Underage drinking is not at the heart of the current discussion of the Alcohol Learning Collaborative, a student and faculty panel DePauw administration formed. The university's concern for student safety and consumption of hard alcohol has transpired a discussion of amending the current alcohol policy for the next school year.
The group is now suggesting a change that would prohibit hard alcohol at all registered events. If students were caught in possession or consumption of it, even in a private room, they would be punished.
Rather than tackle consumption, the current initiatives hope to address safety and health education. The conversation about the consumption of hard alcohol and students' drinking habits surfaced once again at the student government senate meeting on Sunday.
Both administrators and students working on this change emphasize that the pitched change is not a ban on hard alcohol, but a preventative safety measure to protect students' health.
"The main goal of the policy change is to make campus safer. It's not about cracking down on underage drinking, rather it's to lower the rate of extremely high-risk drinking," said student government representative for the Learning Collaborative on High-risk Drinking, junior Kelly Harms. "The reason for this change is because over the past few years, the campus has seen a high amount of hospital runs, an increased average BAC (blood alcohol content) and many cases of sexual assault, most of which occurred after a large consumption of alcohol."
Harms, along with junior Stewart Burns, are the student representatives leading the discussion on the topic.
During the conversation Sunday, Harms stressed that the main goal of the campus's initiatives regarding alcohol is safety. The university hopes to make campus more aware of the implications of alcohol to prevent future hospital trips, which were due primarily to the overconsumption of hard alcohol last year.
Harms went on to say that DePauw is lucky to have not had an alcohol-related death on campus, an issue which administration is being proactive about.
Vice President for Student Life Cindy Babington believes hard alcohol needs to be addressed as an issue across campus.
"[Hard alcohol] was one of the primary topics of conversation and recommendation from the Alcohol Study Committee that met last spring. We have had 16 students go to the hospital so far this year and 15 of the 16 students had been consuming hard alcohol," Babington said. "Since we can document that hard alcohol is at the root of some of the more high risk drinking - hospital runs and blackouts - it seemed prudent to determine if there is policy revision that could stem the high risk behavior."
Senate members were hesitant to agree with the new policy, predicting that students may misinterpret the initiative, which could potentially exacerbate the issue.
However, freshman Megan Schultz does not think this policy change will be effective.
"I think their intentions to change the policy are good, but I'm not sure with how it will work out. I think it could increase pre-gaming among students," Schultz said.
Nic Flores, senior student body vice president, thinks this is an important issue to discuss and wants students to be informed that this is not a ban, but a safety measure.
"I think the policy recommendations are important especially since they deal with hard liquor, but I am apprehensive that students will see this as a ban that could cause them to sneak hard liquor causing more problems," Flores said.
As ideas for enforcing possible alcohol policies on campus continue to come forth, many seem to agree that the topic is worth discussing.
"I was excited they brought it to student government to get student's input on changing the policy," said senior Ellen Clayton. "I appreciate how they have a student and administrator working together on this. It's an important conversation to have on campus."
| What it looks like now |
What is being proposed |
|---|---|
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Individuals not of legal drinking age who consume 2-3 drinks receive a formal warning for a first time violation. Individuals who have mid to high BACs as a result of hard alcohol use are placed on 8-12 weeks of probation for first time violations. Organizations may receive a formal warning for low-risk alcohol violations. Organizations with high-risk alcohol violations where excellent safety management initiatives are verified are eligible for organizational review. |
Individuals who consume hard alcohol are not eligible for a formal warning. Individuals who have mid to high BACs as a result of hard alcohol use will have a full semester of probation for first time violations. Organizations with alcohol violations related to hard alcohol are not eligible fore formal warnings. Organizations with high-risk alcohol violations involving hard alcohol or who provide hard alcohol at registered events will be placed on organizational probation. |
Editors note: The printed version as well as an earlier online version of this story reported that the proposed policy changes were suggested or passed by Student Government, which is not the case. The Alcohol Learning Collaborative, a panel formed by university administration of both students and faculty, brought the recommendation to a senate meeting to gauge student reception. This story reflects these facts.