In a new environment such as this, socializing is an undoubted necessity in the search to find friends and your own little niche in the mass of students at Virginia Tech.
In the first week of classes, the majority of this social activity will take place in and around the dorms and in classes. When the weekend arrives and classes take their normal weekend break, however, the small confines of your dormitory may not look like the best place to spend your first 48 hours free.
When Friday arrives, students will begin to wander Main Street and discover the town of Blacksburg. Apartment complexes around town buzz with activity and upward of 25,000 people in your age bracket are looking for a good time.
With so many people around and the only person to tell you what to do being yourself, the decisions you make will finally be that of your own. The bad news is, the consequences you may incur from those decisions are also placed entirely on you.
For some, when the acceptance letter from Tech arrived in the mail in the spring and the commitment to becoming a member of Tech's student body was made, images of great education and four years later, a triumphant graduation came to mind. For others, images of Animal House-like debauchery and after practice, a triumphant tournament victory in beer pong came to mind.
Whatever the image was that came to your mind at that moment, it is well known that college parties may, and many of the times do, involve alcohol.
In that first weekend as a student at Virginia Tech, it is important to have some things in mind before you put your name on the pong list.
According to alcohol.vt.edu, the effects of alcohol can range from feelings of relaxation to over-expression to unconsciousness. According to a study done by the same site, 82 percent of Tech students do drink at varying rates.
While this is true, 52 percent of students consume just 7 percent of the alcohol. Average drinkers consume 5.1 drinks per drinking occasion 1.6 times a week, according to the study.
According to Virginia Tech Judicial Affairs, if you are under 21, it is illegal for you to possess or consume alcohol. Contrary to popular belief, that same law exists for everyone in our nation.
At Virginia Tech, it is illegal to be drunk on or off campus, to drive drunk, to sell alcoholic beverages, or to buy or provide alcohol for someone under 21 just as it is enforced in the Commonwealth.
Violations of university policy include all of the above, along with a few other rules. If a student's drunken behavior "disturbs someone else's ability to sleep, study, or live peacefully", they can be held accountable according to the Judicial Affairs plain English policies.
The university operates on a three-strike policy. A student commits a minor offense if they are "found responsible for an alcohol-related offense that does not put yourself or someone else's health or safety at risk", according to the office of Judicial Affairs.
However, if a student commits an alcohol-related offense that puts him or herself "or someone else's health or safety at risk," this is considered a major offense. Major offenses carry two strikes, while minor offenses carry just one.
It is important to know that if just one strike is incurred, probation and education is the consequence. Two strikes under Tech's alcohol policy lead to deferred suspension and education, while if you are found guilty of three strikes you are suspended from school.
With the presence of alcohol known and the consequences in mind, it is important for freshmen to know a few things in case the decisions they make lead to the consumption of alcohol.
Blacksburg Transit offers bus transport throughout the city of Blacksburg from the morning until shortly after 2 a.m. on weekends, according to its Web site, btransit.org.
If it is past the Blacksburg Transit's run time, services such as the Hooptie Ride are excellent methods of transportation home. Drivers from Hooptie Ride are availale nightly beginning at 7 p.m., according to hooptieride.com.
You might be interested in... tech fundamentals
