I am writing on the behalf of the city ordinace on underage drinking in Clemson. The wording of the ordinance is extremely loose and gives police an extreme amount of freedom as to what is considered illegal under the new law.
In my first year here I have learrned that police on campus are feared by many students and this ordinance further expands the gap between students and police. The article written cites deaths from underage drinking as one of the main reasons for the ordinance, however, I fear that this will do nothing to help the issue or worse do the opposite. This ordinance will not stop all underage students from drinking, however, I do believe it will make students more hesitant to reach out to police for help if someone needs help. While I understand the amnesty policy in place, anyone calling for help would also be potentially getting the hosts in trouble and in situations like that there is no room for hesitation.
I also am extremely concerned that the ordinance was passed over spring break. Furthermore the ordinance was first written about in the student paper only after the public hearing was held. To me this seems like an attempt to limit student input on a law that mainly affects them. If city officials and community leaders truly want to make Clemson a safer place they need to listen to students on issues aimed at the student body or at least give them an opportunity to be heard.