While sitting in Kogan Plaza before a recent afternoon rain shower, I overheard some students discussing GW President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg’s editorial in Monday’s edition of The Hatchet regarding responsible alcohol use among GW students (Toasting the class of 2004, Aug. 28). These students expressed apathy about the president’s statement. President Trachtenberg voiced concerns about alcohol abuse and stressed the importance of freedom and responsibility.

As a student who has witnessed the events that President Trachtenberg mentioned, I agree with his sentiments. GW students should not be satisfied with the initiatives that have been implemented this year. We must take to heart the administration’s concerns about our alcohol abuse and make this issue a priority which student leaders must come together and address.

First-year students living on campus at GW are faced with many challenges when they arrive in D.C. The new Triple Play program will provide alternatives to the bar scene. Although alcohol lures many students, it is often the social atmosphere that students are looking for.

It would be naive to say that programs such as Triple Play alone will prevent underage drinking at GW; but at least these and programs like them will provide an alternative. I urge my fellow students to take President Trachtenberg’s challenge to heart. Act responsibly, make informed choices about alcohol consumption and encourage your peers to do the same.-Kelly SnyderResidence Hall Association president