For many students at Boston College, alcohol is to social activities as popcorn is to the movies.
Whether it's pre-gaming before attending an athletic event, playing beer pong at a party, or simply throwing back shots just because it's Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night (and sometimes Wednesday night in extreme cases), drinking for the sake of drinking is frequently one of BC students' favorite pastimes.
It's common knowledge that most college students like to drink, and it is a reputation that college students have had to battle with for decades.
But the truth is that drinking alcohol and getting drunk do not necessarily equal having fun.
This is a lesson learned night after night for many students, but it doesn't seem to have an impact on their behavior.
This is no secret, however, to the students at BC who identify themselves as non-drinkers. According to a random sample survey conducted by the Education Development Center, 14 percent of the BC campus classifies themselves as such.
Just ask Dosh Whye, A&S '07. Whye acknowledges that fun does not necessarily imply that alcohol needs to be involved, and because of this, he does not find drinking a necessary component of his social life.
"I'm good without [alcohol]," said Whye. "A lot of people feel the need to drink. But I'm just a crazy person on my own so I don't need to drink to have fun."
Whye also attributes his decision to be alcohol-free to his upbringing.
"When I was younger my parents had a strong influence on me, teaching me about drugs and alcohol. As I've grown older, I've adopted their same viewpoints," he says.
Despite the fact that the majority of his friends choose to drink as a social activity, their behavior has left Whye's decision to be alcohol-free unaffected. "I don't feel left out. I feel safer," he says.
Whye also says that he rarely attends parties because there is always alcohol present.
The student-run organization Another Choice on Campus (ACC) recognizes that alcohol is the primary reason why students who do not drink prefer to avoid the typical party life that dominates the BC social scene.
The group also recognizes that some students would prefer not to drink if there were something exciting for them to do on campus that did not involve alcohol.
These acknowledgments are the premise of ACC's objective.
Colleen Raleigh, ACC co-president and A&S '05, says "the mission of [ACC] was formerly 'don't drink alcohol'."
Joe Bowden, co-president of ACC and A&S '05, echoes this observation. "[ACC] used to focus on [its] non-alcohol aspect."
But the organization has recently changed its motto to be more inclusive.
ACC's revised mission demonstrates that the organization and its members do not condemn alcohol or those who choose to drink.
In fact, Bowden says that he and other ACC members who are old enough to legally drink do choose to on some occasions.
Presently, ACC's objective seeks to provide students, both drinkers and non-drinkers, at BC with fun programs as an alternative to social activities that involve alcohol.
According to Bowden, it is important for students to have options. Providing alternatives to drinking away the weekend is key to encouraging students to stay sober.
As a freshman, Bowden decided that he would not drink until he was 21. "I wasn't really interested in [drinking]. There are only so many times on a Saturday morning when you can go into the bathroom and throw up. That's not something I came to college for," he says.
Alternative activities to the typical party life contribute to the creation of a safe environment on campus, particularly for those students who are recovering from alcohol abuse and personal issues or recently incured alcohol-related legal offenses.
Such students constitute 3 percent of the 14 percent of students who are identified as non-drinkers by the Education Development Center survey.
Bowden says that an acquaintance of his, who had received a DWI charge, was interested in attending BC, but was concerned about doing so because he had to remain sober as a result of the DWI.
The presence of alcohol-free social activities on campus creates a safe environment for sober students and provides students who might not want to drink on a given night the choice to partake in other activities said Bowden.
"About every month, ACC provides students with social activities that serve as an alternative to those that center on drinking," says Raleigh.
These activities include everything from talent shows to karaoke nights, and open mic nights to pre-game barbeques, most of which are planned as programs through The Perch, at the Starbucks Cafè in McElroy, on Friday nights, says Bowden.
As with the ACC, the objective of the The Perch gatherings is also to provide students with social activities that do not center on drinking.
"For those who don't drink or who drink but don't want to drink on a given night, The Perch gives them something to do on campus that doesn't involve alcohol," says Robyn Priest, the program administrator of alcohol and drug education.
In addition to housing programs sponsored by ACC, the Perch also hosts musical performances of groups on campus, from BC Bop to the Sharps.
"We are trying to infiltrate the campus with things to do, since there is not currently a student center," says Priest.
In addition to the absence of a student center, the fact that most events on campus are over as early as 9 p.m., poses a challenge to students who are looking for something fun and exciting to do as a pastime, says Priest. These time restraints are a factor in why students who choose to remain sober have so few options.
"The Perch is a small part of the puzzle," she says.
She also stressed the need for BC to have more social activities on campus.
Given that planned activities do not appeal to every college student and that some students choose to drink whether there are alternative activities on campus, the Peer Education Network (PEN) also provides a crucial component to the BC landscape.
The objective of PEN is to educate the BC community about the health issues that affect college students says Alex Hinojosa, PEN member and A&S '07.
Alcohol and drug awareness are are some of the many health issues that PEN considers.
PEN's most recent alcohol awareness campaign, "Are You In?," gave students facts about alcohol to help students determine if they are included in groups that participate in the dangerous behavior covered in the campaign says Hinojosa.
"[PEN] gives people facts, so that they can hopefully make responsible choices - having fun, but having limits," he continues.
Nights on the Heights, another entertainment event provided for those students who want to abstain from drinking, is put on by students from ACC, the PEN, and the Undergraduate Government of BC (UGBC).
This community of students advocates the need to have late-night programming on campus. The group hopes to provide students with activities that begin when other events on campus end.
Otherwise, students' only options become limited ony to those social activies where alchohol is being served.
Priest says that Nights on the Heights is planning to host entertainment during Late Night after athletic events on the nights of Feb. 25 and 26.
The group is also working to help provide midnight movies. In addition, they are working to put together special late night events on planned for Newton Campus.
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