Issue date: 8/23/07 Section: Opinion

Ever drive late at night, especially on a weekend, and feel you have to be extra-vigilant for other cars barreling toward you because of the drivers impairment from drinking?

If you do, it is for good reason. Each year, approximately 2.1 million college students report driving while intoxicated. What do we need to do to solve this problem at SIUE? It seems every year students ask for (and do not receive) what can essentially be called a "drunk bus."

At this point, some reading this may take issue with a "drunk bus" and would rather not have students drink excessively and be more responsible for themselves, which is understandable to some degree. Yet, drinking at college is nothing new. It goes back to when your parents went to college, when your grandparents went to college and past that. Does the movie "Animal House" ring a bell?

In my opinion, it seems that the administration at SIUE tries to distance themselves from anything drinking-related. This is possibly out of fear of being compared to the "party school" stereotype of Carbondale, yet is this really worth the lives of the drivers or even worse yet, innocent people who were making a late night run to Jimmy Johns to grab a sandwich?

There would be several liability factors to take into consideration, but if they could be solved then what would be a better answer to the problem of drunk driving than a shuttle that would stay on a same schedule with drop off points around Edwardsville, Glen Carbon and the SIUE campus? Other schools such as Eastern Illinois University and the University of Missouri have already incorporated this idea.

It's important also that underage drinkers (who are under the legal age of 21) be permitted to ride. If police feel the need to monitor the bus or drop off spots, then maybe they can be there to assist with people being too rowdy or those who have drunk too much and are in need of medical assistance. Someone who is underage does not need to feel threatened by the police arresting them, which will almost lead them to pick up their keys.

Don't expect SIUE, a state school, to risk violating state law and get the wheels moving on this, so that leaves the big question - who would do it? Maybe this would be a task at hand for a student organization, a fraternity or sorority or, even better yet, a joint effort by student groups. Charge each passenger a small fee and have a schedule of multiple pick-up times and you will give the party-goers options rather than just one potentially deadly one.

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