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From: kaufman@uiucdcs.CS.UIUC.EDU
Newsgroups: net.college
Subject: Re: RA's and drug use
Message-ID: <32400008@uiucdcs>
Date: Wed, 5-Mar-86 16:32:00 EST
Article-I.D.: uiucdcs.32400008
Posted: Wed Mar  5 16:32:00 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 7-Mar-86 07:16:29 EST
References: <1353@wucec2.UUCP>
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Nf-ID: #R:wucec2.UUCP:1353:uiucdcs:32400008:000:2078
Nf-From: uiucdcs.CS.UIUC.EDU!kaufman    Mar  5 15:32:00 1986


I did my undergrad study at Wesleyan University in Middletown Connecticut,
where they had a refreshingly healthy attitude on such matters.  Most
simply, their attitude was, you're college students; we think you can
take care of yourself.  Do whatever you want; it's your business.

There was a line drawn, but usually someone had to be dumb enough to
try selling drugs to townies to cross it.

There was absolutely no problem with beer.  Several campus facilities
would offer it, and the dining hall would occasionally have a champagne
brunch.  Campus-sponsored parties would have kegs available.  (I don't
know what's happened since they jacked the drinking age up).  A group
even arose called WESober, whose purpose was to make sure that these
parties also had NON-alcoholic drinks available.

There was one single-sex dorm (male).  Others were coed by floor, by
hall, or by room.  And there was nobody there to kick anyone out.  If you
wanted guests of any sex at any hour, that was your business.

Freshman halls had RAs, but their purpose was to get people out of trouble -
not into it.

At the University of Illinois, on the other hand, I think what best sums
up the place is its main gymnasium building which closely resembles a
prison.  I'm not kidding - bars on the windows, big metal gates with
someone there to guard the flow.  God forbid someone who forgot their
id should try to enter!

The situation in the dorms is not much better.  There is one place where
NOTHING with a Y chromosome is allowed in.  (sorry, daddy, you can't
see my room.)  The people in charge of monitoring things take their roles
seriously and often fanatically.  They censor the walls, and if you get
caught with a beer outside your room (or in it in the case of undergrad
dorms) ...  I am glad I moved out of the dorm system, though I still have
to deal with neo-fascist elements at certain campus events.

I've sometimes doubted that U of I administrators ever think of students here
as human beings.

Ken Kaufman (uiucdcs!kaufman)
"The universe is permeated with the odor of turpentine."