Stanford's Problem with Blacking Out
Levi Lebovitz examines the recent crackdown on fraternities through a psychoanalytic lens, exploring the intersection between achievement culture and excessive drinking.
This fall, Stanford freshmen missed out on infamous all-campus parties, such as EuroTrash, KAbo, and White Lies, which form core first-year memories.
The University's crackdown aims to hold fraternities accountable for "transports" - hospitalizations due to excessive drinking - at their parties, promoting responsible social spaces over alcoholic belligerence.
The University seems to hold the position that fraternities ought to provide spaces for responsible social aggregation rather than alcoholic belligerence.
However, punishing fraternities for transports only addresses a small symptom of a larger disease.
Author's summary: Stanford's crackdown on fraternities targets symptoms, not the root cause.