Princeton Weekly Bulletin February 1, 1999
Trustees review initiatives to address alcohol abuse
Board issues statement on nude olympics
At their January 23 meeting, the trustees reviewed suggestions for addressing alcohol abuse that they have received from University departments, committees and groups under the special initiative announced last spring, and identified a number that they believe hold promise for further discussion and development.
They identified other proposals that are still being developed or need further consideration, and scheduled additional discussions for their committee meetings in March.
"We were very pleased by the range of responses from all segments of the University community, including students, faculty, staff, alumni and others; by the evident amount of time and thought that many have given to these issues; and by the quality of the ideas that have been brought forward," said W. Taylor Reveley III '65, chair of the trustee Committee on Student Life, Health and Athletics. "We look forward to taking some concrete steps and to the further conversations we will have with a variety of groups this spring."
The trustees also reviewed accounts of this year's nude olympics, and issued the following statement:
"The trustees find intolerable the serious risks that the nude olympics have come to pose to our students' health, safety and well-being, in large measure because of the excessive and indiscriminate use of alcohol, but also because of other unfortunate aspects of the event. We concur with President Shapiro's judgment that it would be irresponsible to permit any event of this nature to continue. Therefore, we strongly endorse the president's call for decisive action to assure that future generations of students are not placed at this kind and level of risk."
The Committee on Student Life, Health and Athletics plans to meet in March with student leaders to explore additional efforts that might be undertaken in collaboration with student groups. At the April meeting of the full board, it will review progress on the development of more than 80 distinct proposals for addressing alcohol abuse that have come from groups across campus. The initiatives relate to education and communication, campus culture and climate, and policy and enforcement. Following are some examples.
Education and communication
The Office of Student Life will initiate a summer mailing to freshman parents informing them of the University's alcohol policy and enlisting their help in educating their sons and daughters. The residential colleges will make alcohol issues the subject of mandatory discussion in meetings of college staff with student Residence Advisers and Minority Affairs Advisers. The college staff will implement additional training on these issues for advisers during the school year. Outdoor Action will include information about alcohol abuse and treatment in its training of student leaders and use the freshman trip as an opportunity to provide information to students in small groups. The Office of Communications will assemble and release data that can enable campus journalists to report more comprehensively about the consequences of alcohol abuse on campus.
The Department of Athletics will engage athletes in discussions of the effects of alcohol abuse on academic and athletic performance, as well as personal and social consequences, through the efforts of coaches, at regular orientation programs and in discussions at the Club Sport Council. It will encourage team captains to assume leadership roles with peers who abuse alcohol and in other campus settings where alcohol issues are under discussion. Health Services will collaborate with other offices and student groups to develop a student-leader workshop on managing social and health issues related to substance abuse.
Psychology Professor Deborah Prentice is planning a pilot program in alcohol education in the residential colleges, based on her research on "pluralistic ignorance": i.e., that some students drink because they believe that otherwise they would be out of sync with their peers. They may be drinking to a perceived norm and thereby, ironically, contributing to inflation of the actual norm.
The dean of the faculty will begin a process of consultation with the faculty to explore ways class scheduling patterns may affect student social activity for better or for worse. The dean also will write to the faculty to remind them of their responsibilities when hosting departmental events that may include the serving of alcohol.
The Undergraduate Student Government will assist in publicizing resources, programs and activities designed to address alcohol issues, as well as in advertising alcohol-free events. The Graduate InterClub Council will continue its support for an education campaign emphasizing responsible drinking, as well as its support for the educational role of the InterClub adviser.
Campus culture, social climate
The college masters will convene a cross-college working group to develop a yearlong program of activities across the five colleges. The program will focus primarily on late-night activities Thursday through Sunday. In addition, the International, Third World and Women's centers will collaborate to sponsor social events that can be attractive alternatives to club parties. The Office of Student Life will collaborate with the USG to make alcohol-free social events more visible on campus.
Health Services and other student life departments will develop a social marketing campaign to dispel mis-information about alcohol use and the perception of a culture of alcohol abuse at Princeton.
A pilot program in upperclass dorms will designate 29 beds as smoke-free and 10 singles as substance-free.
The Alumni Council will better control access to alcohol at Reunions. It is working with Public Safety to implement a universal wristband security system, provide better training to student bartenders and ensure professional supervision of all bartenders. It has also begun a process to assess the role of alcohol at alumni events and to better understand how alumni model behavior for undergraduates.
A number of the selective eating clubs will hold a dry bicker in 1999. Clubs are planning to provide a wider selection of alcohol-free beverages at their events.
Policy and enforcement
In order to minimize misunderstandings regarding the University's alcohol policy, the Undergraduate Life Committees have reviewed and revised the wording of this policy to make it clearer, as well as to emphasize the seriousness of infractions related to serving alcohol or promoting activities that encourage excessive drinking. All students will continue to receive this document annually. In addition, the Committee on Discipline and the Residential College Advisory Board have recommended that certain infractions receive stronger penalties, including suspension for a third serving violation. The trustees endorsed removal from student housing as a consequence of alcohol-related offenses against the community, such as vandalism or other disruptions.
The college masters will commu-nicate clearly and forcefully the job responsibilities of Resident Advisers and Minority Affairs Advisers regarding alcohol and will initiate discussions with Public Safety to explore ways to ensure effective, consistent enforcement of policies.
The graduate boards of the eating clubs propose to inform themselves of their clubs' social calendars, the nature of the various activities and how much alcohol is available during social functions. The boards will monitor compliance with state and club regu-lations concerning the serving of alcohol. The clubs will increase security on their grounds to prevent unauthorized entries during social events.