No matter what school that they choose to go to, students are going to run into drinking at some point in their college career. Aside from drinking at parties either on-campus or off, many decide to drink before they even arrive to their destination. Pregaming is something that a lot of people do for a variety of different reasons. We live in a generation where taking a few shots or having a few beers before going out is deemed normal.
Why do people feel the need to drink before they head out to a party?
“I think a lot of people drink before going out to avoid the risk of getting caught with alcohol at parties and getting in trouble. It could also be to avoid anything being put into their drinks at parties,” sophomore Kiley Sharp said.
Weekend parties are not the only events in which students drink beforehand. Dances are held on the weekends around campus sponsored by different groups and events are held throughout the week that CAP Board plans. Junior Dan Plowman is a member of CAP Board and he does not usually see many students showing up to their events under the influence of alcohol, however, he does sense that pregaming is present in general at the college.
“Living in the generation where social media is huge and has handles like #ThirstyThursday makes some students come to think it’s natural to pre-game and do such activities before events,” Plowman said.
School dances can sometimes get crazy; ambulances have had to show up to campus before just to pick up students who had a little too much to drink.
“I think a lot of people feel pressured to drink before dances, because they think it will be more fun if they do,” Sharp said.
As for the party scene on campus, public safety does not check red solo cups unless the students are acting out, just because it could potentially be soda or a different substance. However, when students bring beer cans out in the open and public safety sees them, that’s when the problems occur. Many students choose to drink off campus to avoid the punishment that they might receive if they get caught with alcohol on campus. Students pregame behind closed doors, then take taxis to parties or find a designated driver.
Public safety usually does not see the pregaming take place, but they end up having to deal with the end result. After students pre-game for parties, they head out and continue to drink more. The problems start to occur when they get back onto campus after a night out. Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights after 1a.m. are when the troubles usually start to happen.
“If you’re going to get someone drunk, take care of them. Too much stuff can happen,” Sgt. Thomas Fulmer, Public Safety officer, said.
Pregaming for events and then continuing to drink could lead to trouble, causing students to drink more than they would have without pre-gaming. “Students need to be careful,” Fulmer said. “People don’t realize that they could die by some of the stuff that they do.”
@jnawoyski