Panel addresses alcohol issues

While the the race to get drunk during Little 500 week is sometimes as anticipated as the race itself, alcohol abuse on campus is a year-round issue.\nA panel of six students and campus officials discussed this problem with about 10 people at the Indiana Memorial Union Tuesday. During the conversation, panelists addressed a variety of questions and dealt with many aspects of alcohol on campus.\nDespite the apparent end of fraternity parties, IU's campus is still not dry, Dean of Students Richard McKaig said.\nLast year, a big fraternity party might have had 300 to 400 guests and 200 cases of beer, said sophomore Zach Scott, director of risk management for the Interfraternity Council. Now the largest parties have only 30 or 40 people, he said.\n"Most intelligent (fraternity) presidents don't risk it," Scott said.\nMcKaig said millions of dollars in surveys, research and new regulations on alcohol in the last 10 years have had little effect on campus alcohol use.\nAlcohol abuse is perceived in different ways by different people, McKaig said. Some people voice concerns about the "extremes" of drinking, such as when students die, he said. Residents of Bloomington sometimes argue it's only a problem when it strays from campus.\nMcKaig said many students see the problem in their own way.\n"They say 'the alcohol problem is we want to drink, and you won't let us,'" McKaig said.\nIU Student Association director of health and safety Brian Daviduke, a sophomore, stressed the importance of "appropriate" drinking.\n"Be smart," Daviduke said. "You can't stop (people from) drinking, but you can promote the idea that you have a limit."\nDaviduke said the panel was a good opportunity to raise concerns or suggestions.\nPanelists were Scott; McKaig; Daviduke; Dee Owens, director of the Alcohol and Drug Information Center; junior Ellen Hommerding, vice president of risk management for Panhellenic Association; and Willke Quad President Ilia Smith, a junior.\nMcKaig said the battle against underage drinking will continue.\n"It's a constant battle," McKaig said. "If you go after kegs, you get cans. If you go after cans, you get kegs. If you go after kegs and cans, you get Everclear."\nOwens said Mothers Against Drunk Driving plans to rank college campuses on alcohol issues to alert parents to the most dangerous colleges.\nAn audience member asked whether fraternity parties still had 20-30 kegs, as he had witnessed in the 1980s.\nHommerding and Scott said drinking still goes on in greek houses, but that big parties no longer occur. Increased enforcement has led to more drinking off campus, especially at the bars, Scott said.\nJunior Disha Puri, an audience member, expressed her concerns as a resident assistant.\n"I want to call someone to get them help but not to get them charged," Puri said. "We need an option."\nPuri said that not allowing alcohol in dorm rooms encourages binge drinking elsewhere.\nMcKaig said the discussion was a constructive way to promote education and responsible alcohol use.\n"We want to engage students in a constructive dialogue of alcohol on campus," McKaig said.\nMcKaig said such forums fight misinformation and allow regulations to be explained.\nSourabh Agarwal, Union Board director for debates and issues, organized the panel discussion. Agarwal, a sophomore, said Union Board will sponsor two similar discussions about alcohol next year.