Western Courier

Issue date: 10/28/09 Section: Opinion

My only issue with this is when Mr. Egler talks about there not being much to do in Macomb. While this may be true to an extent, that is not an excuse for the behavior that some students display that is at the root of the problem. I would hope that the majority of students (I would really hope ALL students) checked out WIU and Macomb before making the decision to come to school here and should have known what was and wasn't offered. If there didn't seem to be enough "to do" then they should have kept looking, not decided to come anyway knowing full well that this is a small town with limited entertainment opportunities and then whine about it and do stupid things and use that as an excuse. I know when I was looking at colleges, I did not only look at the campus, but the surrounding community to see what was and wasn't offered and if that would be acceptable to me. There are other public universities with about the same tuition rate as WIU in larger, more urban areas with much more to do that have pretty much the same admission requirements and financial aid opportunities. There are also colleges out there that don't have nearly the number and range of facilities and activities offered on WIU's campus yet still attract students and don't seem to have a fraction of the issues with alcohol abuse and related bad behavior. I know because I attended one. Would it be nice for Macomb to add some more entertainment options for both students and residents? Sure! But even if that never happens, it does not and should not serve as an excuse for the behavior a significant minority of students engage in. I'd put money on the table that even if Macomb had many more entertainment venues most members of the significant minority would still choose excessive drinking.

AJD

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