The Interfraternity Council hosted a Beers Aren’t Bad (BAB) event in Fisher 135 this past Thursday. Beers Aren’t Bad is an organization that sends speakers to college campuses across the country to have conversations and presentations about social norms and culture related to drinking. Over a hundred members of Greek organizations were in attendance to watch BAB’s presentation.
Hanz Carden was the presenter, and he started off by asking the crowd about their prior experiences with alcohol education. Most of the answers focused on the downsides of alcohol and none of the positives. He then discussed the pros and cons of drinking, noting that the pros list was longer than the cons. He acknowledged that some of his best memories in college were spent drinking in moderation with his fraternity brothers, but that it’s easy to take it too far.
IFC President Ethan Diehl said, “For one, it’s important to us that we are providing education for our member fraternities, as well as opening events like this up to the whole of the campus population. Beers Aren’t Bad talks about alcohol education differently than other programs; their message is something that I hope everyone can take away and use for the betterment of themselves and those around them.”
Beers Aren’t Bad has three goals they hope to achieve through their talks. The first is a change in attitude. They stress the importance of checking in with friends who might have a problem with drinking, as it is often a sign of personal struggles. The second is a change in the legal drinking age to 18 to allow safer and more transparent drinking on college campuses. Lastly, BAB hopes to reduce student fees for fraternities across America by encouraging smarter drinking choices, leading to fewer accidents resulting in fees.
Another thing that Carden highlighted in his talk was the importance of “owning the outcome” of mistakes made when drinking. He told a story about his friend Kevin, who would repeatedly drink too much and cause damage. When Kevin woke up in the morning, he would apologize and say he had drunk too much, but he would never take responsibility for the consequences of his actions. Carden emphasized that every time you drink, it is 100% your choice when you choose to start and stop, and this mindset can help students feel more accountable for their actions.
