Durango Drinking Q&A with FLC Student Olivia Nofzinger
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In determining how Durango's drinking scene affects Fort Lewis students, Ecology major Olive Nofzinger helped shed some light on the situation in the following interview.
1. What is your name and major?
"Olive Nofzinger, Ecology major."
2. Do you think Durango has enough businesses that provide social outlets that do not revolve around alcohol consumption? Please explain.
"In my experience, Durango is abrasively lacking in businesses providing a social setting to those who do not wish to drink. Those businesses that provide such a setting often close so early that they do not provide a real alternative to the pervasive drinking culture of Durango. As a student, I have encountered more instances of underage drinking and more students with fake IDs than I have in any other town I have ever lived in. This is not due purely to the tendency of young people to experiment with alcohol, but largely influenced by the lack of other social meeting places for young people."
3. Do you think Durango's culture is heavily based on alcohol consumption? Please explain.
"As a transfer student, I have experienced two other colleges prior to this one, and I feel that Durango has an unusually heavy drinking culture. Inescapable, one might say. After 10:00 on any given night, the town's activity is not only dominated by bars, it is limited entirely to bars. There is nothing else open. Many live music events, which Durango is known for, take place at bars. These bars often card, and you are out of luck if you are an underage music enthusiast."
4. Where do you go to study in Durango? Do you have a difficult time finding places to study? Please explain.
"After my first semester, I was willing to pay the extra money to get a single room for the very reason that my room is the best place for me to study. After that, the library is sometimes a good choice, unless there is a loud group of people there (and it only takes one). At popular study times, the library can feel cramped and is not such a good option."
5. When you leave campus to study in town, where do you go? Why do you go there? Is it an appropriate place to study? Why or why not?
"I don't generally leave campus to study in town, but when I do it is at Durango Joe's on College Dr."
6. Did you study at the Steaming Bean? Did you enjoy the atmosphere there? Why or why not?
"I used to study at the steaming bean at least once a week. I enjoyed the atmosphere there and it had all the amenities necessary to a productive study location."
7. The Steaming Bean's new location is underneath the Irish Embassy. It has two full bars and the Embassy's full menu. Do you think you will use the new location to study? Why or why not?
"I went once to study at the new location, and found it more difficult to focus due to the noise from inebriated customers at the bars on either side of me. It also feels strange to buy only coffee at a place that now has a full menu. It is unlikely I will use this location to study again."
8. What would you like to see change most in Durango in terms of businesses offered? Why?
"It would be great to see a non-alcohol related business that was open late. Many students study and socialize at all hours of the night, and there should be a place for them to do so without the pressure to consume alcohol, whatever the reason for their hesitancy to do so."
9. Additional comments?
"I feel that the lack of businesses that are open late and do not serve alcohol is in deference to the tourist population here: Tourists visiting Durango want coffee during the day and heavy drinking at night. Needless to say, locals and students have different needs than this, unless they are expected to drink alcohol at bars every night. Doing so is unhealthy and impractical and should be discouraged for the health of our community."
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