When I think of fraternities, I see a house filled with party debris while students obliterate themselves with beer kegs. Then, as 2 a.m. rolls around, the campus party animals stagger back to their housing structures - sloppy drunk. Oh, dear freshmen, as you are pledging for the co-ed fraternity that is MSU, the rush that is Welcome Week has come to a close and you have officially passed the initiation process. You're in.
As seniors, you were on top of the world in high school, but you're a little fish in a big sea here. The transition from being a "big shot" somebody to "umm ? sorry who are you? I don't know that person" can be somewhat of a headache. The fear of many incoming freshmen is the fact that if you don't know anyone from high school attending the same university as you, you will be as transparent as clear cellophane and more secluded than Michael Jackson at his Neverland Ranch. At the beginning of the fall semester, anyway. Who's really interested in that?
Freshmen are kind of like the main little fish character from "Finding Nemo." Both Nemo and freshmen are out to prove themselves worthy and brave. Just think: What if Nemo had never found his friends? Nemo would probably be dead today.
Coming into a new environment with such abundance, freshmen are like water molecules in a pot of boiling pasta; they just move so fast, bouncing from place to place. As soon as the craziness of Welcome Week dies down, freshmen require a sense of belonging to something or even someone - but that's another story.
During my time at MSU, of all the drunk students I have encountered, freshmen have comprised the highest percentage. That "belonging" to something can wind up being booze. And plenty of it.
From conducting a few street interviews with relevance to freshmen drinking, I have come to the conclusion that freshmen are not pressured to drink, they choose to do so. But why?
To impress various other student peers, greeks and possibly suitemates. My only problem with this is the fact that so many people - freshmen in particular - drink with pessimistic ignorance, which in return places them in harmful situations.
Numerous midnights while driving around campus, I've seen several drunk students walking unescorted or just walking because they wanted to leave whatever party they were attending. It is stupid that anyone drunk would teeter around a dark campus, which is a mini-city in itself. What makes this worse are the selfish friends that continuously allow their drunk pals to wander off into danger.
Now before you jump the gun, I am not saying baby-sit whoever you go to a party with, nor am I adhering to abstinence in regard to freshmen drinking. I'm just saying if you go to a party as a group, you leave as a group and while you're at the party - drink smart.
Professor David J. Hanson, Ph.D. at State University of New York conducted a study called, "Reducing College Drinking." His findings state: "A study analyzing alcohol abuse interventions for college students has found that harm-reduction strategies such as choosing a designated driver and encouraging students to drink less are more effective than urging total abstinence."
With this, Hanson additionally provided nine suggestions for students who consume alcohol, whether large or small amounts. The list, "Tips for Drinking in Moderation," states:
• Know your limit
• Eat food while you drink
• Sip your drink
• Don't participate in a "chugging" contest or other drinking games
• Accept a drink only when you really want one
• Skip a drink now and then
• Keep active; don't just sit around and drink
• Beware of unfamiliar drinks
• Use alcohol carefully in connection with pharmaceuticals
And here's a tip of my own: Never leave your drink unattended and return ready to drink it. Someone could slip anything in your glass or bottle.
A word from the wise - please follow Hanson's tips and the one I supplied. And, just in case you're wondering what's the worst that could happen by not following these tips, let's just say that no one enjoys a funeral.
It's very simple - always think before you drink. If you're at a party with friends, everyone should take responsibility for each other. There are parental instincts within everyone's brain. Even freshmen. Let's put them to use.
Darrell Hughes is a State News intern. He can be reached at hughes92@msu.edu.
