Harvard’s Drinking Dilemma

As a student from New Zealand, Harvard has been at the center of a fulfilling overseas experience. But I do miss two things from home. One is definitely sheep. While 40 million sheep roam freely upon the green pastures of New Zealand, I have not yet spotted one of these creatures in Cambridge. Not even on my plate in any of our dining halls. The other is having a beer with fellow students on the river bank. I suppose I could carry a pack of Budweiser and head down to the Charles. But given the attitudes of many Harvard students towards alcohol, I know that it would not be the same.

At my local university in New Zealand, the student center was situated on the bank of a small river. In addition to student common rooms and offices, the center hosted a cafeteria and a sizeable bar, which was open until the wee hours of morning. Sometimes on weekdays, but usually on a Friday, many friends and I would gather in the afternoon over couple of jugs of beer. Some did not drink but sat around anyway to chat about their week. It was a comfortable atmosphere for catching up with old friends and meeting new people.

It has not always been like this. The legal drinking age was lowered from 20 to 18 in Dec. 1999, and prior to that it was illegal for many students to drink. Because they were unable to enter bars or nightclubs, it was not uncommon to find groups of young people drinking at night on inner-city streets or in public places. Many resorted to making fake IDs and persuading friends and older siblings to purchase alcohol.

This changed when the government reduced the drinking age. Since 1999, New Zealand has seen a reduction in the production of fake IDs and in young drinkers wandering the streets at night. The government worked to encourage newly-legal drinkers to assume greater responsibilities. National TV stations broadcast a series of graphic advertisements about the dangers of drunk driving that helped to promote responsible alcohol consumption.

While some young adults in New Zealand still abuse alcohol, the vast majority choose to respect its dangers. Per capita consumption of beer in New Zealand has fallen to 81 liters, less than the 84 liters per person consumed each year in the U.S. Back home, age was less important than proper education in determining young people’s response to legal drinking.

When I first arrived at Harvard as an international student, bizarre as it seems, I had the impression that drinking was not widespread and that, for those who did drink while underage, discipline was swift. I was very wrong, and as everyone but me probably realized, drinking is a standard part of Harvard life. Many of us can recall the odor of spilled beer and sweaty walls at dorm parties, where first-years flock by the dozen. Underage drinking laws are rarely enforced on campus, while restrictions at bars and nightclubs are easily circumvented by the extensive use of fake IDs.

Yet the easy atmosphere that accompanies drinking in New Zealand is hard to find at Harvard. Perhaps it is the loud music or the crowded rooms that makes meaningful conversation almost impossible. Perhaps it is the masses of weekend party-goers that roam our campus for parties and mooch alcohol from students they have never met. Perhaps it is simply an aversion to seeing clueless first-years dancing on coffee tables. Whatever it is, it seems to detract from the pleasures of spending time with friends over a few drinks. As we allow alcohol to become an end in itself, we miss out on a more appealing drinking culture.

In an ideal world, it would be possible to drink a pint of beer with your favorite professor over discussions about your thesis topic. It would be possible for Prefects to take the first-years not only to the North End, but also to Redline. It would be unnecessary to pretend that you are mutual strangers when you meet one of your tutors in a bar.

But as students at this most privileged institution, we are bound by its rules and regulations, for better or worse. It would greatly improve the Harvard social experience, however, if the Harvard administration—within legal constraints—would encourage a supportive and open environment. Stein Clubs in upperclass houses are positive steps in the right direction. Building on such initiatives will foster more respect for alcohol and a better sense of the pleasures that result from drinking responsibly.

Silas Xu ’05, a Crimson editor, is an applied math concentrator in Cabot House.