St. Patrick’s Day is near and with it the inevitable green-themed, alcohol-brimming celebrations. Students have been known to congregate in large numbers for the festivities, bringing with them a trend of binge drinking. This can be a concern for the safety of local students and neighbourhoods, and with other universities, such as Wilfrid Laurier, clamping down, Carleton’s more moderate approach that emphasizes safety rather than banning the celebrations altogether is more sensible.
Riots at Laurier have been particularly disconcerting. Past celebrations have featured thousands of intoxicated students and airborne beer bottles, causing school administration and police to crack down on celebrations. This year, Laurier is refusing to sell St. Patrick’s Day merchandise. According to Leanne Holland Brown, dean of students, this is an attempt to show the university does not condone celebrations encouraging binge drinking. Similarly, Fanshawe College made front-page news in 2012 after its St. Patrick’s Day celebrations cost $500,000 in property damage.
Ryan Flannagan, director of student affairs at Carleton, told Maclean’s Magazine in reference to similar problems with orientation week, “With students, where there’s a will, there’s a way.” Students will find a way to drink and party, that much is unavoidable. According to the official Alcohol Awareness Strategy, Carleton considers St. Patrick’s Day to be a high-risk special event, and hopes to mitigate the amount of alcohol-related harm in and around the campus.
Banning festivities from campus forces students to take their parties and alcohol elsewhere. In the past, students have engaged in off-campus activities, such as SAMMY’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl. After purchasing a $20 ticket, students were encouraged to travel to as many bars as possible in a short span of time, receiving three complimentary shots. Events like this are fun and fast-paced—and often lead to binge drinking.
At Carleton, partying off-campus means students will be further from Carleton University’s Student Emergency Response Team. Taking their drinking off campus could also increase the numbers of students driving under the influence.
Some regulations have been rightly put in place to ensure student safety. Campus pubs are strictly regulated by Carleton’s Official Alcohol Policy. At Ollie’s, students are limited to two drinks per order before midnight, shots are banned, and pitchers aren’t sold after midnight. These regulations will be in place on St. Patrick’s Day to ensure students participating in on-campus festivities do not overdrink.
Carleton also has initiatives to increase alcohol awareness such as E-Chug, an anonymous tool students can use to monitor their drinking habits. CU Don’t Know is a student-led campaign to educate students about safe drinking. These tools are a good way to help students understand the effects of alcohol, and will help to ensure everyone has a safe St. Patrick’s Day.
St. Patrick’s Day is a holiday to celebrate the Irish, and many choose to enjoy it without drinking. Instead of banning St. Patrick’s Day festivities completely, Carleton is promoting it as fun and safe. The Fresh Food Company, for example, is celebrating with a green-themed St. Patrick’s Day “Big Breakfast” to allow students to enjoy the day of the Irish.
