It goes without saying: college equals partying.
Students at many universities tend to party on campus, as a matter of convenience. At Lake Forest College, this has pretty much always been the case. Recently, however, the parties seem to be moving off campus to local venues.
Why the sudden shift? Students think that the campus doesn’t have enough activities to keep them busy. Harrison Seigel ‘16 believes, “There is a lack of activities that produce the needed social environment [for parties]…There should be more than one ACP a month.” Bringing the parties off campus takes away from the student bonding that is more easily formed when students are hanging out in their dorms.
“The culture of off campus parties are done by word of mouth. Upperclassmen have become distant from lowerclassmen, as a result,” said Kevin Lim ’15. “When I was a freshman, I knew all of the upperclassmen because we were all on campus. Now there is a lack of unity, which hinders Lake Forest College’s party culture,” continued Kevin Lim ‘15.
Off-campus parties are generally held in students’ local apartments and houses and at some local venues, such as Gabe’s Backstage Lounge and The Lantern. No doubt that this is helpful for local businesses. However, not all students are 21-years-old, meaning that the majority of students are not able to attend these local venues and hang out with their older friends.
A major issue with off-campus parties is the transportation. Usually, students are drunk, so they cannot drive back. Another issue with off campus parties is the cold! “Due to a lack of options of things to do on campus, students have to risk exposing themselves to bad weather conditions just to be social, which shouldn’t have to happen on a college campus,” said Nicole Fiorita ’15. “I enjoy being social and not being confined to campus, but I have driven drunk to Ivy and town just so that I can get to parties without having to deal with the cold,” said a sophomore, who asked to remain anonymous.
On the other hand, some students believe that off campus parties are the way to go and are safe. “Off-campus parties are handled quite well by the young adults who host them and for the most part, do not pose safety hazards,” said Peyton Sukenic ’16.
There are different opinions in regards to this issue, but one conclusion can be drawn: Lake Forest College must provide more on-campus events in order to foster the social environment that is essential on a college campus.
