Interview with anonymous male sophomore

An anonymous UK described his typical night to me.  He starts the night with a shower; this is when his drinking begins.  He then continues drinking with his roommate, friends, and girlfriend until he heads over to the “party house.”  The “party house” is typically located in the Waller Ave./Elizabeth St. block.  There he parties with his buddies, drinks some more, most likely plays some drinking games, and then heads home.  He claims that most of the social drinking functions take place, “at houses in the University St./Waller Ave. area.  The place I am researching, the Elizabeth St. area, is in this general locale.  He believes most of the tailgates/parties are located in this area because they are both close to the dorms as well as the football stadium.  I was surprised to hear this because I thought why would it matter if they were extremely close, people wouldn’t be walking.  He told me that sometimes people do walk home, drunk, in fact, without regard for cops or safety. 

It was clear that the young individual I interviewed did not have a problem with underage drinking.  He believes “the drinking age should be moved down to 18, and the penalties for [those] underage should be the same as [for] those who are of age.”  This struck me ass odd.  I did not understand what the role of a law plays if penalties are the same.  In his opinion, the reason the Elizabeth St. area is problematic, is because of the controversy regarding underage drinking.  Solution to the problem is for the police to be more relaxed on controlling underage drinking in this area, not to put a stop to underage drinking.

The male sophomore felt that the police have become stricter this school  year in comparison to last year.  “There is no place for the academically savvy social drinker in President Todd’s vision for UK,” he feels.  Instead of worrying about the underage social drinkers, this young man believed that authority should be focused more on drunk drivers. 

While he says the police and President Todd should not be worried about underage social drinkers, in contrast, he admits, that modern drinking trends are more dangerous than old drinking habits.  In comparison to our parent’s generation, he admits that today’s generation “places a heavier emphasis of getting completely hammered.”  He does not see a problem being the underage drinker at the party, but would not like to be the host of said party.  He affirms he “like[s] being able to leave the party and not have to worry about damages or fines.”  Even if he was a homeowner looking to rent out one of the houses in this area he would “only rent out to girls [because] girls are more likely not to break anything.” 

Lastly, in regards to the rest of the Lexington community, he says they should have a sort of understanding when living in a college town.  Yes, the parties do not help an area prosper or help property value, but it is better to contain the parties to a centralized area than to let them spill out into multiple neighborhoods. 

 

Introduction

I am going to explore Elizabeth St. and the surrounding area right off University of Kentucky’s campus. Many social events are held at houses along this street, from tailgates to parties. I, personally, have been to multiple tailgates and parties this year that were all held in this same area. I know that this place has the stereotype of “party street” or “party central.” I want to find out what is being done to change that stereotype? What good and bad results from parties being held in a centralized area? What town gown conflicts surround this area? There are multiple perspectives to be explored. I can research the point of view from residents who live there and throw the social events, residents who live there and don’t, the home owners who rent to the college students there, a neutral outsider, a Lexington resident, and a University of Kentucky policeman. These perspectives can be researched through interviews, newspaper articles (such as the Kentucky Colonel and Lexington Herald Leader), crime reports, and my own personal experiences. My concern for research through newspapers is that the articles will not be specific as to what street. My worry about interviewing residents who throw the parties is that they might be nervous about responding truthfully and self-incriminating themselves. My goal for this project is to see how town gown conflicts create tension in a college town. I also hope to see the transition of how older generations, campus officials, and police view college students partying because it seems they no longer deem it to be ok.