Recently, there was a “drinking party” broken up by campus police that involved members of Camarada and Dativus. Most of the students involved were seniors, but nonetheless, AU policy was broken.
It’s almost the end of the year, and seniors are bound to be restless for the freedom outside of AU. That said, seniors are no more exempt from campus policy than underclassmen.
People who come to AU should be aware that drinking is prohibited while on campus, when underage or, in recent history, not in the presence of a parent. Is the policy unnecessarily intense? Maybe. Should it be respected anyway? Yes.
No matter what people say or do, this university is still a Christian university. It is absurd to ever expect a policy to fall out of line with basic Christian beliefs—and while many denominations of Christianity do not denounce alcohol in and of itself, the act of drunkenness is widely agreed to be a sin.
It is commendable for AU to attempt to line itself with Christ as best as can be done for an institution. No rules are perfect, but the intent is there. In their efforts to create Christ-minded, servant-hearted people, AU decided long ago that alcohol needs to be prohibited.
Maybe there could be compromise in the future between students and administration. That may look like alcohol being prohibited on campus but not in off-campus housing for students of legal drinking age. Or, it may take the form of simply dropping all alcohol restrictions off-campus for students over 21. Perhaps allowing students to drink with their parents is as far as the policy will ever extend, although that is unlikely.
People aren’t perfect, and neither is AU. Whether you agree with the alcohol policy or not, it still exists, and as students we are expected to follow it.
Getting busted for drinking isn’t the end of the world, but perhaps there are better ways to spend one’s time. Following rules sucks sometimes, but if it bothers you that much, keep in mind that the journey at AU only lasts about four years. There is life, as well as plenty of alcoholic drinks to consume, beyond the “AU bubble.”