The September air hits you as you walk to class. You’re actually excited because you know your professor won't keep you the entire amount of time and what are the chances of you actually doing work? You’ve just recently reunited with all of your friends and you can't wait to seize the night. The excitement is immeasurable, and you cannot wait for the new semester. Academically, socially and mentally, you know you are going to thrive. Welcome to syllabus week!
While syllabus week for most college students is the time to be alive, I can almost guarantee you most universities are operating very differently than Ramapo College of New Jersey. You know, that school that made media headlines nationwide last year? Here at Ramapo, we go to class and come back from class. That’s it. Occasionally, we’ll walk to the dining hall to grab some food, but even that is just too risky. Sounds ridiculous, correct?
Well, after a recent episode, the president of our school decided it would be a fabulous idea to have the Mahwah Police Department patrol campus in an effort to crack down and charge students with underage drinking. While this sounds appropriate, being that alcohol consumption under the age of 21 is illegal, let’s think this through for a second. First, I am not condoning underage drinking to the slightest degree, but we are a college campus--it is going to happen. We are a coalition of young adults, ranging from ages 17 to 22. Alcohol is going to be present, a lot of the time legally. If an under 21-year-old student is randomly stopped and searched, for no reason, is that right? I personally do not think so. Now if that's wrong, the idea of 21-year-old students being stopped and interrogated for the slightest suspicion of having consumed alcohol is unjust.
Students should not have to feel guilty for not doing anything wrong. Here’s a personal example. The other night, I was walking to the infamous party central of school: “The Village.” As I was entering the gateway to what has become quarantine, a lovely Public Safety officer approached me. He asked me if I had been drinking. I replied with an honest no. He asked me where I was headed. I told him, honestly not sure, just meeting a few friends outside and then hanging out. Now, our conversation grew interesting when he proceeded to tell me that there was a great chance I would be arrested if seen with or in the presence of alcohol. I should not be threatened with the idea of being arrested for doing absolutely nothing wrong. We the students pay over $30,000 a year to attend this school and if I want to socialize in a certain part of campus, I don’t care if the FBI is around, I will do so. Also, if I want to hang out in a group of more than six people, I will rightfully do so.
According to Ramapo, President Mercer stated himself, “Beginning this evening, Mahwah police officers will begin patrolling our campus with the express prospect of charging underage drinkers. This is a difficult step for me but one necessitated out of continued noncompliance by a reckless, relative few.” The key words here are "relative few." Have I raped anyone? Have I sexually assaulted anyone? Have I done anything on this campus that I should be arrested and sent to jail for? No. So why punish everyone? As a student who truly enjoys her time here, the people I have met, and the faculty I have encountered, I can and will say that this system needs to change as soon as possible. The wide majority of innocent people, including myself, should not be punished for that "reckless, relative few."
I grew up a child of a law enforcement parent. I have the utmost respect for policemen, department of homeland security officers and any other individual emphasizing the importance of safety. I am also fully aware and respect the law and how underaged drinking is a crime in itself. It is not the police presence which from which my problem stems. it is how the leaders of our school are responding to a serious issue in a completely wrong way. Eliminating alcohol on campus isn't going to stop rape and sexual assault. Yes, when drinking, one puts him or herself into more vulnerable situations, but we need to attack the issue head on, not by beating around it with other campus problems. The administration at this school need to learn how to identify the issue, which they have, and how to efficiently solve and mitigate that issue, not threaten us with arrests and suspension. It evidently has accomplished nothing.
