Drinking and college go together, or at least that's what many people think.
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism says more than 80 percent of college students drink alcohol. This is one reason why SPARKS, Elon's peer education group on campus, has started promoting knowledge rather than abstinence.
"Rather than saying don't do it at all, if you do choose to do that, here's how to do it safely," Liz Sheehan, SPARKS peer educator, said.
Organizations like SPARKS give students advice on drinking responsibly, but one group on campus believes it's better to just say no.
The Living Learning Community is called ASHES, which stands for Alcohol and Substance-free housing for Elon students. It houses 12 students and is located on the first floor of Harper in Colonnades.
"I think removing substance use from your living space allows your home to be a home and not your home to be a party," Dionna Stanton, Resident Assistant of ASHES, said.
Senior Stewart Sturkie has been part of ASHES for three years.
"It gives you a way to not feel pressured to drink, but it also lets you study better and it quiet, that's awesome," Sturkie said.
For Sturkie, the choice to live in a substance free community hasn't negatively impacted his social life.
"I still have a group of friends who don't drink and who do drink that I hang out with all the time so I still have fun," he said.
Residence Life hopes to increase awareness about the organization. Associate Director for Residential Education, Laura Arroyo says that changing the name of the group will be a good place to start.
"We have some work to do on educating our students on substance use on campus. I think there is that perception that all students use and that's just not the case," Arroyo said.