By Elizabeth Held
In the past few months members of the bi-college community, particularly students and administrators at Haverford, have expressed concern over the rising number of alcohol related hospitalizations and calls to Safety and Security.
Similar worries were expressed thirteen years ago, in 1996, when a group of the presidents and deans of both colleges formed The Bi-College Alcohol Task Force (ATF). The ATF was charged with researching the policies and cultures surrounding alcohol at both schools.
Their findings are similar to some of the theories members of our communities have offered in recent weeks.
In the ATF’s report they offered four variables that “contribute to a situation where dangerous practices and behaviors around alcohol have come to be tolerated.”
These variables were: the well-accepted notion of “work hard; play hard,” drinking with the sole purpose to get drunk, a general lack of knowledge about the warning signs of alcohol poisoning, and confusion surrounding “the letter and intent of the alcohol policies, resulting in a seeming inability or unwillingness for some to take the policy seriously.”
The Bi-Co’s survey conducted in the past few weeks demonstrate similar results.
One respondent stated, “More than any other college I know of, students here work hard and play hard.”
Regarding the alcohol policy, one student said, “There may need to be clarification as to Alcohol Policy/Honor Code/drinking age law interaction. It seems to me that by ratifying the alcohol policy at Plenary, one is voting to abide by it, and not to do so would be a violation of the spirit of the policy and of the code. As the policy stands now, it’s a bit unclear as to whether underage drinking is, in fact, a violation of the Code. Irresponsible drinking, on the other hand, is a clear violation of the Code.”
Another student stated, “The alcohol policy as it stands seems to suggest that, as long as we take care of each other, it’s okay to break the law. But at the same time it implies that this is a breech of the Honor Code, since one would think that breaking a law is equivalent with breaking the Honor Code. There is a definite contradiction in the way the alcohol policy has been constructed that needs to be reconsidered.”
The ATF also offered a final factor that exacerbated the situation. The report stated, “Students do not recognize consequences to problematic behavior around alcohol.”
In survey after survey, students responded to a question asking them to describe any risky behavior they had engaged in while drunk, with the answer unprotected sex.
One person described protracting an STD while drunk, and followed it up with “It was worth it.”
These findings and the ATF’s task force imply that perhaps the problems with alcohol the bi-co community has experienced in the past months aren’t new to this year. They seem to be similar to those issues the ATF was combating in the late ‘90s.
So what did the ATF recommend?
First, “clearer expectations” about alcohol and its use on campus. The message would come from student leaders, particularly from members of the Dorm Leadership Team and Customs Teams.
Second, “Students also need to know that there will be consequences for failure to live up to these expectations.”
Third, to stress the “serious consequences” of drinking (i.e vomiting, loss of consciousness, regretted sexual experiences).
They also suggested disrupting the “rhythm and timing of alcohol consumption” at the two schools. The ATF proposed having more early morning Friday classes to combat Thursday night drinking.
The committee recommended scheduling activities before and after parties and events to detract from pre-gaming and post-party drinking.
The one thing the ATF repeated throughout their report was the importance of student leaders in fostering change in the alcohol culture at both schools.
It states, “The current situation must change. Change will occur in the student culture around drinking only if and when students want it to change and have support in creating meaningful change. Peer influence is the critical element here, with student leaders as the key players.“
This article is © 2008 The Bi-College News. The material on this page is free for personal or educational use, but may not be reproduced, reprinted, republished, redistributed, or otherwise transmitted to a third party without the express written permission of The Bi-College News, 370 Lancaster Ave, Haverford, PA 19041.
Editor's note: Articles that appear in the Last Word section are works of satire.
- A Dry Customs Week Comes at a High Price
- High School Drinking Cultures
- Freshmen Hospitalizations Reach Unprecedented Levels.
- A New JSAAPP
- Mawrtyrs Attend Alcohol Conference at Princeton
- JSAAPP Modifies Alcohol Policy; Policy Will be Up For Approval at Plenary
- JSAAPP Hosts Haverford Alcohol Awareness Week
- Pullout: Traditions and Alcohol
- New GO Board Policy Creates Concrete Rules of Order
- Letter to the Editor
Related articles
