Students question whether close relationships between party-goers and non-party-goers are possible.

Many students said they find it difficult to build and maintain relationships when their friends party and they, themselves don’t.

“I have a friend who definitely has a difficult time maintainting a close relationship with his friends who party,” sophomore Sarah Dixit said. “I think going to a party is totally up to the individual, but it does shift the dynamic between friends, mainly if it’s negatively affecting the person without them realizing it.”

Other students said partying has not proven to interfere with relationships or school life in their experiences.

“I don’t see partying affecting grades or social lives,” sophomore Zachary Halma said.

Students who said they do feel there is a social divide claimed peer-pressure to party as a reason for why they didn’t believe the relationships worked. There is a lot of pressure on freshmen to explore and socialize off campus which can cause a rift between those not interested in partying and their roommates and hallmates who do, Resident Assistant Felicity Roe said.

“I don’t enjoy spending a lot of time around people who party because it is certainly telling of who they are as people,” freshman Abigail Hochberger said. “I try to surround myself with and build close relationships with people who are conscious about the choices they make on a daily basis, whether that is in how they spend their Friday nights or who they invite to sit with them at lunch. I don’t want to be in a situation to feel pressured to party.”

Sophomore Megan Escobar feels no pressure to party from other students who party here, and that students are very respectful about other student’s personal belief and decisions, she said.

However, partying can create an area of uncertainty amongst a hall or between roommates because students feel uncomfortable informing a RA about situations that involve alcohol, Roe said.

“Last year a friend of mine would come home from parties and other people would have to take care of them because they couldn’t take care of themselves,” Roe said. “It was hard on their friends and produced an awkward atmosphere, which isn’t the sort of thing we would cultivate here at Whitworth.”

Contact Sarah Haman at [email protected]