University set to curb alcohol flow

With the endorsement of Bloomington Chancellor Sharon Brehm, IU is poised to wage a new initiative against high-risk drinking on campus.\nImplementation teams have been assembled and students could feel the effects of stricter alcohol policies as early as Fall 2002, IU Dean of Students Richard McKaig said.\nIn May 2001, IU's Campus-Community Commission on Alcohol Abuse completed its recommendations to curb excessive use of alcohol by students. Brehm endorsed the plan before Thanksgiving break, calling for an increased level of student awareness and safety.\nIn the last three years, two IU students have died after consuming alcohol on campus. In the last year, three fraternity houses have had their charters revoked for alcohol-related issues. \nThe endorsed plan, which highlights several areas the commission found to be "high-risk," will be debated by subcommittees within the commission over the next few months.\n"We will merely be discussing what it would take to implement these policies over the next couple of months," Brehm said. "But changes in our policies surrounding student alcohol abuse are inevitable."\nIncreased involvement by law enforcement officials is an essential part of implementing the proposals of the commission, said Dee Owens, director of IU's Alcohol and Drug Information Center and head of the Campus-Community Commission on Alcohol Abuse.\n"Students must be aware that there are consequences for their actions," Owens said.\nOwens said the commission feels that, in general, IU has an alcohol problem.\n"We want to promote and see behavior that is acceptable," Owens said. "Our job is to now find out how we can implement these recommendations into effective policies."\nIU students could face increased numbers of Friday classes if all of the commission's proposals are fully implemented.\nAccording to the research by the commission, many students drink excessively Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.\nThe recommendation further states, "Individual schools should be encouraged to schedule more Friday and morning classes; in particular, core courses for popular majors."\nThe commission also proposed a requirement for freshmen to live in residence halls so they have increased "exposure to educational programs within the residence hall community."\nSince about 80 percent of all freshmen live in the residence halls already, the proposal would not be a drastic change, McKaig said.\n"But with if all of these policies are implemented our hope is that there will be less emphasis on alcohol in the student society," McKaig said. \nThe greek system will also be subject to several new requirements if the commission's plan is implemented. For instance, first semester freshmen would be prohibited from pledging and security fees would be assessed for every greek social event to pay for IUPD-sponsored security. \nBut Interfraternity Council President Ben Schmidt, a senior, said he thinks the commission offers the greek system no new realistic proposals to limiting the amounts of high-risk drinking.\n"Seventy percent of the proposals made by the commission we already do," Schmidt said. "And the idea of deferred recruitment will not solve problems with alcohol in the greek system."\nSchmidt feels campus alcohol policy will always be a sensitive topic, regardless of organizational affiliation.\nUnion Board President Vaughn Allen agrees, and said he feels the problem of excessive alcohol usage is a societal issue.\n"Alcohol abuse is not limited to (IU)," Allen, a senior, said. "The University has to be careful with the policies they implement."\nStudents want their freedom and if the policy is taken too far, students could develop a rebellious attitude and want to drink more, Allen said. \n"The University must encourage responsible drinking, not discourage drinking altogether," Allen said.\nThe commission has divided into subcommittees and plans to discuss the possibilities of implementing each policy recommendation.\nBut Brehm and McKaig promised a change in campus alcohol policy in the future.\n"The level of alcohol abuse across college campuses is worrisome," Brehm said. "We need to create a student culture where students feel okay saying 'no' or 'that's enough."