IT'S THAT time of year again -- girls, find your under-utilized sundresses, and guys, get out your shirt and tie from football season. As the entire University Greek system descends upon an intense horserace in an open field, certain students and administrators will complain about the excessive amount of alcohol at the event (is that soda in your SOLO cup?). Despite risks associated with drinking, ABC should not impose harsher penalties for drinking at Foxfields. This event extends to the greater issue of restricting drinking to those under 21. College students live away from home, can serve in the military and vote -- but the government does not trust us to drink responsibly at a college social event.
With almost nonexistent homecomings and tailgate parties, Foxfields is the University's only traditional college "celebratory" event. Most prestigious universities have traditions of enormous university-wide parties (i.e. Spring Fling at University of Pennsylvania and Yale University). Yet, Virginia ABC continues to strongly deter undergraduate students from drinking by promising harsh penalties for underage drinking. The official policy is "persons not of legal age consuming alcohol or adults serving alcohol to minors and those using illegal drugs will be arrested."
During the past few years, the ongoing battle between Foxfields and ABC has sparked debate about the event's somewhat "open" policy of drinking. Coming to the University, I was told, "just drink out of a red cup and don't act too drunk." Now, students must worry about possible incarceration, merely for providing an underclassman with a drink. Heck, no student paid $35 to watch horses soberly or risk being arrested.
With precautions in place to curb drinking and driving, there is no reason to further impose harsh penalties for drinking at Foxfields. Last year, Student Council and ADAPT implemented the Savvy Fox program which gives free non-alcoholic drinks and snacks to designated drivers. Also, there are numerous public transportation options offered by Foxfield, the Charlottesville community and the University to prevent drunk driving. Students can even leave their vehicle overnight at Foxfields if they drink too much.
Foxfield Races is our one social claim to fame. Believe it or not, the social atmosphere at a university is a crucial factor for students. When talking to prospective students, the first question is usually, "What is the social scene like?" Few would want to reply, "Football games and Foxfields are the highlights -- but alcohol is impossible to come by."
College students drink -- it is a fact of life. The law is unfair and unreasonable. While numerous ABC officials conduct covert operations at Foxfields against University students, some legal drinkers will die from alcoholism, liver problems or drunk driving. By focusing on college students, the government is wasting resources and letting "real" problems go unnoticed. College students are not the problem -- alcohol is. The government should approach the effects of alcohol rather than restricting drinking to young adults who are allowed to drink everywhere else in the world. And further, it's not difficult for educated college students to drink responsibly -- the duty of drinking responsibly is a much less daunting task than fighting for your country.
If groups take an active role in discouraging only the ill-effects of drinking (drunk driving and alcoholism), then there should be no reason to penalize college students for drinking.
This event receives scrutiny because of past students' actions. Whether students drank too much or were injured in a drunk-driving accident, these mishaps forced ABC and the University administration to respond.
The legal alcohol age creates an unnecessary amount of law enforcement around college campuses, and students revert to more illegal activities (i.e. fake identification and stealing). We can have a great time at Foxfields by drinking responsibly and therefore assuaging criticism from the local community. Yet ABC still "cracks down" because the law somehow equates drinking responsibly with possible arrest.
Attempts to discourage drinking at the event and to promote sober driving are admirable. But, arresting undergraduate students for drinking at an equestrian race is too severe. So, two points of advice to preserve this tradition for future University students -- don't drink and drive, and take care of your friends, especially if you hear their name on the loud speaker. The drinking age should be lowered to 18, so college celebratory events like Foxfields can promote student enjoyment without fears of being arrested.
Michael Behr's column appears Wednesdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at mbehr@cavalierdaily.com.
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