I'm a 20-plus year borough resident and alumnus and quite used to the partying in my Highlands neighborhood. I'm OK with loud music, I'm annoyed by the vandalism, but as a father of four kids, I can't tolerate the home invasions by drunken "Red Bull zombies" intoxicated by both caffeine and deadly blood alcohol levels. It's happened several times in my house. I've installed cameras and a DVR, motion detectors and extra heavy door locks.
But sincerely, I worry about more student deaths from this trend. It comes down to this: If you can't have a great time in this town without annoying others, destroying property or getting so drunk that you become a danger to yourself or others, you are not No. 1 partiers. You are just on your way to creating a catastrophe for yourselves and the whole Penn State community. If you don't believe me, just ask anyone who partied with Joe Dado on his last night on Earth. Is that how you want to remember college? Show some love to your friends, stop them from drinking too much and make sure they get home OK.
Dave Swanson
Associate Professor of Acoustics
