Increase in freshmen alcohol violations forecasts Winter Term risk

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As the end of the semester nears, Winter Term rapidly approaches, bringing with it the "Winter Term Challenge," a tradition of drinking every day during January.
Some freshmen appeared to have begun the heavy drinking to early though. According to the DePauw Public Safety activity report, eight students, at least six of them freshman, were cited for alcohol violations, four with hospital visits - a staggeringly high number so close to finals week.
"Considering this past weekend was in preparation of the hardest semester in college, it was concerning we had four students go to the hospital, two with a BAC over .3," Angie Nally, director of Public Safety, said.
This time last year, according to the Public Safety activity report, there was only one alcohol violation - and it was at Delta Gamma sorority house, not the freshman dorms.
Organizations like BACk Down, a student initiative to curb drinking, in collaboration with Student Life and Public Safety will look to assess the situation moving into Winter Term.
"Right now, we are looking at the big picture of alcohol violations on weekends," said senior Mark Fadel, a member of BACk Down.
Currently, neither the group nor Public Safety has any concrete plans to deter some of the heavy-drinking and drinking challenges that occur over the Winter Term.
Nally said next week she will come to a definite decision in terms of what measures to take over Winter Term. One-on-one conversations with students, increased patrolling for drinking violations and increased sanctions for violators are a few attempts to curb binge drinking.
"If [students] believe this is normal, then it will continue," Nally said.
Winter Term doesn't bring any big party weekends. But it does provide students, particularly freshmen, an opportunity to drink aggressively.
"People need to be safer," Keeley McFall, a freshman, said. "It's getting gross."
McFall plans to take the "Becoming Your Own Career Expert" course over Winter Term. The class meets every day at 1 p.m.
Organized gatherings of any kind do not appear to work either. The culture of drinking at DePauw rooted itself too deep into the conscious of the student body to make an impact.
"Any scheduled event, people want to pre-game," McFall said citing the 80's dance at the beginning of the year. "As sad as it sounds, people find a way to get drunk."
McFall heard from upperclassmen and the number of the students getting written up that the freshman class is "pretty crazy."
Nally is unsure if the hospital visits are due to increased high risk drinking or from students realizing their friends are in trouble. Either way she wants students to not wait until someone enters serious trouble before calling help.
"I don't care if we have a hundred hospital visits," Nally said. "Just as long as no parent has to lose a child."