Recommendation 7 - Introduce New Guidelines for Alcohol and Other Drugs
The committee recommends that multiple approaches be pursued to reduce the adverse effects of excessive use of alcohol and other drugs on our students and the Dartmouth community as a whole. The recommended programs are not meant to be panaceas. The committee recognizes that there are no easy solutions to reducing alcohol consumption to more reasonable levels on this or any college campus. Rather, a range of programs is suggested, which collectively should have some positive effect at the margin.
From its consultations with a number of experts, the committee drew several important conclusions that the institution as a whole and the Board in particular should keep in mind. First, all programs designed to reduce alcohol abuse must be constantly reviewed and revised when necessary to maintain maximum effectiveness. Moreover, reshaping the campus environment is crucial. Many of the recommendations elsewhere in this report (e.g., enhanced cluster system, additional central social spaces including expanded licensed alcohol venues, major changes in the CFS organization) should also help to promote a healthier, less alcohol-dependent student social life. Although programs and an enhanced environment should help, there is also a need for rules and enforcement.
The committee thus recommends a new set of rules that should be strictly enforced, with severe penalties for violations. Although these rules may sound overly stringent and specific, it is important to recognize that they would replace a number of very stringent and specific rules that are currently in place at the College, but that are not being widely observed or enforced. This has led us to propose what we believe to be a simpler, reasonable, uniform set of rules that has a better chance of both being observed and enforced.
Finally, the committee emphasizes that all aspects of its proposed new alcohol policy would apply to all campus organizations, all students and even all academic-oriented campus events (such as a departmental wine-and-cheese reception to which students are invited). These proposals are meant to engender a "level playing field" in the area of alcohol and drug rules and not unduly affect one group of students over another.
(1) Education, intervention and counseling. Our goal for alcohol education is to consistently offer the best professionally designed programs on any campus in America. These programs would have to be continuously monitored and evaluated for effectiveness through institutional research. Education programs should involve an optimum mix among pre-matriculation communications, preferably from the President and Dean; first-year orientation programs; sessions in residence halls throughout the first year; and possible formal courses on alcohol and other health concerns, perhaps as part of a revised physical education requirement. The committee also recommends continuation of the social norms campaign that was introduced in the fall of 1999. Another approach that should be evaluated involves early screening and follow-up counseling for students who already have an alcohol problem upon their arrival on campus.
The alcohol peer counseling program should be expanded so that every major residence facility on campus has at least one such counselor. The existence of an enhanced cluster system and an improved CFS system should facilitate this action.
(2) Rules and regulations. The goal of these rules is to minimize alcohol abuse and reduce overall distribution and consumption, without imposing undue restrictions on students of legal drinking age.
- Licensed sale of alcohol. The committee recommends expansion of outlets for licensed sale of alcohol (see Recommendation 2 above). These areas would create attractive environments for the responsible consumption of alcohol. At the same time, we recommend that no tap systems be permitted anywhere on campus except at these licensed venues. We believe that moving drinking from areas of excessive consumption to those of responsible consumption will help achieve our goals.
- Private consumption of alcohol. To allow students considerable freedom while still controlling alcohol use among large groups, the committee proposes a two-track system that could be thought of as "green light" and "yellow light," as with a traffic signal. The "green light" track would acknowledge that students of legal drinking age should be able to drink on campus provided that they are not bothering anyone, and that they are drinking within a relatively small group. The committee proposes that this freedom apply to students in groups of 6 or fewer who are drinking in a residential room on campus, in groups of 10 or fewer in a residential suite, and in groups of 15 or fewer in any campus social space. There will be no obligation on the part of students drinking in these small groups to register their gatherings in advance.
- Registered social events. A second track, the "yellow light" system, would recognize that students of legal drinking age should also be able to drink in larger groups, but with some controls in place to make sure that alcohol use stayed within reasonable bounds. All campus gatherings falling into this category would have to be registered with a designated College office. Such gatherings would include any that exceed the parameters laid out in the "green-light" section above—in other words, groups of 16 or more persons in a social space, 11 or more persons in a residential suite, or 7 or more persons in a residential room. Any such larger student group would be required to register any event where alcohol is served whether it took place in a residence lounge, a reserved College space or the house of a selective social organization. Unless such an event were registered, neither common sources of alcohol (such as kegs or punch bowls) nor general service of alcohol (cans of beer, bottled liquor or wine) would be permitted.
