ALCOHOL, DRUGS REAL PROBLEMS AT TULANE

During Mardi Gras last year, there was a house party the night that
Jeremy Houk disappeared. It was just another old house party, the kind
that just about every single one of us here at Tulane has attended.

I was there. I saw him, drunk and upset, walk out of that house
confused and needing space, so I let him go; we all did. He merely
walked up and down Zimple Street, as so many of us have all done
before, but in his drunken state, he kept walking Uptown.

Jeremy walked down St. Charles Avenue and apparently got onto a street
car. He fell asleep on the car and rode the car until the end of the
trolley line. Finally, the driver of the street car asked him to get
off. The rest of the story is hazy. No one truly knows the details.
The driver was the last person to see him alive.

His body was found in the Mississippi River two months later. It is
rumored that he wandered into the river, where, sadly, he died.

Many students here have probably heard this story, or at least some
version of it. Many only knew him as that missing kid from Sharp four.
Yet, he was a person, with friends and family. They were not only put
through the stress of his disappearance, but ultimately, with his
death. Even more recently, another freshman passed away in Monroe
Hall. The details of his death are also hazy, but some have speculated
that it was an overdose-related death. Again, this student was a
beloved son and friend to many who now are at a loss.

If the recent rumors are true, it is hard to point fingers as to who
is at fault for these situations. Both of these boys were legally
adults, and therefore should be responsible for their own actions. But
many wonder if Tulane informs the students enough of these potential
hazards, especially relating to drug and alcohol abuse.

At the same time, what exactly can the University do? Every single
person has been educated one way or another about the dangers of
alcohol and drugs, yet a huge majority of the student body still uses
both heavily. To further that idea, many students seem to be able to
have fun with alcohol especially, and still prioritize schoolwork and
other obligations.

Either way, it is evident that people are still slipping through the
cracks and are clearly not aware of the potential dangers that can
stem from substance abuse issues. There is clearly a huge difference
between someone who drinks every weekend at a frat party versus
someone who drinks alone in their dorm room. This hypothetical student
does not describe Houk. At the same time, there is also a difference
between someone who uses drugs socially and someone who has a serious
dependency problem, one that could seriously endanger their life.

The question again rises: What exactly can the University do? They
could hold seminars and information sessions about the dangers of
drugs and the addictions that follow, but no one would attend. In
addition, those who would attend probably wouldn't be the kids
actually using drugs.

It seems so simple to point the fingers at the University and ask them
to get more involved, but there isn't really a whole lot they can do.
At the same time, these kids that died, and the rest of the students
like them, are not inevitabilities or lost causes. If you have a
friend that you know has an addiction that is out of control, tell
someone or merely give them help and support.

Sadly, what happened to Houk could have happened to anyone, especially
during the crazy nights of Mardi Gras. But rather than forget about
it, learn from it. Never let any of your friends, no matter how drunk
and persistent they are, go somewhere alone in any neighborhood of New
Orleans.

On a personal level, I knew Houk well. I was there the night he died.
There was nothing wrong with him, he was just drunk and wandered by
himself late at night. I cannot feel personally responsible for his
disappearance or even his death, but I could have tried to stop him or
sent one of his friends to walk with him.

Everyone should be informed of the dangers of not only substance
abuse, but also of the dangers of New Orleans. Every city is
dangerous, but we should not be so presumptuous to believe we are safe
within our Tulane "bubble" and its surrounding neighborhood.

It is incredibly sad that either of these boys died, but the
University was not at fault and neither were their friends. But you
should use the knowledge that we all have gained from these
experiences as a community to try and put an end to future situations
like these.

These boys will always be remembered and missed not only by their
friends and family, but within this community at Tulane.

Robyn Sills is a Newcomb College sophomore.