Editorial Board: A perspective on the alcohol crackdown

College students drink. Some do it to get away from the pressures of classes, internships and growing debt. Others do so because they want to feel included with their friends. Too many do so and wind up finding themselves in troublesome positions with their friends, family or the law.

Temple’s Campus Safety Services has partnered with the Philadelphia Police and the state’s Liquor Control Board to find and cite students on the blocks surrounding Main Campus who are disturbing the community with their drinking.

Since the start of the school year, 190 people have been arrested or cited for drinking, an astronomical rise compared to the six cited during the same time period last year. We understand the need for Temple to make sure its  students are staying safe and healthy, while also easing community tensions between longtime residents and a transient student population.

However, when cracking down on this prolific activity, police and security officers need to take due diligence in separating those who are harmless party-goers and those actively creating a nuisance.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, four out of five college students report that they drink, and half said they binge drink.

The majority of Temple students, or any college students for that matter, are not out to cause trouble. Policies such as the Medical Amnesty Policy are commendable in that they put the safety of our students above any desire to punish their bad decisions.

It’s understandable that university would be fearful of Temple’s growing reputation as a place where other college students can come to drink without fear of repercussions.

We support the university’s efforts to keep students safe and increase harmony in our shared community. In doing so however, the resources used should be focused on the heart of the problem: those who drink beyond the point of controlling themselves in public.