At the age of 21, kids across the country transition from teenager to young adult, as they are finally allowed to consume alcohol. But here at Piedmont, once you become 21, it is still illegal to drink on campus grounds.  

Piedmont College recently held a campus meeting between RAs and residential students. The meeting would cover many new guidelines that have been put in place involving alcohol, animals, COVID restrictions and vaping. Where the vaping policy is new this semester, it is said that unless you are 21, the legal tobacco age, you are not permitted to vape or smoke on campus. The school applied this policy to coincide with new laws.  

For the COVID policy, some changes were made due to the number of positive tests increasing in the state of Georgia. Guests from outside campus are now no longer permitted on campus grounds.  

The two policies that saw the most changes were the pet and alcohol policies. With the pet policy, it is said to be the same as it has always been.  

In the alcohol policy it is said that “possession of alcohol paraphernalia is prohibited, this includes but not limited to electronic alcohol signs, empty or open alcohol beverages, and games.” Many students were shocked to learn that now, even if you are 21, you will no longer be permitted to have a “wet suite.” Here at Piedmont, having a “wet suite” means all your roommates, as well as yourself, must be 21 years of age (legal drinking age). This does not allow for underage drinking, but it does provide a place for anyone 21 and over to drink without any repercussions. However, this right seems to have been taken away. There are no more “wet suites” and you can no longer wear any alcohol-related attire.  

“This past fall semester, we actually had an increase in a lot of alcohol and pet violations,” Jestel says.  

The whole point of the RA and residential student meetings were to make it clearer about the policies within the housing contracts. With that in mind, students were caught off guard at first. Within days, many emails were sent to try and make a change within the alcohol policy.  

These policies are set in place to try and set us students up for success. However, with that comes backlash. With college comes the college experience. Socializing, trying new things, reinventing ourselves, and figuring out who we want to be are all part of the college experience.  

“If at any point in time a student has questions about a certain policy, please reach out to us, we are open to feedback,” Jestel says.  

Whether some students may not like the policies put in place here at Piedmont, there is always room for improvement. You can always contact the residential staff at any of their emails or make an appointment on Starfish to discuss certain policies or changes.