Booze, bans and balls

Well, my college’s ball is on this weekend and is already stirring up the controversy. I decided several weeks ago not to go and planned for other activities but I’m curious about how things will go.

The big controversy has come out of breath-testing the students at the entrance. Maybe I’m too stuck in the teacher mindset but I’m really surprised this has been such a big deal. I mean it is a school event. Is not being drunk too much to expect from students over half of whom are under the legal drinking age?

The Dominion Post published an article about the ‘ridiculous’ breath testing.

Our illustrious principal was also interviewed on the Breakfast News today.

One of issues that has been not mentioned or briefly referred to in euphemistic terms is what happened at last year’s ball. The er, ‘ruccus’ was actually pretty bad from the point of view of one of the supervising adult. Sure the majority of students were just having fun, dancing and enjoying being dressed up. However, there was some pretty major vandalism, thief of alcohol from the venue and some nasty intimidation/bullying. I’m sure if the press interviewed a fair spread of students they would find there are many who feel safer with the knowledge that nobody there will be off their face. Some students are large and thuggish when sober. The drunken, testosteroned-fuelled behaviour of them is not just humorous intoxication. It’s not like we would care if their drunken behaviour was just dancing badly and making fools of themselves. If you’re are a reasonable and nice typical student you may well feel that it is worth forgoing the pleasures of drinking until the after-ball function rather than be endanger of being threatened, thrown up on or pressured to drink urine from a hip flask by a pack of drunken louts.

What does it say about the drinking habits of the youth if not being allowed to drink for the 4 hours of the formal part of the evening is such a big deal?