Jennifer,

I honestly appreciate you going into such detail with this, I thank you. I like to know these kind of things because I want to try to find ways to make my Babson experience, as well as the experience of my peers a more fun-filled one.

I know for a fact that my fraternity, as well the majority of other fraternities, see Greek Council as a financial burden and a complete waste of our time money, money which we could put towards tower beautification or our formal or any of the other financial responsibilities that we have as organizations. The idea of the Greek Social Committee was a spur of the moment one, and not thought out. As opposed to being completely unconstructive, and critical of everything, I prefer to offer possible solutions to the dilemma.

Greek Council sanctioned events are anything but fun. The Greek organizations will not be brought together by a peanut butter eating contest, or an egg-spoon relay race, or a motivational speaker. The reason why other campuses are not allowing alcohol during Greek week is because there exists a nearby venue at which the Greeks can call “home”, at a down trodden pub called “Mack’s” or something of the sort, where the interior is anything but pristine and the drink prices are low. Not only that, but there exists such a vast social scene with such a plentitude of things to do at any given moment, that no one feels the need to drink. They are content with just knowing that there are so many things to do, as well as so many places to go. On a Thursday night, the majority of other colleges have a choice of places to go. Whether its choosing which fraternity party to attend, or what’s the hot bar scene tonight, there exists that choice. At Babson, there is no such thing, and even if there is a party someplace on campus, there’s a more than likely chance that it will be broken up and people will get alcohol violations.

I understand alcohol related events aren’t the only type of events that one can have fun at. I also understand that alcohol is permitted in the pub. Being that there is no immediate “off-campus venue” for Babson students to attend, other than Boston bars (which most people agree is not practically accessible), there is no place that we can congregate (without spending boatloads of money) before events, or just to hang out during the day. I am so adamant about understanding the rules about alcohol at events because I am simply bored with the pub, as well as other events on campus. I have recently come to realize that I will be approaching my fourth year of college, and I have never been able to legally enjoy a beer while bar-be-qing outside on a warm Saturday afternoon.

Personally, I don’t find attending the same venue (the pub), the same nights of the week, with the same people, drinking the same dollar drafts for 2 years in a row exciting. It’s disheartening to know that that might be the extent of my college social life. Yes knight parties exist, but they are rather reminiscent of every one of my high school dances. Parties on campus are quickly brought to a close by campus police. Students are craving for a social scene.

Not only is there no where else to go but the pub, but the pub closes at midnight and serves nothing but beer and those $2 wine cooler things. Students are further unsatisfied because of a lack of options in their day. Also, because of this lack of options, students feel the need to drink more, to make an event seem as if it’s different. If you don’t see this, go down to the pub on any given night and watch students drink. They drink like a fish that’s been out of water for a week. An unspoken game is played called “my empty cup stack is higher than yours”. I personally feel trapped. This spring break, I went to my friend’s college that was in session because their break was the week before mine. There she took me to the local night-life scene, a short drive from campus. I was in awe. There were hundreds of students packing the streets, no cover charge on bars, a live band in every one and drink specials everywhere. I was then informed that this was an average night for the area. I nearly cried.

In light of these things that are true not only in my eyes, but in many many of my peers and I’m sure of students that I have not spoken with, Babson should be more lenient in their campus policies, or else this student body will be perpetually unhappy and dissatisfied with their college experience. Try and keep in mind that I am not advocating getting totally hammered all the time, I am just trying to bring a sense of diversity in events and campus activities involving alcohol. The Babson policy about outdoor events and alcohol is crippling to the social of this campus. It would allow for so many more places for students to socialize other than the pub, and in turn bring better moral to this place and eventually, get more people to attend non-alcohol related events.

This campus is filled with go-getter students. Students who start there own businesses, actively take leadership roles in organizations on campus, and also start their own organizations. I feel as if a Babson student can do anything they want, except have a social life that is the least bit exciting. This school was sold to me as Boston being “only a T ride away”, when in reality it’s “a 30 min car drive through Boston traffic, $30 parking, and $30 for three drinks” away. We’re smart kids who accomplish great things. But barely anything we do will be able to change our contentment with the social scene on this campus, reason being is that the administration does not understand the urgency and need for dramatic policy change. We can’t go off campus to have fun all the time. Its too expensive, and we also simply don’t have the time because we are so pro-active. Improving the social scene is the only thing that Babson Students can’t accomplish during their stay here.

You may ask if I have taken any leadership roles in Greek Council or CAB to try and improve campus life. The answer is no, because I know about how impossible it is for any kind of remotely “risky” (in the eyes of OCL) events are to put on. I recently heard a rumor that The Roots might be coming to this campus. I also heard a rumor that the spring concert was cancelled and that there will be no concert this spring. It seems as if endeavors to try to improve Babson socially always result in one disappointment after another, whether it’s due to Administrative regulation, or some kind of policy that cannot even be bent, let alone broken. I haven’t bothered to get onto these committees because I know that no matter what I suggest, no matter how awesome and amazingly fun the idea would be, it would never happen, because there’s always some kind of harshly regulated policy to smash one’s ideas.

Now if the majority of students on this campus did not live on it, I wouldn’t be complaining. In all honesty, I would be supporting the OCL and its current actions. However, this is not the case. 80% or more of our students live on campus. The international and wealthier students can afford to live off campus, and also know that why bother attending events on this campus, when they could just have a great time in Boston instead. If I had the money, lord knows, I would be doing the same thing. But me as well as the strong majority of our school lives on campus, and the majority of the time, we are stuck here. This being the case, strict on campus policies that limit the number and type of events and event locations severely are the direct opposite of what it will take to make this student body a satisfied one.

Thank you for reading what I have to say, and hopefully understanding it, even though you may or may not accept it.

Sincerely,

~Sero