Why "Wet Zones" Should be an Option.

In order to form a middle ground in the argument, we are proposing that campuses provide supervised “wet zones” for ages 18 and above. These zones could possibly take the form of a campus bar or a club that is sponsored, staffed, and monitored by the college it would reside in. These areas could then allow students to buy cheap alcohol while still getting a party feel and being safe. They could even potentially be self sufficient with that exact income it produces or may also provide as a source of income for the University supporting it. These “wet zones” would however have strict rules to provide student safety.

These guidelines would include:

• Commuters must give their keys and show proof of having a designated driver.
• Cuttoff limits on how much alcohol can be bought.
• Escorts back to a student's room by a supervisor with only the people the student arrived with.

 We believe that these policies will help reduce alcohol related accidents and that having a wetzone would remove the taboo of drinking on campus, which will hopefully prevent students from going to bars or parties in order to gain access to alcohol.

Drinking on Campus: University of Kentucky Relaxes Its Alcohol Policy

Source: Sanburn, John. "The University of Kentucky Will Allow Drinking on Campus Again." Time. Time, 25 Apr. 2014. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.

Summary: This article is about how the University of Kentucky is revoking their dry policy after off campus riots. This article shows how the university discovered why the dry policy wasn’t getting rid of the alcohol problem, and instead moving the problem off campus, which has disturbed the off-campus community.“The thought was that you could monitor this, that it was a more controlled environment, so allowing more drinking on campus may be a way for universities to regain some of that control." (Usdan) says co author of the survey Stuart Usdan.

Quality: This article references a study published in the American Journal of Health Studies showing that the data they gathered was accepted by professionals in this field. It is also a newer article and study referring back to only last year. Furthermore it references the University of Kentucky's local paper, The Lexington Herald Leader, which has a further in depth coverage of the matter.

Issues: This article seems a bit vague in the reasons why the University of Kentucky lifted its ban, making it seem that the riots were the only reason. Unfortunately, this article was written just when the university decided to lift the ban so there isn't a way of knowing whether or not this decision has proven to be effective at fixing the alcohol problem.

Key Words:

Dry policy

off-campus drinking

harm-reduction policy

on-campus bar

controlled environment