Well this one jumped the shark rather quickly. As far as "the current liberal ideology pervading universities" goes, a central tenant of conservatives (at least pre-Trump) is personal responsibility and liberty. If you'd like your freedoms curtailed by a nanny state, the Naz offers a convenient local option just down Lower Gambier Road.

There's a lot here, so tackling this piece head-on seems a little cruel. However, I'd like to address two major themes of this article: an imposition of prudish morality on adult students and a misunderstanding of the college's responsibilities.

First, the statement that the author finds the college addressing instances of underage drinking with "conversation and willingness to compromise" something "a bit disturbing considering the nature of the infraction committed" is bemusing, to say the least. The comparison of 20-year-olds drinking beer to criminals deserving punishment seemingly reveres the naive notion that codified law ought always be strictly enforced. While 18-year-olds around most of the world can legally crush beers in front of cops, often in public, the author appears to believe that it's "incorrigible" for a 20-year-old Kenyon student with a 4.0 to imbibe a single sip.

Second, asserting that Kenyon's (normal) attitude towards underage drinking conflicts with its responsibility to keep students safe and healthy demonstrates a misunderstanding of both the relative safety of various drinking environments and the college's obligations to its students. The author acknowledges that underage students seeking alcohol will inevitably obtain it; the conclusion, funnily, is that the college must punish those who drink underage more harshly. When underage students bent on drinking are confronted with increasingly severe punishments for doing so, they'll increasingly attempt to drink discreetly. This means a couple of freshmen holed up in a dorm room with a bottle of Jack--something inherently more dangerous than if the same students were drinking beers poured at a large party, a scenario in which more eyes are on the scene, older students are more likely to be present and set expectations of conduct, and where the drinks themselves are likely lower ABV since students seeking to conceal alcohol will presumably purchase more hard liquor than they otherwise would. The above line of reasoning mirrors the conclusions of a study Kenyon conducted a couple of years back (somewhere around 2016-17), a study which the college decided to largely ignore. It is evident that the author does not understand that college policies addressing drinking and the campus party scene have become orders of magnitude more stringent in recent years, largely to the detriment of the campus' social fabric.

The college's primary responsibility to its students is to educate them, not police them. If the college must be likened to a parent, I'd rather it be a friend's cool parent than a parent who sets a 4pm curfew, forbids TV time, and goes to work as a street pastor screaming denunciations of all vice at passersby. Of course, the college does bear responsibility towards ensuring the safety and health of its students. With respect to young adults' consumption of alcohol, this is best accomplished by a laxer, not stricter, approach.

It's amusing that the author partially attributes Kenyon's alcohol policy to "the current liberal ideology pervading universities" when the keg stands of the 80s are gone, shock your mom is dead, and the Cove was shut down. I'd wager that students who identify as conservative at Kenyon drink more on average than those who don't. Do I care at all? No.

Excellent, well written article. I appreciate your concern for the health and safety of the Kenyon student body. It’s unfortunate that a lax attitude exists on the part of the administration, as the consequences of their actions or lack thereof could ultimately be devastating. Thanks for your candor in expressing your thoughts about this serious concern regarding your fellow students

I'll be honest, there's no coherent college policy that's being enforced. The last two weekends, my friends and I, who range from 21-24, have been spoken to by campus security with a different set of arbitrary rules each time. One day, they tell us we can't have cans outside. The next day, a new officer says we can have cans. One day, that we can only have water in cups, and the next day, a different officer shows up and dumps out all four of the cups we're playing with.
One of the main reasons Kenyon's policy on drinking is lenient is because they'd rather us drink here than drive to bars. My sister attended University of Kentucky, a dry campus, and she told me a few times about how it was nearly a yearly occurrence that a student was injured crossing a highway to get into town, where they sold alcohol.

Did you really write that underage drinking is incorrigible? Silly. I’m torn on this… as I’d like to say young adults old enough to be in college are also old enough to be in the military. And if we can send an 18 year old to war we should also allow an 18 year old to have a drink. On the other hand… you are correct that alcohol is closely related to other issues. I think the message should be to respect your own body and limits, respect others, and if you cannot then do not over consume. If you want the school to be the wellness police you better be careful where it starts and stops. Consider obesity… much worse for health issues than casual drinking. Smoking… c’mon man. Do you want a sugar free campus too?