Some people think students can’t drink and behave responsibly. This isn’t always the case.

On Friday night, the Indianola Chamber of Commerce offered a welcome party for Simpson College students with plans to include a beer garden. The party — open to all Simpson students and the general public — was to be held off-campus and featured a performance by an Iowa band The Nadas.

The party became a target of debate after Ben Carpenter, an Indianola resident and business owner, objected because he believed it wasn’t appropriate to offer alcohol at a party aimed at welcoming college students to Indianola.

Others echoed this view, saying it promoted the image that students had to drink to have fun. Also, research has shown that the easiest way for underage students to drink is by having them mixed in a crowd of people legally drinking.

Simpson President Kevin LaGree said he had no objections to the event, which is co-sponsored by the college — and there should be no objections.

If the party was being held exclusively for incoming freshmen, the arguments would be valid since the vast majority of the target audience would be under 21. But the party was held to welcome students of all ages to Indianola and was also open to the general public.

If an Indianola resident or an upperclassman wanted to go to a concert and have an alcoholic drink, there should be no reason to stop them. Simpson College is not a dry campus, allowing students of legal age to drink without repercussions from the school.

There is a valid concern that by mixing underage students in a large crowd of legal drinkers the underage students would be able to blend in and have access to alcohol. However, the beer garden was a roped-off area with increased security to monitor drinking.

This is where the extra security comes into play. Since the beer garden was a roped off area, people had to show identification to enter and obtain a drink. Underage students who tried to enter or get a drink were denied and faced the appropriate fines and tickets.

After a $145 underage possession ticket, even students who think they are above the law or who think they won’t get caught soon learn that they must face the consequences as anyone else would.

A welcome party featuring a band is a way to introduce students to situations they will more realistically face in college.

There will be many parties and clubs underage students will go to that serve alcohol and where they will face peer pressure to drink. Unfortunately, not all of these places they encounter will be as strict on security which could lead to more students facing fines and tickets. But in this protected atmosphere, being exposed to alcohol didn’t hurt them.

Editorial Board:Nicole Paseka, Megan Hinds, Amy Schierbrock, Alicia Ebaugh