Dorms without any Alcohol Or Drugs University housing options may rank near the top the list of items that can influence your degree experience. Your memories of dorm, Greek or living that is off-campus stay with you the remainder in your life making for a few interesting — and colorful — stories to share along with your children and buddies since the years carry on.
At some colleges, due to problems associated with over-enrollment, living conditions have begun off instead rocky. Some years back, dorm space was so scarce that a number of incoming first-years had to live in a screened-off section of the main student union building at Penn State’s University Park campus. Exactly How weird is that?
The overflow of enrollees one year required a gathering of modular homes (a.k.a at Princeton University. ‘trailers’) for a former field that is athletic causing just what appeared as if a little retirement community for the elderly. There have been some disparaging remarks made about those atypically housed first-years, most of which originated in all the other Princetonians who lived into the splendor that is gothic of other vaunted domestic colleges.
There is certainly one option, but, that, if we had been headed to college today, I would personally surely pursue due to its general characteristics and vow: substance-free housing (SFH). If you’re involved in the university process now or know an individual who is average time to write an term paper really a university student whom lives on campus, you have got probably heard about SFH. The facts and what could be some benefits and drawbacks about it?
Think of College Stereotypes
What is probably one of the most images that are common comes in your thoughts when you picture stereotypes of university life? Fraternity events? Empty alcohol kegs flying through windows? Staggering pupils? The smell of hops, cigarette and barley or marijuana smoke permeating the atmosphere? Stereotypes exist for the reason. They are often quite alarmingly accurate. Think Animal Home.
If you are turned off by most of these behaviors, you might want to explore the SFH options at the universities to which you’re considering using or where you determine to register this springtime. I did a search for schools that provide substance-free housing and, as usual, I was overrun with links. One website link that came up was that one, which had a partial but list that is interesting of. Here’s a sampling:
Albright College (browsing, Pa.): Single-sex floors, apartments. Honors, first-year, substance-free and housing that is break
Bucknell University (Lewisburg, Pa.): Substance-free, Judaic studies, Afro-American studies and ecological housing that is cooperative
James Madison University (Harrisonburg, Va.): Theme housing for international, learning and substance-free, and experience that is second-year. Fraternity houses located off campus
ny University (nyc, N.Y.): Wellness, theme, substance-free, first-year experience, sophomore experience, living learning and housing that is co-ed
Babson University (Babson Park, Mass.): Substance-free, discounted and special-interest housing
Is SFH Effective?
The more cynical among us might question the potency of SFH. I’ve heard doubters say that some SFH residents live where there are no ‘substances’ but then wander far from their SF dorms and head to parties here and there. Therefore, they cite a feature of hypocrisy. Just What do a little media say how well SFH works?
‘ … it does really make a difference., since it turns out,’ states This new York Times. ‘No one claims that pupils who live in substance-free housing abstain from smoking, drinking alcohol or drugs that are using. But at least according to one study, they don’t really indulge up to others. A 2001 study greater than 14,000 students nationwide found that, in contrast to other students, only three-fifths as numerous residents of substance-free housing reported binge consuming in the earlier fourteen days.
‘There had been other benefits, too. Students in substance-free housing, the study discovered, were less inclined to experience alcohol-related problems, like getting behind in schoolwork, damaging home, engaging in trouble aided by the authorities or riding with a driver that is drunken.
‘There is, needless to say, a chicken-and-egg element to these findings. Pupils longing for a college experience that bears some relationship to Animal House are not more likely to decide for substance-free housing. …
‘ … At many campuses, residents of regular dorms, as well as those assigned to housing that is substance-free didn’t request, say they truly are happy the option exists.
”I think it’s good that universities have a wellness option,’ stated Beatrice Capestany, a freshman who had been assigned to your wellness corridor of Vassar’s single remaining all-female dorm, although she did not demand it. ‘My dorm is just a place that is really good keep coming back house to if I gone out. It smells a lot nicer than some other dorms, too.’ On that exact same wellness corridor, Victoria Ramsey and Kathryn Thomas, both freshmen, could not be more satisfied with their option.
”I don’t take in or smoke cigarettes, and our corridor is neat and peaceful,’ said Ms. Ramsey.
‘Ms. Thomas included: ‘I wanted a quiet destination for studying. Sometimes it’s a refuge, for those who come and stay till they know the ongoing celebration on the flooring has died down.”
