This Stanford Drinking Policy Has People Mad AF
Campus life can be many different things, depending on what school you’re in and what your extracurriculars are. If we’re lucky, our biggest worries are how to decorate our dorm rooms or what to wear on the first day of class. And it’s only natural that undergrads feel free to cut loose at parties on campus, feeling safe in their surroundings. Unfortunately, however, not all party-goers have other people’s best interests in mind, and there can be pretty bad outcomes.
In a news release earlier this week, the school announced its updated policy, saying that the use of “large” liquor bottles can no longer be made available on campus, arguing that people will drink less if the alcoholic bottles are smaller. Their logic is that a 750ml bottle (a fifth) has more shots in it than, say, a 375ml (a pint) one. Therefore, they believe, the less booze in one single bottle will lead people to drink less, not buy more.
While it’s obvious that the university’s intentions are good, this updated policy completely ignores the fact that alcohol does not, in fact, force people to cause assault. A part of the university’s statement that has since been deleted also concludes that women who drink are seen as more interested in sex and, therefore, are less likely to get assaulted if their access to alcohol is restricted.
Unsurprisingly, the reaction on Twitter has been swift. Many were very quick to point out that the policy itself is victim blaming:
.@stanford nails victim-blaming in this (now deleted) section of its alcohol policy pic.twitter.com/kLDKEgbU99
— Rosemary Westwood (@rosiewestwood) August 23, 2016
Stanford banning hard liquor in the wake of sexual assault is pretty much saying they put the blame on alcohol and not the actual rapist
— Anthony Seely (@SwagDaddy36) August 23, 2016
Others pointed out that banning alcohol only fuels secret binge drinking, which can have disastrous results:
There are major concerns that @Stanford's new alcohol policy will decrease trust in resident staff and increase binge drinking in private.
— Sasha Perigo (@sashaperigo) August 22, 2016
And some simply said what many are thinking:
Sad that stanford's only approach to rape culture is to ban drinking. Alcohol doesn't make you a rapist. Rape does.
— Terra✨ (@tvrrra) August 24, 2016
Stanford bans alcohol to prevent rapes on campus, but not rapists. What if that tequila was a good swimmer?
— Hollyn Heron (@HollynHeron) August 24, 2016
Alcohol 👏🏻 does 👏🏻 not 👏🏻 cause 👏🏻 rape 👏🏻 rapists 👏🏻 cause 👏🏻 rape.
Sing it loud.https://t.co/jsAPbjrHE7
— Christa Cardone (@christacardone) August 24, 2016
What do you think of Stanford’s alcohol policy? Tell us @BritandCo!
(Photo via Getty)