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I say enforce the laws as they exist, get the state Alcohol control board in there doing some undercover work, giving MIP's by the dozen, fine the shit outta the bartenders/owners who get caught providing alcohol to minors. Hit everyone in their pocketbooks and its will end right quick.
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I agree wholeheartedly, but I think it's not necessacarily as simple as that. They (Bulloch County sherrifs, Statesboro Police, ATF, etc...) should have been enforcing the laws all along. It's not like this is something that just sprung up over the last couple of years. It was like this during the 80's, the 90's and unless things are done, it will continue.
What is the solution? I agree that that there needs to be an image overhaul and make it seem not so much like a party school that anyone can get into...I know they have raised their academic standards considerably, but the party image still sticks. It's a shame that an educational institution gets branded with a negative stigma due to factors beyond the college's control (bars and business surrounding campus).
However, it is my firm belief that these $5 bottomless cup drink specials and the like are COMPLETELY unnecessary, regardless if you are of legal age and a responsible drinker. It blatantly encourages binge drinking among everyone, not just those who don't have as much experience or control...especially when they use these "specials" during a structured time frame (Ladies drink free from 8:00 to 10:00). Are these really necessary?
There needs to be more stringent enforcement of underage drinking laws in Statesboro. I know this was 15 years ago, but the first night I got to school, myself and 20 of my new friends from my dorm walked to the nearest campus bar/club and proceeded to celebrate our new found freedom and college futures with a bunch of pitchers of beer. Not a single one of us was carded or given a second glance. One of my friends younger sisters started there in 2000 and her story about her first night at Southern was practically a verbatim repeat of mine, just with different bars mentioned. She's was a normal kid, not some hard core party girl, but someone on her own in a new environment and trying new things. We know that even the most "responsible" young adults can be easily influnced by their peers and although being 18 might be old enough to vote and die for your country, hitting that age mark doesn't suddenly give you immediate clarity and the wisdom of the ages. It's a very impressionable age.
I'm not trying to be an old fart, but I just remember from my first hand experience. Looking back, I wish I had initially gone to a different school...one with a less party, party atmosphere. It wasn't until I left college to enter the business world for a few years, that I then went back to college and was able to realize my full potential.
I just hate to think that there are new freshman just like me and my former classmates who are going to potentially get sucked into that drinking/party mentality...if the enticement to binge drink is eliminated, that is a step in the right direction.
Oh my god...I just realized I've turned into my mother!
