Pubs and the Atomic Bomb
Why the Tufts administration (and everyone else) should support an on campus pub
I’d first like to make a disclaimer: I’m just an ordinary guy. I don’t have any expertise in public policy nor experience in running a large-scale academic institution. What follows are simply my thoughts and opinions on why Tufts University should be in favor of putting a pub on campus as well as working closely with students to improve the drinking culture.
Let’s start by making some basic assumptions:
Tufts is not a party school.
It’s a fair claim to make that while Tufts’ students enjoy partying and drinking, we’re a far cry from being considered a party school. Jumbos, more than anything else, are ambitious. We work hard, study hard, and then work some more. When we do party, it’s generally only on the weekends once we’ve completed all our obligations. In contrast to other schools, approximately 20% of male students are involved in fraternities and around 11% of female students are involved in sororities. While those numbers have certainly risen (around 15% involvement in 2011), Tufts pales in comparison to schools such Welch College in Tennessee (98% males in fraternities) and even Dartmouth where about 60% of males and 53% of females participate in Greek life. Additionally, the US National Library of Medicine found that for students that are involved in Greek life “the average number of drinks consumed per week is significantly higher for Greek fraternity and sorority members (men: 12 drinks per week, women: 6 drinks per week)” than independents (students with no Greek affiliation) indicating that there is indeed a link between the amount of partying and the level of Greek involvement on campus. The bottom line is that Tufts does not fall in the party school category with only 15% of all undergrads in Greek life. Granted, fraternity and sorority membership isn’t the only factor that determines the tenacity of campus nightlife; by contrast Syracuse University parties harder than most of us can even fathom and yet their male and female involvement numbers are 21 and 25 percent respectively. However it’s safe to conclude based on objective evidence and most importantly, real life experience, that we don’t qualify as a party school.
Most students just want to have fun
It seems obvious but it’s worth noting that most students don’t go out with the intention of getting wasted. Personally, I think that’s where one of the larger disconnects between the student body and the administration lies: The reputation and image of many is ruined and tarnished by those few unique individuals who do choose to “go hard” and blackout. That’s completely their choice and prerogative to do so but the Tufts administration should make the distinction between that 1% and the entirety of the student body. A select group of students does not represent the rest of us.
Now that we’ve established some basic premises, why exactly would a pub on campus be a good idea? It’s a lot like the atomic bomb: when given only one outlet, a nuclear fission reaction has the potential to kill millions, rip apart cities, and have lingering effects for decades. However, in a nuclear reactor, the same reaction takes place but is slow and controlled. The interaction is now supervised and provides multiple outlets for that energy to escape. Instead of having 63 TJ (amount of energy in the Little Boy atomic bomb) at one focal point, it’s distributed over time and given multiple points of release therefore reducing the potential for catastrophe. And nuclear reactors aren’t the only place this practice of force and energy distribution shows up: in the event that you’re in an elevator and it starts falling, the recommend practice is to lie how on the floor and spread yourself out so that the energy from the impact is spread throughout your body, not focused on a single point. The same applies with quicksand, spreading your body out increases the surface area and helps you float.
A pub on campus would do exactly that, it would help us float. It provides a consistent and readily available way to dissipate stress. More importantly, not only are students now given an additional option to blow off steam but unlike frat parties, the pub will always be there. It’s not something that would only come into existence on Friday and Saturday nights. As anyone living in or near a major city can attest, people go to bars most nights of the week, not just the weekends. If the ultimate goal of college is to prepare students for real life then it should be the university’s prerogative to simulate a realistic environment as much as possible to train and teach young adults and students how to be socially responsible. Without someone to set the precedent of how we’re supposed to behave and be real people, how else can we learn?
There are plenty of arguments in favor of having a pub on campus but perhaps the most compelling is that by doing so, the university will be able to provide a safe and fun place for students to hang out, building our sense of community in the process. In supporting this decision, Tufts will be a part of a rare group of forward-thinking institutions that truly care about their student bodies and are dedicated to maintaining a safe and productive environment. To me, it’s a no-brainer and hopefully, you’ll feel the same.