Four Loko has created a nationwide buzz, swarming university campuses, hospitals, media outlets and legislatures alike after its use has been attributed to numerous student hospitalizations across the country. Such incidents have already prompted a number of states, including Michigan, Washington, Utah and Oklahoma to ban the boozy stimulant nicknamed “blackout in a can.”

As of Sunday, New York is the latest state to join the list, pulling the plug on Phusion Projects’ distribution of the drink to the Empire State by Nov. 19. For students at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC), this means no more Four Lokos are to be found in the Big Apple after Dec. 10, when vendors must clear their inventories of the beverage. In a city where celebrity stardom falls overnight and styles fad with the seasons, Four Loko is the latest trend on the way out and both Fordham students and faculty are saying “good riddance.”

Newly appointed Resident Director at FCLC, Dennis Velez, could not be happier about the ban. “I think banning Four Loko is a great idea because it is so much more dangerous than just beer and alcohol. I think this is a great first step by the state of New York to keep its residents safe,” Velez said.

Kelsey Garcia, a member of the Residential Life staff at FCLC and the president of Peers Advocating Responsibility (PARty) agrees with Velez. “I think Four Loko should have been banned because it has health effects people aren’t used to. The mixing of caffeine and alcohol is extremely dangerous,” Garcia said.

Dangerous indeed is the drink said to pack the punch of a tall Starbucks coffee and contain the alcohol equivalent of four beers. Four Loko derives its name from its four main ingredients: caffeine, taurine, guarana and alcohol, combined in its colorful, 23.5 oz cans. It comes in 8 fruity flavors, including blue raspberry and lemonade, passing itself off as the sugary, wildly caffeinated energy drink aimed at the younger demographic of drinkers.

“It’s just a bad drink. Students don’t realize what they are putting into their body. Between the mixture of alcohol, a downer, and caffeine, an upper, not to mention all the sugars and calories they are taking in… it can potentially be very dangerous,” Velez said.

However, the mixing of alcohol, a depressant, and caffeine, a stimulant, is nothing new. Go to any classic Italian restaurant or customary Italian home and the offer of an espresso mixed with a shot of Sambuca is completely routine. Likewise, indulge in a taste of Irish culture by enjoying their infamous, after dinner coffee: a unique blend of coffee, whiskey, sugar and cream. Additionally, anyone who was in high school or college when Redbull made their big claim to fame back in 2000 is well-versed in the endless alcoholic concoctions devised from the 8 ounce can that promised to give us “wings.” From there grew the 16 ounce copycats: Rockstar, Monster and Amp to name a few, so it seems only natural that in society where bigger equates to better, something like Four Loko would follow suit. However, according to their website, Four Loko has been on market shelves in 47 states since 2005, so why the recent fixation?

According to Anthony Bocconi, FCLC ’13, Four Loko’s recent popularity stems from accessibility and affordability. “I feel like it’s so popular because it’s super cheap, attainable and an easy way for college kids to have fun,” Bocconi said

Four Loko’s inexpensive cost aligns itself to targeting budget conscious students. “It’s cheap and gets you wasted on a whole different level. We are not mature enough to really realize the effects a three-dollar drink can have on us. Even if we do realize it, the financial benefit far surpasses any possible side effect,” said Ariel Ash, FCLC ’11.

As a staff member of Residential Life, Garcia agrees saying, “Being an RA and seeing what happens here at Fordham on a regular basis, in general, students aren’t making responsible choices with alcohol, especially Four Loko, so I don’t think we can just leave it up to students to decide whether or not to drink it.”

Jen Ferrar, FCLC ’12, was happy to see the drink banned for this very reason and sees eye-to-eye with Garcia. “The problem I have with it is that it’s so cheap it lends itself to underage drinking. In my town, my sister and all her friends drink it and they are underage. They can hide it easily because its only one can and they can walk into any gas station and pick them up.”

For students used to going out and drinking beer, it is easy to forget the potency of this liquor. “It is so concentrated, so you can drink it quickly without realizing its strength,” Ferrar said.

In a letter to Federal and State regulators posted by Phusion Projects (the makers of Four Loko) on their website, they stated, “We added additional label warnings to our cans at the request of regulators. Our alcohol-by-volume warnings are in a font as large as allowed by law.”

However, many students agree this is not enough. Cans come in an array of bright and vibrant colors that rival a box of Crayola crayons. While Phusion Projects claims that Four Loko’s colorful packaging is no more attractive than popular beer companies, students at Fordham disagree.

“It might say that it contains alcohol, but the drink, as a whole, gives off an energy drink feel and this can be very confusing. The warning of alcohol gets lost on the decorative can, not to mention the fact that they are found next to energy drinks on shelves,” Sam Donnenberg, FCLC ’14, said.

While one can reason that there is enough evidence to blame Four Loko for marketing and distributing its alcoholic and caffeinated beverage, the question looms: can one solely put the blame on a product? Will banning Four Loko really solve the underlying problem of underage and binge drinking?

While students support the ban, they don’t see this as a long-term solution. “I don’t see what will be gained by banning Four Loko. College students are still going to drink,” Dan Mullen, FCLC ’13, said.

Marquet Lee, FCLC ’11, agrees with Mullen. “Despite the fact that I think Four Loko is nasty and cheap, I think the ban is dumb. People are going to drink it if they want to drink it.” This fact worries Garcia who said, “As long as surrounding states have not banned it, students will still find ways to get it.”

While drinking has and probably always will be synonymous with the image of college life, Resident Director Dennis Velez is not naïve enough to think this ban will stop students from drinking, but rather sees this as a step in the right direction in educating students on the dangers of mixing alcohol and caffeine. This event will serve as a launching pad for more alcohol education initiatives on campus. According to Velez, Residential Life is currently working on advertisements to be placed in prominent positions on campus, targeting the dangers of drinking and Four Loko. “Some students enter into college with preconceived notions of what college is like, particularly what party and drinking is like, so we have to fight those misconceptions and educate them to the dangers of drinks, such as but not limited to Four Loko, that have negative effects on their health and body,” Velez said.

Although the ban of Four Loko is a major decision, the problem is far from eliminated. Students will turn to some other drink, conjure up their own alcoholic, caffeinated concoction or wait for a new drinking trend to emerge. The decision to ban Four Loko seems impulsive, providing a quick fix for the real underlying problem: alcohol misuse. Until students are educated and made fully aware of the dangers of alcohol abuse, this problem will most likely continue.