Keeping up with the theme of underage drinking for Alcohol Awareness Month, we at MDC would like to talk about the recent “block party” at UT’s campus. If you didn’t know already, there was a large party that got out of control on UT’s campus on Saturday.
This story has received local and national media coverage due to an incident involving a UT police officer’s use of excessive force on a non-resistant student. A majority of the students who were arrested at this party were detained due to underage drinking.
Coming from a current University of Tennessee student, this is not a surprise to me. Law enforcement on campus is known for checking ID’s and being strict near the strip, however a party this big has never occurred in my college career. Underage drinking is just one way to find yourself in a vulnerable position when it comes to the law.
This party had hundreds of students in one concentrated area and the police department was still able to single out those who were not legally able to drink or were too intoxicated at the time. This just goes to show that there is not power in numbers; it is possible to be arrested even when you are surrounded by 100 other underage drinkers.
The University of Tennessee has been ranked in the top 50 “party schools” in the US, however from the perspective of a student attending school at UT, there are plenty of other activities available that can be just as fun. Intramural sports, clubs, trivia nights, and pool are just a few of the amenities available that do not have to involve drinking.
This block party was quickly busted and brought down by the police department. Don’t be that student that gets arrested because they were unable to wait until they were 21. There are all kinds of activities to engage in on the weekend that will not tempt you to drink before you are legally able.
To read more on the block party visit THIS LINK and continue keeping up with your local news stations.