The flashing lights of DPS vehicles on the weekends are enough to make anyone’s blood run cold. Oftentimes, when we see these lights, we figure that another transport is happening, and we move on with our lives. As students, we have become desensitized to the larger issue that plays a role on so many college campuses, and alternatively, people of all ages have become focused on the wrong issue.
Too often, when we look at drinking culture, we focus on the fact that our country prohibits drinking under the age of 21, which results in many adults and educators telling underage students that they should not drink under any circumstances. While I am not advocating that students should ignore the law, the reality of the matter is that the desire to do anything often increases when someone is told not to do it. Drinking is no exception and the increased desire directly plays into the larger issue at hand: binge drinking. Rather than solely reprimand underage students who drink, people should be better educated at a young age on how to drink responsibly and also be made more aware of the tragic impact that binge drinking can have on their lives and the lives of others.
Every parent worries when their child goes off to school that they will be introduced to the dangerous side of the drinking culture. Everett Glenn was a well-known and regarded student that I knew from my New Jersey high school, Montclair Kimberley Academy. Although I never spoke directly to him, Glenn was one of the funniest and friendliest people at MKA and he always wore a smile on his face. Everyone knew his name, and you would probably be hard-pressed to find someone who had anything negative to say about the scholar-athlete and student leader. He entered his freshman year at Lafayette College when I was still a sophomore at MKA and he received the nickname “Mr. Mayor” for his ability to easily make friends with others.
I can still remember the affect it had on our community following the news of Glenn’s death on May 5, 2012 after accidentally over-drinking on his 19th birthday. His death helped me realize that the issue of someone not knowing his or her limit is severe. Excessive drinking is a topic that must be addressed as early as middle school, just like sex education. Many parents would prefer to believe that their child would know better than to over-drink, but how could they possibly know when no one has been there to educate him or her? Drinking is not a topic that should be skirted or dismissed as something that “can be addressed down the line.” It needs to be discussed both at home and in an academic environment so that more lives are not unnecessarily lost. That is why I believe that sharing Glenn’s story can save lives.
Alcohol consumption is present on almost every college campus and is looked upon by many as an integral component of their higher education experience. While many students have drinking habits that began as far back as middle school, the college environment often accelerates the habit.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest reports that the National Advisory Council for the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism says that college presidents agree that binge drinking is the most serious problem on campuses. The Center reports binge drinking as “[Having a blood alcohol] concentration (BAC) to 0.08 or above.” The definition continues, “For a typical adult, this pattern corresponds to consuming 5 or more drinks (male), or 4 or more drinks (female), in about 2 hours.” During my first year here at Fairfield, I frequently saw the people in my dorm excessively drinking on the weekends and the uncontrollable things that the amount of alcohol they consumed would make them do. Although Fairfield students are required to complete programs now such as AlcoholEdu, it is not enough. I remembered hearing many people talk about how they just clicked on the answers they knew that the program wanted them to select so that they could finish it quickly. Although it may be harsher, colleges need a more hands-on approach to show us the true impact of over-drinking because it seems like people are either unaware or forgetting.
One did not have to be a personal friend of Glenn’s to be devastated by his death. He touched so many lives, including those of my closest friends, who were teammates of his on the fencing team. The life he lived, and the endless possibilities that seemed available to him only magnified the tragedy. During my freshman year at Fairfield, I could not help but think of Glenn every time I saw or heard of a student transported for over-drinking, wondering if his or her family and friends would receive the same devastating news that the Glenn’s family did. Not drinking responsibly can truly have a terrible impact and no parent should ever have to worry about getting that call in the middle of the night.
Glenn’s mother, Joanne, came to speak to my class during my senior year of high school and had a particular affect on me. What I believe stood out to me the most was how forthright she was when attributing her son’s death to him drinking excessively. She spoke of her faith and of her desire to share with all of us the knowledge that we need to not make the same mistake. We need more people like Joanne Glenn, who despite the severe loss that she and her family suffered, is advocating for greater awareness. Speaking about personal experiences is the best way to get the point across about how drastically binge-drinking can ruin a person’s life. I think that we can only truly raise awareness and better inform young people by speaking through experience, rather than statistics that are not relatable.
We are at a time in our lives when most people around us drink. Learning how to drink responsibly is not solely an issue for those who are underage. Binge drinking should be seen as a serious concern for people of all ages because one’s alcohol consumption not only affects that person, but every person that he or she encounters. Just ask anyone who knew Everett Glenn.
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