If this proposal goes into effect, the committee will need to come up with activities that will actually appeal to college age students, a demographic that is not easy to capture. Although Welcome Week at the beginning of the year offers a substance free environment in which students can socialize, not many students would remain content with such activities on a weekly basis. Another issue is money. These activities need to be inexpensive, if not free, in order to compete with the free alcohol students receive at parties. The University needs to realize that finding cheap, entertaining activities every weekend is going to be a struggle.
College offers a newfound freedom to students who are living on their own for the first time.
This freedom entails the ability to stay out all night drinking without having to answer to anybody. It seems hard to pass up such an opportunity, especially when Ann Arbor often seems as if it were designed for people over the age of 21. Yet, there are non-alcoholic alternatives out there for students who choose to seek them out. The problem is that most students do not have that desire. Although it is unlikely, perhaps by making these alternatives more accessible, the University will be able to help alleviate problems associated with underage college drinking.