Dear Spectator

Recently an advertisement in your newspaper has gathered some controversy among students at McMaster. It comes from an organization, or specifically from Lou Ferro in this instance, who is seeking to limit the availability of alcohol at McMaster and suggests that a youtube video of students acting in a disorderly manner is “McMaster Student Life” and I, as a student, take issue with many of the suggestions.

First I would like to acknowledge the inappropriateness of filming young people (some of which are young women) and putting their faces on the internet without their consent. This may not be illegal but that does not make it an less…well creepy. I also want to acknowledge the potential baiting of these students into inappropriate behavior by doing so. If there was no camera many of these students would have simply walked on by as evidenced in the Youtube video. We can’t pretend that these are not issues, and now that many of the young men and women know that someone is potentially filming their evening walk home I am sure that many of them will be a lot less comfortable in their own community.

McMaster’s alcohol policy is in coordination with provincial alcohol laws and honestly, the policies are not the issue but the actions of a few students are. The students in these videos are not what McMaster represents, as Mr. Ferro would suggest, just as I’m sure Mr. Ferro’s voyeuristic tendencies do not reflect those of everyone in his community. McMaster has several other students who do not appear in this video who not only use alcohol responsibly but are model members of the community in Hamilton and at McMaster.

McMaster has, in the past year, given a Rhodes Scholar, a Vanier Cup Championship, a community outreach program that raises money and funds for charitable causes, participants in the Hamilton art scene, and that is just what comes to mind immediately. I would suggest that the small percentage of students in Mr. Ferro’s illicit video are not representative of “McMaster Student Life” as he wants Spec readers to believe, but instead a few sad cases of young people not prepared for their experiences with alcohol.

With that said it is not fair to pretend that these incidents did not occur, and I would argue that policies are not the answer. Students subvert policy all of the time as is the nature of young minds being presented with a new worldview every day. Many students live off campus and can not be regulated. Instead these incidences must be dealt with through education, self-regulation, and responsibility. All of which are available on campus through a variety of means included in the student fees.

I am not going to pretend that Mr. Ferro is wrong in his assumptions (if only in his methods) and these incidents should be ignored. I just ask that they be called what they are, incidences, and not indicative of what every student at McMaster does on a daily basis. Being a student I understand the stress that can be placed on us and that some of us are incapable of dealing with that stress in any other way.

If Mr. Ferro should have any questions I am sure I can find some upstanding students willing to show him the great parts of our campus and perhaps even help with his copy in the next ad he takes out.

And lastly, to any of the students in this video acting in this manner: please consult student health in the Student Center basement if you find your actions here to be an every day occurrence. If you experience black out sessions or loss of memory while drinking you should consult a professional immediately for assistance.

Sincerely

McMaster Student Joey Mleczko