Flocking to the townhouses or fighting for cabs to the beach are weekend rituals for many Fairfield students but what about “Karaoke Night at the Levee,” “Make Your Own Butt Shorts,” or “Late Night at the RecPlex?”
These are just a few of the events offered by the school as an alternative to drinking. Attendance for many dry events has been low and student reactions to the offerings have been generally indifferent.
“I honestly haven’t been at any event that alcohol wasn’t involved in … I’m not actually sure what FUSA sponsors, but I think that’s a problem with communication,” said Christy Kuklinski, ’04, when asked if she had attended any dry events.
Caitlin Curran, ’06, said that she has attended “Late Night at the RecPlex” as well as the Howie Day and Wolftones concerts. Curran noted that many students attending the concerts appeared to be intoxicated, and that the free t-shirts that were given away at the RecPlex made that event more appealing.
Although it is not required by the administration to hold dry events every weekend nights, Saunders said that it is “strongly advised … unless another club is doing something.”
RecPlex employee Frank Vitulli, ’04, said that the Late Night at the RecPlex event held last semester, “Definitely would have been good if more people went to it … I don’t think people really knew what it was.”
Vitulli stressed that the main problem seemed to be a lack of publicity; students came in groups throughout the night to get free t-shirts and food catered by PizzaWorks, but the RecPlex never got close to being crowded.
When asked what would entice her to attend future dry events, Curran said, “If they were giving away a trip I suppose so … or if they said they’d give out free t-shirts. I feel like their events are geared to a younger age group.”
Sue Ploski, ’03, shared a similar sentiment. “I feel like FUSA as a whole has good intentions and ideas, but at the same time I don’t think its very realistic as to what people want to do,” she said. Ploski said her only experience with non-alcoholic, on-campus events was when she went to Stagstock her freshman year.
Ploski said also that she finds it frustrating that she has to pay $1,000 a year to participate on the riding team while thousands of dollars are being wasted on events that “no one cares about.”
FUSA President Karen Donoghue, ’03, felt that the school has been doing a good job. “Here at Fairfield, it is always a very difficult task of attracting students to non-alcoholic events, she said. “However, this year, our weekend programs have done an exceptional job … They try to be very creative, as well as attract a diverse crowd.”
Donoghue added that some of the more successful events have been on-campus bands in the Levee, craft nights in the campus center, and major dances held off-campus. Some of these events had attendance rates of over 100 people, out of the undergraduate student body of 3,200, and the Howie Day concert drew about 1,200 people, according to Donoghue.
Joni Saunders, ’03, vice president of programming, said that she allocates about $2,000 every Thursday through Saturday to sponsor non-alcoholic events open to all students. She confirmed Donoghue’s estimates that the more successful events drew about 150 people, a figure with which she is satisfied.
Many universities face the problem of planning activities that students will both enjoy themselves and stay sober, but some other schools are taking a more aggressive approach than Fairfield.
UMASS Amherst and the four other schools in the same are that have developed a committee that provides a website listing alcohol-free events for area students.
This website, called Chilipeppers, is updated every Thursday with a listing of 10 categories including parties, music, movies and outdoor activities. “We just want to show that you can have fun without alcohol or any other drug,” said Connie Peterson, Smith College Health Education coordinator.
Yale University’s student newspaper also reported that their successful Senior Week, which offered a different non-alcoholic event each night such as a barbeque, Trivia Night and movies, had attendance rates of over 100 students each night.
However, no matter how hard administrators and student governments try to provide interesting and entertaining options for students who choose to abstain, there will always be those who prefer non-dry events.
Robert McGee, ’04, agreed. ” I think that it the university should realize that drinking is a part of college and a way for students to enjoy themselves,” he said. “By trying to deny that, they only distance students from the school.”
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