The drinking culture at Penn State has to change — that was the message students in the Presidential Leadership Academy delivered to key leaders of the university and borough Wednesday night.
The presentation was a “condensed” version of the ideas and initiatives given to Penn State faculty and administration in the spring to help curb high-risk drinking, PLA director Melissa Doberstein said.
Three students enrolled in the PLA program discussed the “perfect storm” of factors behind high-risk drinking — pregaming, alumni and the culture itself — and their ideas on how to curb those problems.
“This problem isn’t unique to Penn State,” Lindsay Eisenhut (junior-mathematics) said.
Though students bear most of the blame, alumni and parents are involved with excessive alcohol consumption and the drinking culture at Penn State, Eisenhut said.
“It’s difficult to wrap your head around alumni involved in high-risk student drinking,” she said.
Excessive alcohol consumption before going out — known as “pregaming” an event — and a lack of alternative late-night activities for students on and off campus were also discussed during the presentation.
“Students are leaving their dorms highly intoxicated,” Sara Chroman (junior-political science and advertising) said.
One of the ways to provide alternatives for students would be to improve entertainment options at events like Late Night Penn State or make it cheaper for student groups to hold events at on-campus venues, Ariel Manning (junior-international politics) said.
The panelists — including State College Mayor Elizabeth Goreham, State College Police Chief Tom King and University Park Undergraduate Association President Christian Ragland — praised the work of the PLA students.
“It’s very heartening to see such intelligent students make such an interesting presentation,” State College Borough Council President Ron Filippelli said.
But the ability of Penn State authorities to prevent fraternities from furnishing alcohol to underage students and the effectiveness of the proposed programs were also questioned.
“Why is it so difficult for fraternities to enforce no underage drinking?” he said. “We know that fraternities are openly serving alcohol to minors.”
Interfraternity Council Vice President for Risk Management Tom Piarulli (senior-security and risk management) also shared information about IFC policies with the panelists. Piarulli and director of the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life Roy Baker wanted to stress that fraternities are still held accountable for their actions and that they are committed to helping to curb the drinking culture at Penn State.
