It’s Friday night at Plattsburgh State. The school week and summer’s warm breeze has prolonged into September.
It’s the beginning of the weekend, and students at PSUC are excited. They want nothing more than to hang out with friends and sip (or chug) a cold drink.
It’s all in the name of good fun, but the noise of constant partying can reach beyond inconsiderate levels.
I can hear from my apartment blaring music and dozens of guys and girls screaming over their beer pong game. It’s constant blood-curdling screams.
Granted, I’m not usually one to get too drunk often, but when it does occur, I’m more of a laid-back, reclusive, chilled out-on-the-couch drunk.
As a former lifeguard, if someone screamed bloody murder, I would react immediately and look out my window to see if anything was going on or if anyone had been hurt and needed help.
Now as a senior in college, I’ve learned to ignore screaming and assume it’s just another intoxicated person on campus after a wild night of house parties or bar hopping.
Though my tone is a bit snarky and bitter, I have probably annoyed people in my community too.
I’m not completely unaware of the appeal and thrill of dancing to loud dubstep music with a Solo cup of beer in hand.
Nor am I naïve enough to assume everyone is expected to embody the subdued type of drunk I am, but come on.
Not only are there elderly couples living near our college, but there are children and families too.
I’m not saying don’t party or be a bit loud, but if you plan on being a little rowdier, do it at the bars or a concert venue, where it’s meant to be.
Energized nightlife should be brought to these places, not on the streets.
Considering signs that read, “Please respect our community,” are now all taken down after nearly two weeks of them lining up Broad Street, I’d say a lot of students need a reminder on respect.
I can’t speak for everyone but myself. It’s a sad day when our generation finds throwing a ping pong ball into a cup filled with beer a monumental achievement.
In my drinking experience, people would usually want to “keep it down” in fear of cops busting a party. Now, I see cops all over closing down fraternity house parties and visiting apartments in regards to noise complaints.
Does anyone care anymore? I feel like University Police have a hard enough job as it is regardless of people being drunk, loud and disrespectful.
My message is simply this: Be a person that people want to respect. This issue, in its entirety, is a community effort.
It’s not solely for one or two individuals to work on. If you can influence one person or a group of people to be respectful and act decent, we’d probably have a much safer and nicer place to live.
As a community and as a college, we need to hold ourselves to a higher standard of conduct and not assume this town is ours for the taking.
We need to dismiss the stereotype of being just a “party school” and be individuals to look up to, not down on.
Email Anne McLean at anne.mclean@cardinalpointsonline.com
