Lean on me
Friends help sloshed friends
Michael Mayday
Issue date: 2/12/09 Section: Focus
Very rarely does sophomore Sarah Libby go out to party. She rarely drinks, and when she does, she drinks lightly. Maybe a game or two of beer pong, maybe not. Most of the time, she keeps an eye on her friends who ask her to watch them.
"Normally before the party they'll tell me, 'Hey, Sarah, keep an eye on me. If you think I've had too much to drink, let me know,' " Libby said. "We just look out for each other. I just don't want them to do anything stupid."
Most students on campus take drinking responsibly. Just ask junior Toby Williamson, a six-foot-tall lumberjack with red hair and a beard to boot.
"It's more of just looking out for your friends," Williamson said.
Libby said she typically isn't the only girl keeping a watch. She and her friends use the buddy system, which helps to keep each other accountable.
Williamson, who is taking a hiatus from drinking, said that accountability is everything.
"There's got to be those people in every crowd," Williamson said. "If you have a group of 15 people, and 15 people are going to go out and get wild and crazy at a party that night, that's a problem, because there's nobody there to have accountability for each other's actions. There's nobody there to be a sober, clear mind."
Senior Dave Jordan agreed, saying that being sensible has helped keep him and his friends out of hairy situations. He said he recently had trouble at a friend's house when a student came over.
"He came to my buddy's house and started to be really pushy and rude to my buddy who lived there," Jordan said. "And my buddy was like, 'Dude, just get out of my house,' and the guy wasn't having it. So a fight almost broke out, but my friends and I were able to deescalate the situation and everything went back to normal."
Williamson recalled a similar situation at home, when a military friend came to a party looking to confront someone over his fiancé. Things got physical quickly, and Williamson had to step in.
"Normally before the party they'll tell me, 'Hey, Sarah, keep an eye on me. If you think I've had too much to drink, let me know,' " Libby said. "We just look out for each other. I just don't want them to do anything stupid."
Most students on campus take drinking responsibly. Just ask junior Toby Williamson, a six-foot-tall lumberjack with red hair and a beard to boot.
"It's more of just looking out for your friends," Williamson said.
Libby said she typically isn't the only girl keeping a watch. She and her friends use the buddy system, which helps to keep each other accountable.
Williamson, who is taking a hiatus from drinking, said that accountability is everything.
"There's got to be those people in every crowd," Williamson said. "If you have a group of 15 people, and 15 people are going to go out and get wild and crazy at a party that night, that's a problem, because there's nobody there to have accountability for each other's actions. There's nobody there to be a sober, clear mind."
Senior Dave Jordan agreed, saying that being sensible has helped keep him and his friends out of hairy situations. He said he recently had trouble at a friend's house when a student came over.
"He came to my buddy's house and started to be really pushy and rude to my buddy who lived there," Jordan said. "And my buddy was like, 'Dude, just get out of my house,' and the guy wasn't having it. So a fight almost broke out, but my friends and I were able to deescalate the situation and everything went back to normal."
Williamson recalled a similar situation at home, when a military friend came to a party looking to confront someone over his fiancé. Things got physical quickly, and Williamson had to step in.
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