University should enlighten students about alcohol prevention rather than react, Jaime Desmond said. The dry campus concept is idealistic yet unrealistic, she said.

Departments need to agree on one goal and fight the issue cooperatively. Available alternative programming should be continued, she said.

FAKE and BARRON

"We can't seek to solve everything by putting an iron padlock around something," Thane Fake said. "We have to solve it with common-sense approaches."

Irresponsibility needs to be curbed by information provided to students to create policies and clarify misconceptions about alcohol, Fake said.

Students should drink responsibly or suffer the consequences, he said. Fake agrees with the approach of steeper fines and mandatory education. Alternative programming needs to be promoted more vigorously, he said.

LOCCARINI and PIRROTTA

"The first thing to ask is, 'Is there a problem?' " Darin Loccarini said.

The University is making drinking an issue, he said. As long as of-age students live on campus, Loccarini said, we must forget the entire dry campus concept.

Loccarini wants to represent the actual student body, he said, and not what administrators perceive. When students come to college, he said, it's too late for someone to control their lives.

LANDSBERG and BARBE

"You have to look at the reason why everyone comes to college -- to get an education so you are able to work your way up," Michael Landsberg said.

Laws must be enforced in order to curb alcohol consumption, Landsberg said. Spanier's problem seems to be against the students that are of age to drink, said Brent Barbe.

"We haven't seen underage drinking as a big problem," Barbe said. "We don't intend to do anything about it."

RUMMEL and CIESLA

"In order to deal with the problem of excessive drinking, you have to focus on prevention rather than punishment," Blaine Rummel said.

Recent events have highlighted excessive alcohol as a problem, he said. It is not right for the University to enforce an unjust rule to make the campus entirely dry, he said. New programs are a first step. As an elected USG president, Rummel said he would prioritize the preventative programs.

SAUR and ROBBINS

The University should support more nonalcoholic activities and foster the community, Hank Saur said.

"We support Spanier's position on underage/binge drinking because it is a problem, but we hate the idea of an all-dry campus," he said. "We're afraid he's encroaching on our right to drink as adults."

The alcohol programs do not penalize the students heavily, Saur said. But he is against any further restrictions on people who are of legal age.

LUBKEMANN and KRAMER

Why students binge drink is not something that can be pinpointed, Dave Lubkemann said. Research needs to be conducted.

A strictly enforced alcohol intervention program can be a strong deterrent to underage drinking, Lubkemann said. Alternative programming should institute wide-scale programming, he said.

"Our approach to excessive alcohol use should be a viable, realistic and workable goal," Lubkemann said.