Okay. This is the side that is positive of SFH coin. To stay fair and balanced, let us take a good look at the flip part, and some points from Andrew Gottlieb’s Why substance free housing is a bad idea:
‘ I became astonished to discover that substance residents that are free permitted to take in, and much more amazed to find out that numerous do drink. Even despite these shocks, my freshmen experience has led me to take issue that is serious the notion of substance-free housing. It’s merely unneeded, unfair and divisive to designate floors that are entire substance free.
‘ … If someone is company in his or her choice to not partake in drinking, he/she could do so irrespective of where he or she lives. If he or she prefers not really to own liquor in the space, there may be an alternative to choose a substance free roomie, without designating entire floors as substance free.
‘The substance free designation is unjust because often the choice to survive a substance-free floor isn’t left in the possession of of the pupil. I have met numerous pupils whose moms and dads forced them to live on a floor that is sub-free or even worse, I’ve met pupils who would not ask to call home for a sub-free flooring but had been placed on one anyway due to the fact Residential lifestyle needed to fill spaces. College is a place where at long last, young adults achieve complete independence. Creating a living option that could be preferable to parents that are many never to kids is just a disservice to pupils plus an intrusion in the liberty that college claims. …
‘ … truth be told that throughout virtually every Wash. U. graduate’s life, they’ve to work alongside and probably live with or near those who don’t accept their decisions that are personal alcohol and other substances. a essential possiblity to plan this facet of life comes in college. The chance to live with, understand and respect the various alternatives of the classmates is indispensable. Washington University should recognize this opportunity that is important change its housing policies, which currently hamper it.’
Gottlieb confirms that some SFH residents do, certainly, imbibe, which notably substantiates the hypocrisy argument, although one has to comprehend the intent of each university’s SFH rules while the motives of those whom decide to live here (and maybe the outlook of those who’ve been quartered here as being a matter of random positioning).
Some Schools Have Contracts
If you should be into highly quantified reasoning about SFH, then you can care to always check the Journal out of Studies on Alcohol, funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The Harvard Gazette references that and attests to the aspect that is positive of whenever it notes:
Residents of university housing where liquor and smoking cigarettes had been prohibited were less likely to want to be victims of actions by pupils who have been consuming. Findings from the Harvard class of Public Health College Alcohol Study show that substance-free college residence halls are making a direct effect in the work to reduce the harms that heavy consuming creates among college students. This is the first research to take a national consider the relationship between substance-free dorms as well as the aftereffects of alcohol on college campuses. …
Do SFH residents need certainly to create a pledge that they shall adhere to the rules of these college’s SFH charter? Here is an example of exactly how Davidson university handles the SFH ‘contract’ [see my bold emphasis]:
We provide substance-free housing for people students who want to minimize their visibility in their living environment to liquor and alcohol-related behavior, illicit medications and smoking cigarettes materials. Pupils living in these grouped communities agree to maybe not utilize liquor or drugs on the flooring community nor bring the effects of the substances back to the hallway.
A link to the housing that is substance-free is a part of a contact from Jason Shaffer. Halls and/or floors to be designated as substance-free will be determined after applications are gotten.
All students selecting a substance free assignment is required to complete a substance housing contract that is free. Failure to uphold the objectives will probably end in moving to another project.
The school Confidential discussion forum users have debated the professionals and cons of SFH. Below are a few commentary from this thread that is informative
‘Our daughter ended up being afraid to select sub-free her freshman 12 months it really meant in terms of the types of kids that she’d be paired with because she wasn’t sure what. It had been too basic at her school. a “quiet dorm” would’ve been something she’d have probably picked, but “sub-free” seemed too general. Despite the fact that she’s not a partier, she has friends that are. In the end, she regretted not selecting it, I do believe. But it surely is determined by the educational school plus the kid.’
‘At both my kids’ big state universities, all of the dorms were officially called ‘substance free’ but that didn’t stop kids from doing what they wished to do. My son knew some dudes that got kicked out of the dorms within the semester that is first of year one for cannabis use therefore the other for drinking …’
‘My daughter did substance free housing her first couple of years at a little liberal arts college. The youngsters had to signal an agreement they wouldn’t drink or smoke inside or come back to the dorm under the influence(or back bring anyone else under the impact). There was no stigma, just a nice peaceful dorm without wild events. Like other people stated, no vomit within the general public areas or vandalism damage. Best benefit ended up being no body ever pulled the fire alarm the night!’
So, if you are considering your university housing options, it might probably spend to look at how (or if) substance-free housing would match your plans. Most of the information you’ll want to come to a decision about this can be acquired on your colleges’ housing web pages. Check it out!
