The art of studying social reform

A couple of weeks ago, I saw an article that caught my eye. It said that the state had released a report criticizing the IU administration for not taking a harsh stance on alcohol. At first I chuckled, realizing that I must have inadvertently picked up The Onion. But then I realized that this was a real report running in the IDS.\nUpon this realization, I reached two conclusions: 1) The people who conducted this study have obviously never visited this campus. 2) The people who conducted this study list watching paint dry and watching curling on an obscure Canadian cable channel as their favorite activities.\nSomehow, I knew there must be logic in stating that a school that does not allow 21-year-olds who happen to live in a fraternity or residential hall to drink on the comfort of their own futons is not being strict enough against alcohol. But upon closer investigation, I have concluded that the report's findings make about as much sense as riding a unicycle to class in a snowstorm.\nThe weekend should be a time to unwind, right? Not if you go to IU. Then it should be a time to worry that the dean's are going to bust into your house and bust you for having some beers. Or that someone who elects to walk home from the bars rather than driving should be picked up by the Bloomington Police Department.\nA recent visit to the University of Illinois highlights my point. People were free to sit on the balcony of their apartment or outside of their fraternity house with a can of Old Style in tow and not have to worry about anyone.\nBy now you must think I am insinuating that alcohol is the key to a good time. But that is not the issue at all. The issue is a matter of freedom -- we came to college to become responsible adults, not so we could be babysat.\nUnfortunately, the University\'s policy of curbing alcohol abuse with Prohibition-style tactics (they certainly borrowed from an era of American history where that policy really worked, didn't they?) is not working. \nSo what is my solution to the problem? The social intervention prevention method.\nMichael Haines began the social norm intervention method at Northern Illinois University in 1989. Rather than castigating students for drinking or prohibiting their access to alcohol, the program emphasizes positive reinforcement of responsible drinkers.\nThe program was initiated by surveying students to find their perception of the percentage of students that engaged in heavy episodic drinking. Then students were surveyed to see how many actually did engage in heavy episodic drinking (five or more drinks in a sitting for males, four or more for females). The actual percentage ended up being much lower than the perceived percentage.\nInitially, NIU engaged in a campaign that used scare tactics to curb heavy episodic drinking. With this method having little effect, they implemented the social norm method. The method involves intense media marketing citing statistical evidence that the majority of people drink moderately. The theory is that students will therefore be less inclined to follow the myth that most people are binge drinkers, and that they too must drink heavily to fit in -- thus breeding a more responsible breed of drinker.\n Sound too good to be true? Evidence indicates that the social norm method is working. Since NIU instituted the program, heavy episodic drinking has decreased by 44 percent. At University of Arizona, it has decreased by 28 percent over five years. University of Missouri has seen a 21 percent drop over the past two years.\nThough IU's alcohol policy is ineffective and repressive, the future shows signs of hope that with the implementation of proper methods, fun and responsibility can be effectively balanced. And we can all raise a toast to that.