By Hannah Jaenicke

The diversity of Haverford’s student body means that students across the classes had different experiences with alcohol as they grew up and when they came to college.

Whereas some began drinking socially at the age of thirteen, many do not drink alcohol either for religious, medical, or personal reasons.

Elizabeth Lamkin HC ‘13, explained that one of the reasons she does not drink alcohol is that “it freaks [her] out that [she] would be under the influence of something and unable to control [her] actions.” Similarly, her roommate, Sarah Landers HC ‘13, also does not drink.

Both Lamkin and Landers said that they do not feel pressure to drink alcohol in social situations as seven people on their hall are teetotal. Landers explained that she still partakes in the drinking games played by her friends, although someone else will be her “designated drinker.” Lamkin also felt that people respected her decision not to drink and that she has never felt that she had to hold a red solo cup to fit in at a party—a strategy told to her during Customs Week.

Neither Lamkin nor Landers drank alcohol during high school, either, unlike many others interviewed. A female senior detailed her experiences with alcohol during high school, which included many friends receiving Minor in Possession reports from the police, leading to fines. She started drinking at fifteen or sixteen, in line with many of her friends, although she was aware of peers who began drinking at younger ages.

Two other female seniors explained having to drink alcohol secretly often resulted in drunk-driving and engaging in risky behavior. One partied in granite quarries in northern Maine, the other in abandoned houses in St. Louis, Missouri.

The three female seniors all stated that the drinking culture at Haverford was safer and friendlier than what they had experienced in high school. While high school students would typically buy alcohol and not share it with friends, all of those interviewed remarked on how willing students at Haverford are to share their alcohol, whether liquor or beer.

Whereas most students interviewed said that they had expected to drink more at college than at high school, many said their drinking has decreased since they had entered college. A male junior said that  he drank alcohol “more frequently” at high school and that his social drinking had been marked by the excitement of planning illicit parties, something that does not happen at Haverford.

Bari Saltman, seventeen, from Brooklyn, New York, explained that while most drinking among her peers revolves around small gatherings at friends’ homes, every month high school students hold parties held in lofts in New York City, where students pay a cover charge and have access to an open bar. This experience contrasts with that of tenth-grader Ian Brickner from Millersville, Pennsylvania, who has little experience of alcohol as neither he nor his friends drink. He noted, however, that when some students brought beer to their school’s homecoming, the police appeared and arrested them for underage drinking.

The interviewees who drink alcohol explained that their high school drinking culture was often focused around getting drunk and, according to a male junior Haverford College Apartments resident, “partying where parents were not.” Students saw the freedom offered by Haverford’s alcohol policy, which places much of its emphasis on personal responsibility while reminding students to obey the law, as both curtailing and legitimizing dangerous alcohol-related behavior. While some felt that the policy allowed them to construct their own norms of drinking, others felt that it was too permissive and allowed students to drink to dangerous excess without facing consequences other than a night hugging a toilet bowl or a trip to the hospital.

The disparity between the opinions expressed by the interviewed students demonstrates the need for a campus-wide discussion on the role of the alcohol policy and Honor Code in student drinking behavior.

Related articles

• PLOUT — Students Evaluate Drinking Before, After Lloyd Raid
• Vomiting: an optional part of the holiday tradition
• Spec Creates Social Pressure, Drinks
• Letter to the Editor
• Students: Enforce HC Alcohol Policy
• PLOUT — Alcohol In Popular Culture
• JSAAPP Modifies Alcohol Policy; Policy Will be Up For Approval at Plenary
• Mawrtyrs Attend Alcohol Conference at Princeton
• Surveys shed unflattering light on HC alcohol consumption
• PLOUT — Students Who Don’t Drink