Administration employs hypocritical write-up policy

Within a few days of my arrival at Duke as a freshman this year, I quickly discovered that the possession or consumption of alcohol on East Campus is strictly forbidden. At the same time, I saw numerous fliers posted around my dormitory advertising the upcoming weekend's frat parties on West Campus. These parties soon became the highlight of every weekend: a quick ride to West to party with the upperclassmen, only later to snuggle into bed with the contents of those precious few bottles of beer you managed to find on West still fresh in your liver. Weekend after weekend, the routine is the same. Just keep an eye open for the latest frat party fliers, or better yet, befriend an upperclassman.

What's disturbing about this weekend routine is not the drinking culture but the administration's seemingly hypocritical stance on the issue. Resident advisers on East Campus are required to write-up any freshman returning to East whom they suspect may have been drinking on West.

Interestingly enough, frat parties are freely and invasively advertised on shirts, the Bryan Center walkway, fliers and through word of mouth to all students. Without a doubt, the administration is fully aware that both freshmen and underage upperclassmen attend these parties. Thus, I am appalled at the hypocrisy of the administration.

Frats and other sorts of parties are known to be the center of Duke's weekend social climate. Freshmen are going to continue drinking at them. Why should resident advisers write up a freshman who walks "tipsily" back into his or her room to sleep the rest of the night? Should he or she just crash on the floor of some random room on West? Should freshmen be penalized for participating in frat parties that continue to be well-publicized, rarely regulated and remain dominant in Duke students' social life? If the administration is altogether trying to decrease under-age drinking, it needs to address greater issues of the weekend social life at this university. Punishing freshmen for wandering back to their rooms intoxicated is not a fair or manageable solution.