It is safe to say that Emerson College has rather lax rules when it comes to drug and alcohol use. As long as you are 21 and living on campus, given that those you live with are of the same age, there is rarely any consequence when it comes to possession of such substances. This is not a bad thing for everyone, and in most cases, these policies are a good balance for those who do not have any issues with drugs and alcohol. However, not everyone on campus has the same relationship with drugs and alcohol. Those who do, or have, suffered from addiction can be greatly impacted by a more accepting attitude toward intoxicants. I am writing this from the point of view that addiction is a disease, a mental condition that gives the mind a higher susceptibility to physical addiction to brain altering substances. Speaking from experience, I have found that Emerson College has the potential to make those who suffer from addiction struggle more than thrive in their sobriety.
When looking at Emerson’s policy on drugs and alcohol, there are 13 bullet points explaining it. While Emerson is not a dry campus, the college follows many of the same policies that other campuses in Massachusetts follow. Possession of marijuana on campus is strictly prohibited because Emerson receives federal funding. Any form of distribution of intoxicating substances is not allowed. If you are of legal drinking age, you are allowed to possess alcohol in limited amounts.
There was a moment in an Emerson class recently that encapsulates some of the issues in terms of the environment that addicts face at Emerson: When inquiring in a health class about the nature of sobriety at Emerson, my professor asked if substances were allowed to be consumed inside dorms. A classmate boldly said that there are formal rules, but they are not followed in practice.
As much as I hate to say it, I agree with my classmate. On my first day of Emerson orientation, my orientation leaders spoke candidly about going off-campus to smoke and/or drink. To be frank, when there is a party going on or just a little time to relax, this can be rather inconvenient. I’m not going to spend time talking about the happenings of social events and what happens behind closed doors, but it is safe to say that not every individual who is willing to partake in an intoxicating pastime is necessarily willing to take the elevator just to smoke a bowl. There is no real vetting process in terms of which room someone with known addiction issues ends up in because, during my first day at Emerson, I was suddenly put in a position where my suitemates were consuming substances that I had to opt out of for my own health.
As someone actively in two substance-based anonymous groups, I am no stranger to the vulnerable back-and-forth nature that addiction can have. Not only that, but I’m also no stranger to how vulnerable maintaining that sobriety can be. My sobriety has waxed and waned many times, and like many addicts, relapse is a big and unfortunately consistent part of my story. I was encouraged to come to Emerson by those around me specifically because of rather misleading remarks based on the level of sobriety this campus encourages. I don’t understand where this narrative came from, but I was encouraged by both my initial tour guide and a college counselor that Emerson would be a positive environment for maintaining my sobriety. But I have to say that it has been my experience that Emerson has been more combative in maintaining my sobriety than it has been beneficial.
Granted, the struggle to remain sober at Emerson partially has to do with who one surrounds themselves with. I am happy to say I now live with supportive roommates who, although they do not have the same condition as I do, do respect my struggle with substance abuse. In some cases at Emerson, there have been unavoidable situations that made sobriety difficult, like my first roommate at Emerson needed to use medical syringes daily—something that I cannot be in proximity to for my own health and safety. After bringing this issue to a resident’s assistant, I was immediately moved to a new suite. However, this new living situation did not help much in maintaining my sobriety either.
Room checks are perhaps the area at Emerson College where the substance “rules” feel the most false. Last year, after a room check over spring break, I was caught with paraphernalia and summoned to a hearing. Not only was I able to explain my way out of the hearing, but no form of reprimand or follow-up was ever inquired about this incident. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t somewhat relieved that I avoided any kind of reprimand, but the fact of the matter is, without consequences for these things, they are more likely to go on. The room checks at this school are already not all that thorough in the first place, so even if paraphernalia that is against school policy is found, this is typically a very rare occurrence. Many students get away with putting items that are prohibited in the dorm room into drawers, which RAs do not check. In my first year at Emerson, I was told that RAs do room checks, but aren’t actively looking for items that are against policy in the rooms. With both the room checks and the lack of vetting when it comes to roommates, I think there needs to be more attention when it comes to those in recovery in terms of helping them have a better environment that can help us. I am not specifically making the point that there should be special treatment, but perhaps adding all-sober dorms or just having some sort of larger discussions with housing administration would be very beneficial for those of us who cannot even be in the same room as a beer.
Another issue would have to fall on the overall social acceptance of intoxicants at Emerson, but this is as much a problem with the world as it is a problem with the school. As much as social change and health are encouraged in classrooms, being educated through assignments as well as overall given information, it is not necessarily acknowledged by the full student body as something to be handled with a bit more care. Emerson is not a very large party school, but the fact is one doesn’t necessarily need to party in order to become intoxicated or speak about chemically-induced highs. I have, on rare occasions, even had teachers talk about their own habits in this regard, which is unprofessional, but not against school policy. Professors discussing their social life is not something that I have a particular problem with, but it should be noted that there are those in the room who cannot necessarily relate to going out to a bar for fun.
To avoid these things tends to be a societal issue, and is certainly not impossible to avoid, but in my experience difficult. Offering solutions is difficult because there is only so much a college campus can do to help the complexity of addiction. There is an argument to be made, however, that saying a university disallows underage drinking and limits legal consumption without strictly enforcing these policies is worse than not having these policies at all. Most university campuses take measures to limit drug and alcohol use anyway because many college students are still not of the legal age to consume. However, Emerson does not do much to push against the narrative that it is normal to smoke weed or drink alcohol, which I do find to be a problem.
I am not saying it is an overall bad thing to be an Emerson College student who indulges in legal intoxicating substances if they are of age. I understand that not everyone suffers from problematic addictive tendencies, and I believe that it takes change in oneself to make real change in active addiction. However, the real world tends to be hard enough on people who struggle with addiction, so advertising a safer space for those who struggle with addiction without actually being offered that safe space can be a dangerously misleading environment.
