As I get ready to transition to college, I can’t help but think of fraternities. Many Parker graduates head straight for the Greek system, and fraternities and sororities are supposed to be the epitome of the American college experience. As more and more headlines surface about the dangerous—sometimes lethal—hazing rituals that are ingrained into fraternities, however, I find it increasingly difficult to find a reason as to why I would join one.

Obviously dangerous hazing is not part of every fraternity, but it appears that the practice is far too common to say that a fraternity that does haze is an outlier. While I have a deep admiration for the brotherhood these fraternities value, I’m not sure I want to be part of an environment in which substance abuse is not only encouraged, but required.

It’s always been very peculiar to me that we live in a society that oftentimes demonizes drug users and drug addicts yet suspends these views, when it comes to college. The way in which society perceives drug users is irrational and damaging, but there is something to be said for the fact that for four years of a person’s life substance abuse is permitted.

Once someone graduates from college, though, those bad habits are expected to disappear.

As more studies are conducted on college campuses, it seems that there are more and more drug habits that are unique to college students. For example, the general public was not aware of how common it is for students to abuse stimulant prescriptions before the previous decade. Additionally, no one could have suspected how widespread benzos—benzodiazepines—were until recently discovered.

Given the severity of the opioid epidemic, I wouldn’t be surprised if prescription opioids like Percocet or Vicodin become as common on college campuses as the other drugs that I previously mentioned. Of course, I have only listed drugs that have recently come to the public’s attention. I’m sure most people are aware of how frequent alcohol and cannabis use are on college campuses, which can only become greater given that cannabis could very well become legal nationwide.

Although I will be a student at a university in only 7 months, I feel as though my drug education is lacking. While my freshman health class was extremely informative regarding stress and mental health, there was rarely any discussion about substance abuse. Once I heard that there was going to be a senior health class, I thought that this topic would finally be addressed, but as of now I appear to be wrong.

I understand that this topic is difficult to discuss at Parker, especially because advocating anything other than abstinence may create backlash from parents, but this issue is essential to review. While I do not expect health classes to change their curricula in the middle of the year, it would be beneficial if substance abuse were discussed more in future health classes. If Parker really wants to prepare us for college, we should be learning how to navigate the complicated landscape that is substance use in college and after.