Student on probation advises caution in neighborhood

Zach Reid – Sophomore, Economics

As I am sure most students are aware, Saturday, Oct. 31, the 400 block of Kiefaber Street was the scene of many rowdy students show­ing their Halloween spirit.

At first glance, this was an incredible scene: The whole student community coming together to share what was a beautiful day throughout Ohio. Students dressed up in elaborate costumes sing­ing and dancing with their friends and doing whatever they could to have the time of their life. I was just as much a part of this mass as anyone, dressed in my Su­perman onesie, I could not have been having a better time, until things started to get a little out of hand.

It started with a few harmless chants, but then in the crowd, you could feel a sense of anxiousness.

It was only a matter of time before something bad was going to happen.

And just like that, a glass bottle came from who-knows-where and crashed down on to the street, break­ing into a thousand pieces. A few other bottles were bro­ken, and plastic bottles were thrown in the direction of the surrounding police officers.

After these immature ac­tions from a handful of students, the police began to break up the masses of people and called for them to return to their houses. During the time the police officers worked to break up the people, I kept my eyes on the crowds and watched three students placed in handcuffs because of their actions. The student that made the biggest impact on me was arrested all but 10 feet away from me for hav­ing a backpack holding beer while underage. Seeing the look on this person’s face was devastating, but prompt­ed me to write this article.

Being a student on social probation because of under­age drinking, I can relate to this student. Resisting the urge to drink underage is something that is very hard to do, especially in a genera­tion like our own, when it is almost normal for a person to drink before the age of 21.

Because of the stress to fit in and pressure from peers, most students will consume alcohol before legal age and there’s really nothing any­one can do about that. But, the mistake that one student made that afternoon was car­rying the alcohol around with him. If a police officer or res­ident assistant sees someone underage with an alcoholic beverage, they will write you upl. And your standing in school will be jeopardized.

The consequence is fair because these are the rules set by the university. And with these rules, they are doing what they can to best protect our safety.

The reason behind this is not to tell people to avoid consuming alcohol because that is an individual’s deci­sion and, frankly, none of my business. But by writing this, I want to urge under­age students to be smart and not carry alcoholic drinks around “The Ghetto” be­cause it is asking for trouble.

I also want people to hear the voice of someone who has had to deal with being on probation for the last year and make it known that no decision is worth making if it could put you in disciplinary trouble with the school. Make decisions that you know are best for the entire student commu­nity, and if we can do that, our time left at UD will be even more amazing than we can imagine. #FlyerNation.