Maxwell Moscowitz

Party!!!! Not

               Rutgers University was once one of the biggest party schools in the United States. However, it has lost this statues due to the party ban that was put in place  as a result of the death of a freshman at the university. There are many questions about how this will effect Rutgers but  focusing on  one of the biggest questions out there is more beneficial to understanding this ban. How is the ban on parties going to change the campus? Will the ban improve campus life? Will the ban protect college students from over drinking? Will the ban improve or destroy Rutgers reputation?

               The Rutgers Campus in the past has had many crazy parties that have made news headlines. Rutgers is known to be a place to go to if a student wa

nts to party and “have a good time”. However, with the ban in place the campus, it has become quieter and less hectic of a place. Some students argue that “it’s boring on campus” since the ban has been put on the campus (CITE). On the contrary, others have found alternatives to this ban through  joining clubs or training harder in sports rather than partying (CITE). With the sudden increase in free time, some students have decided to make use of their time efficiently. Fraternity and sorority are being more cautious as well and some have gone as far as to disband chapters in Rutgers that have been misbehaving (CITE)
. For an example, the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity has been ”suspended indefinitely at its Rutgers chapter” due to the death of a freshman girl at the sorority’s house from alcohol poisoning(Feeny). This disbandment of one of these sororities has made all other fraternities and sororities more cautious on how the university looks at them and tries to reduce over intoxication of alcohol of minors.

               Since the ban on parties, Rutgers has seen a significant drop in the amount of alcohol consumption .  Though students are probably drinking just as much or maybe even more than they were before, it is hiding from the eyes of the university. When trying to deny to someone something they start to want it even more than they did before.  The theory is that people like to get stuff that is forbidden to them and when someone says they can’t drink it makes them want to drink more . Rutgers might reduce the amount of parties on their campus but they will not reduce the amount of drinking. In fact, the amount of underground drinking on campus is on the rise. It is hidden from the police and public safety officers because students have become more secretive about their drinking on campus for fear of getting into trouble. If the drinking is done out in the open, it can at least be controlled so people do not over drink. Knowing that the parties and drinking have been forced underground, there is going to be a lot more people from Rutgers going to the emergency room due to over drinking because no one is monitoring the situations. “Bottom line, the university can do whatever it wants, but these kids are still going to party” (Heyboer). Not matter what the campus does they cannot stop the students from partying. On the outside Rutgers will look better, but on the inside it’s going to get a lot worse.

               Partying is an aspect that has made Rutgers to be famous. Everyone in the country has heard about how Rutgers has great parties all-year round. Their reputation is centered on being one of the top party schools in the nation (CITE). By banning the parties on the campus, Rutgers has lost part of its identity as one of the best party schools in the nation. The students and faculty have to build up the school’s reputation from the ground up and make it something new and unique one that might become centered around academics rather than partying all night . However, this can have the direct opposite . Many “students wonder if the university can enforce” the new rules (Heyboer). People are still going to throw parties on campus; they will just be hidden from the public eye. Rutgers will slowly get a new reputation of being the school that has a high level of illegal activity. Whenever the students break the rules on campus, there will be a lot more arrests rather than policy violation fines from the public safety officers,  which will make the school appear to be more dangerous. In reality, it’s just the same old thing that been happening for ages.

               Rutgers University can ban the parties and prevent fraternity and sororities from hosting them as much as they would like.  However, this will not stop individuals from doing so. However,  fraternities and sororities have learned from their mistakes and are watching their behavior, attempting to be more beneficial to the campus and its students. Due to the a lack of parties on campus, know more people are getting involved in campus activities and organizations.  People are becoming more productive and are working on the campus. Overall Rutgers students and campus will benefit from a reduction in parties. Some people might go party underground but the majority of people will learn to do other things other than parry.

              

              

Works Citied

Feeney, Nolan. “Rutgers Bans Frat and sorority house parties.” U.S Education. Web. 16 April 2015.

Heyboer, Kelly. “Reaction to Rutgers frat party ban mixed among nerberhood residence.” Mew Jersey. Web. 16 April 2015.