Drinkers at Miami University are often described as part of a "drinking culture." It's an apt description. Culture at its most basic is a set of beliefs, attitudes and customs shared by a group of people. Ignoring the beliefs part, drinking at Miami is definitely accompanied by a set of attitudes and customs, varied though they may be. Every weekend, students pour into clubs, restaurants and bars uptown. Typically just a way to enjoy the weekend, drinking takes on a special connotation during national holidays, blackouts and, of course, our beloved Green Beer Day. Drinking here may not be much different than it is at any other college, but it definitely attains the rank of "culture" to some degree.
Miami's administration clearly considers the prevalence of drinking a serious problem. Aside from the monotonous AlcoholEdu, two-strikes-and-you're-suspended rule for underage drinkers and the required classes for first-time offenders, Miami's administration has actually created a "task force" to address alcohol "abuse." To some, the new sophomore living requirement and the increased number of Friday classes stem largely from the recommendations of this group. But how effective will they and their measures be?
During Easter week 1916, Irish nationalists led what would later be called the "Easter Rising." A combination of disparate nationalist forces overtook the city of Dublin, casting out British officials and setting up defensive positions at strategic locations throughout the city. They lacked popular support and cohesive leadership and, after a week, the British counterattack eliminated the last resisters.
Most of the leaders were executed while the remaining participants were sent to prison. The British hoped that was the end of it-the executions would deter further rebellions and those who lived were languishing in prison. But the result was curious. Rather than give up or bemoan their fate, the Irish prisoners used their time to dissect the failures of the Easter Rising, creating new strategies and planning to resume the resistance upon their release. And this is exactly what they did. Furthermore, during their absence, popular support of nationalism had grown. The people viewed the British response as heavy-handed and excessive, which drove them to strengthen the very movement Britain had hoped to sap.
This is, of course, an extreme historical example; Miami's drinking culture lacks the vigor and tenacity of Irish nationalism. But the lesson stands: in trying to stifle a cultural phenomenon, one often inadvertently strengthens it. Federal agents had the same problem when they arrested Larry Hoover, leader of the Gangster Disciples-one of the strongest inner-city Chicago gangs for years. Instead of cutting off the head of this powerful organization, they provided him the perfect recruitment ground and diplomatic atmosphere: in prison he formed alliances with other groups-including gangs of other racial groups, which was almost unheard of at the time-and actually continued to lead his own gang through contacts.
Most attempts at stifling culture short of genocide or dispersal-sending the people to faraway lands, separating them by pure distance-fail miserably. The administration's plans will likely fail as well. Living in a residence hall is hardly a serious deterrent to drinking, and Friday classes will only lead to more students attending class with hangovers or "making up" for the lost day by drinking that much more on the weekend proper-at least among "problem" drinkers whom the administration is supposedly targeting. Talk to a random Miami drinker and you can already hear responses of this sort to the administration's efforts.
Of course, Miami administrators have good reason for wanting to curb drinking habits. They feel excessive drinking projects a poor image-at least to the parents of prospective students-and there are obvious health risks. We've even seen alcohol-related deaths. But haphazard and half-baked efforts will hardly achieve administrators' goals. These new measures will have unintended consequences that will have little to no effect at best and severely counterproductive results at worst.
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