Sophomore Phillip Ensler, a Hatchet columnist, criticizes the University’s Housing Program’s decision to make Thurston the home for substance free, honors and engineering students.
After reading about GW Housing Program’s plan to house a variety of student communities in Thurston Hall next year, I could not help but laugh at the absurdity of having substance-free students living in the place unofficially dubbed “Thirsty Thurston” by GW students. The decision to place such a community in Thurston is obtuse for a range of reasons and is inconsiderate to the living preferences of those who seek to live in a substance-free living space.
I agree that it may be a little difficult for prior Thurston residents to understand how it will work, but you have to keep in mind that these programs would probably still be in Lafeyette if it wasn’t going to be closed next year. Plus, the substance-free community was requested by students (and requested to be in Thurston).
Students also requested cheaper fruit at J Street, but you don’t see anyone jumping on that suggestion.
He disagrees with Housing Director Seth Wienshel’s rather obvious statement that the Thurston community changes depending on the population that inhabits the building. If social behaviors are not the direct result of choices made by individuals who live in a community, then where should we look? It’s not as if the walls themselves of Thurston are haunted with some kind of alcoholic poltergeist that whispers “Drink!” into the ears of unsuspecting students. The last time I checked, it is indeed water that comes out the faucets in Thurston. Students certainly have a choice of whether they’d like to drink or not, and despite what Ensler implies, a student’s potential choice to not drink is not hindered by the fact that other students choose the opposite. College students are adults, and they are responsible for their own decisions.
In fact, Ensler seems to miss the entire point of “substance-free” living. The whole point is that you don’t need to drink to have fun, or to have friends. So why not live in a social dorm?
I don’t understand why Ensler would say it’s inconsiderate to the living preferences of substance-free kids for the university to place them in Thurston. The fact that other students may still choose to drink doesn’t somehow infringe on the choice of the students who don’t. Substance-free living means someone doesn’t put “substances” in his or her own body — the personal choice doesn’t need to extend to all persons in some arbitrary proximity as well. Further, even if it were inconsiderate (which it’s not,) why would it be the University being inconsiderate? Wouldn’t it be inconsiderate of the students breaking the law and drinking illegally? Of course underage drinking is a common reality, but just because it’s common doesn’t mean there’s any right to it.
The UHP Blog responds to your article:
“There’s been a 30% increase in UHP housing requests now that it’s in Thurston.”
You can read the full thing here http://bit.ly/c09PI1
If I was of the ilk to request a “substance-free” living situation in my freshman year of college, I sure wouldn’t want to be in Thurston, at least the Thurston that I used to know. People don’t request this “special” living situation just because they don’t drink (or smoke, or snort). They request it to avoid being completely surrounded by drunken fools.
In my non-Thurston freshman dorm way back in the 00′s, many of us partied some did not. I know that I personally and significantly detracted from the peace and quiet of those who did not party- and I was not alone. Drinking made us louder, wilder, and less respectful of those around us. Our powerful purpose-bought fans whisked smoke right out of our room and into someone else’s. We chased each other through the halls and staircases almost routinely. We laughed, we shouted, we puked. We woke up and did it all again.
If I had come to GW to be exclusively sober and studious- enough so to join a living community based on those choices- I certainly would not have wanted to live anywhere near me.