As a college freshman, I have learned that a party is not a party unless there is plenty of alcohol. But the alcohol doesn’t just have to be at the party – one must consume alcohol prior to the party – and in massive quantities. And it doesn’t stop there. Oh no, actually, it has only just begun. In fact, one must consume alcohol, also known as “pre-gaming,” before nearly every social event at NU.

Why? What is the big deal? Why do we all feel the need to become intoxicated before we do everything? I can perhaps understand pre-gaming a football game, or maybe even pre-gaming a dance. There won’t be any alcohol available for students under 21 to buy, so I guess drinking beforehand might be the only way to get the job done. But when you pre-game the John Legend concert or the movie “Where the Wild Things Are,” I have to ask, what is the point? In my mind, I simply think I would want to enjoy movies and concerts to the fullest extent possible, and not have my experience tainted by the mental impairment that comes with alcohol consumption. Also, pre-gaming parties makes absolutely no sense to me. “Hey, let’s drink alcohol here so that we can go to a party and drink more alcohol!” I don’t understand that logic.

What is even more puzzling to me is this: Why do people feel the need to be drunk all the time? Isn’t being one’s self enough? I understand people drink at parties to be more gregarious and less self-conscious, but pre-gaming takes it to another level. People can continue to pre-game if they enjoy it, and I will continue to watch, completely and utterly confused. – EMILIA BARROSSE City reporter; copy editor