Chico: Student-Criminals By: Ajia Bree Jones It’s 10 p.m. in Chico, the streets are flooded with young students stumbling left and right across the sidewalks. After an intense pregame, Megan Finch and her friends take a break from walking so a friend can pee in a bush next too an lowly lit house. Megan desperately grabs onto her friend for support as they continue to stagger toward a known party house in Chico, too intoxicated to realize that her slurred speech makes absolutely no sense. Her friend takes a sip from her “water bottle” and repulsively flinches directly after. “I need to be more messed up for this,” says Flinch, a student from California State, Chico, as she reaches for the water bottle. Parents send their children off to college with hopes that they make the right decisions and create a better future for themselves, however that it not always the case. The mindset of most college students is “get messed up tonight and worry about all of it tomorrow,” says Hector Mendez, a freshman at California State, Chico. This just goes to show how minor crimes such as underage drinking and smoking illegal substances are normalized in today’s college society. California State University, Chico has gone above and beyond to try to educate their students about the dangers and statistics about drinking in general. Freshman and Transfer students must complete two mandatory programs prior to enrollment. These programs, “Not Anymore” and “AlcoholEdu” educate students on how to stay safe on and off campus. Not Anymore is geared toward safe tips and how to protective both yourself and other when put in a difficult situation. AlcoholEdu’s main goal is to inform students on how to safely drink and educate on what the law states about drinking in different settings. “AlcoholEdu taught me a lot but …show more content…
When asked what do you think the punishment is for underage drinking in the state of California, Mendez replied, “ A fine or a ticket?” Well, Mendez is not entirely wrong, according to shouselaw.com, “Business and Professions Code 25662 BP is only punishable by community service and/or a fine, it is nevertheless a misdemeanor. This means that a conviction will become part of one's permanent criminal record, which is why it is critical to fight this charge.” Short term, underage drinking poses no prominent threat, but long term it can effect one’s future forever. According to the CLERY Report on California State University Chico’s website, between 2012 and 2014 there has been a total of 57 arrests for drug violation on campus. This means 57 students’ lives have been changed forever because of a substance, and this is only arrests on campus. In residential facilities there have been a total of 32 arrests between 2012 and 2014 for drug violations. Nearly 90 students in only two years have a record of drug violations. Keep in mind Chico isn't a big town, these numbers are pretty abominable