- Registration procedures. The committee proposes that registration procedures for such social events should be made as simple as possible, preferably on-line, and with minimal lead times.
- Licensed servers at registered events. At any registered social event, alcohol should be dispensed (whether in containers or from a common source) only by a College-certified, trained, non-student server in a designated social space and with an associated certified non-student who would check student IDs and place wristbands on students of legal drinking age. The services of these attendants would be paid for by the event sponsors. The College would conduct a program to train an adequate number of certified servers and attendants.
- Serving hours. The committee proposes that alcohol service at any registered social event would be required to end by 2:00 A.M. on any day with no classes the next day, or 12 midnight on any day with classes the next day. Any entertainment would be required to end no later than one hour after these times.
- Alternative refreshments. Attractive non-salty food and non-alcoholic beverages must always be served at a registered social event.
- Compliance. Safety and Security personnel must have unlimited and continuous access to all spaces except quiet, closed residence rooms to check compliance with all of the above.
- Record keeping. As noted above, in a reversal of present practice, the committee proposes that alcohol no longer be purchased through any off-the-books fund of any organization. Any alcohol purchased for an organization-sponsored event would have to be acquired with regular organization funds. The purchase would have to be reflected in the organization's books and records.
(3) Enforcement
- Serious violations. Under the committee's proposal, failure to register, failure to comply with certified server requirements, violation of curfew, or off-the-books alcohol purchase would be deemed serious offenses. Two such serious offenses in one year or three within a three-year span would subject the sponsoring organization to de-recognition or individuals to separation for one year. Alcohol offenses would be counted cumulatively along with other transgressions, such as failures of organizations to meet the Standards for Recognition.
- Minor violations. A system of graduated sanctions for more minor violations would be devised by the Dean of the College, such that a larger number of smaller violations could also result in severe penalties.
- Violations by new entities. The Dean would also devise appropriate sanctions for violations by new entities, such as cluster organizations.
- Alcohol as aggravating factor. In general, in any disciplinary matters involving individuals, use of alcohol would be deemed to be an aggravating, not a mitigating factor.
(4) Other Matters
- Non-alcoholic events required. All campus organizations would be required to sponsor events that do not include alcohol service.
- Academic measures. The administration and faculty should consider academic measures (e.g., early morning scheduling of over-subscribed courses, Thursday exams, generally more demanding course requirements, etc.) to break current alcohol habits and discourage consumption.
- Other drugs. Excessive alcohol use appears at present to represent by far the most serious substance abuse problem on campus. However, any use of illegal drugs is unequivocally prohibited on campus. Institutional research should continuously review the necessity of redirecting education and regulation programs toward any drugs that become more of a problem than they seem to be today.
- Language for the Student Handbook. The preamble to the Student Alcohol Policy section in the Student Handbook should be rewritten as follows:
Preamble: This policy aims to deepen student awareness of the problems that abuse of alcohol and other drugs can create, and to involve the College and students in helping to alleviate these problems wherever possible. The College's primary goals in this area are: to develop and maintain the most effective possible education, intervention and counseling programs; to develop rules as to alcohol service and consumption that are clear, readily understood, consistent and equally applicable to students in all venues and uniformly enforced; to create a social environment that promotes moderation, safety and individual accountability for those who choose to drink and that does not encourage those who do not drink to start; and to maintain a community where alcohol abuse and the problems of behavior associated with it are minimized to the greatest possible degree.
A primary concern is the health and safety of members of the College community, including their preparedness to pursue the College's challenging academic program at the highest level. All members of the community need to be mindful of their responsibility to lend assistance to others in need of help because of a problem relating to alcohol. Students are accountable for their own decisions regarding alcohol use; they are also responsible for knowing, understanding and complying with applicable College policies and with state and local laws related to alcohol.
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