Sober Up And Study

It isn’t even spring, and already the young yahoos of the Palouse are barfing on the reputation of Washington State University. Not to mention the value of their own diplomas.

Last weekend, 50 men from two feuding fraternities got into a brawl, leading to some criminal charges. Separately, 500 to 700 students at an alcohol-fueled party staggered up to the threshhold of riot, then came to their senses.

Police handled the near-riot with poise and preparation. Student-government leaders appeared and convinced the crowd to disperse.

That is somewhat encouraging. Many students - a majority, we would hope - find binge-drinking mobs to be an embarrassment.

Nonetheless, a serious problem clearly persists. Without a doubt, it has been a factor in WSU’s relatively weak enrollment. Parents, who pay tuition bills, prefer to buy their children an education - not a date rape, a criminal record or an alcohol habit.

Culture is difficult to change. But it certainly is possible for a good culture to overcome a sick one. Aggressive leadership, at both Western Washington and Eastern Washington universities, created a culture of academic excellence.

Most students respond well to such leadership - particularly, students who attend not for the parties but for the careers that a great university can begin.

Sam Smith, WSU’s kindly president, has done his best to send the yahoo culture packing; the students’ response is a rotten way to tell him goodbye. Soon, a new president will arrive.

His first priority should be the decisive establishment of a culture that will attract young people to Pullman for reasons parents, taxpayers and prospective employers will applaud.