It would seem that students at Georgetown University, our collegiate neighbor to the southwest and probably the most nationally recognized D.C. school, have not only intense academic exuberance, but the propensity for perpetual partying. Residents who have the misfortune of living near clusters of Georgetown students have long complained about the noise to Georgetown administration. They have gotten so bad that this week, students at Georgetown were compelled to take action. Starting in February, two off-duty police officers will patrol problem areas in and around the Georgetown campus at all times to keep the over-studied students from cutting loose.
It would seem ironic that a Jesuit school would have such a problem with students behaving badly, but in fact, Georgetown is much less strict about its rules regarding alcohol and partying than AU, which, of course, is a dry campus. Though we at AU are no strangers to a good party (ambulances shuttling inebriated students from the Letts-Anderson complex to Sibley Hospital sometimes seems a Saturday night standard), the fact that our campus is dry has all but eliminated the culture of partying that existed here until the 1980s.
But this culture is apparently alive and well at Georgetown. After last week's non-fatal shooting incident at a Georgetown party and the death of a student at another party in the past, it's clear that Georgetown must do something to keep its students safe, even off campus and after hours.
Georgetown is taking a step in the right direction. Hiring off-duty police officers to patrol rowdy areas could have a serious impact, as it is likely to keep students safe. This is also a realistic approach - Georgetown knows it can't change every student's behavior, so it's trying to come up with a workable solution. Even though the problems coming from partying at Georgetown seem more severe than those on our own campus, maybe the AU administration could take a page from Georgetown's book: students drink. Find an effective way to keep them safe regardless.
