As part of an initiative to curb alcohol and drug abuse on campus, the Campus Life Advisory Board Subcommittee on Alcohol and Other Drugs is expected to release a report by the end of the academic year making recommendations for policy changes.
"A shift in culture at Brown is what we need to all be considering," said Nancy Barnett, chair of the SAOD and professor of psychiatry and human behavior. "Let's provide alternatives, prevention programs, ways to keep alcohol from being the center of culture at Brown."
Recommendations could include increased training and a higher minimum age for peer counselors and extending alcohol abuse prevention programs for first-years beyond orientation, Barnett said. Other measures being considered include policies to discourage pre-gaming and drinking games, encouraging local establishments to check identification more thoroughly and expanding the range of alcohol-free activities on campus, she said.
The SAOD will make its recommendations to the Campus Life Advisory Board and Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services David Greene, and the report will then be made public.
The subcommittee is composed of 15 members, including administrators, faculty and students. It was formed in Spring 2005 to address concerns about drug use, but high levels of alcohol abuse this year heightened administrators' concerns and brought the issue into the spotlight, Barnett said.
Barnett noted the unusually large number of students referred to Emergency Medical Services at the Sex Power God party last November as well as the rising rate of drug- and alcohol-related EMS responses this academic year.
So far this year, there have been 172 EMS responses to drug- and alcohol-related incidents, compared to 143 during the equivalent period of the 2004-2005 academic year - a 20 percent increase, said Richard Lapierre, director of EMS.
But Lapierre said he is uncertain whether the increase in calls reflects more binge drinking or simply more students seeking help.
"People used to let nature take its course, but now they're requesting an intervention. I think we're getting called more for excessive drinking, whereas people were just putting friends to bed before," Lapierre said.
EMS has responded to more drug- and alcohol-related calls this year than in prior years, but the overall number of calls to EMS has risen by a similar rate, Lapierre said, suggesting the increase in calls reflects an increased trust and reliance on EMS, rather than a jump in binge drinking.
Barnett intends to at least partially curtail the current laissez-faire policy that places students in unsafe situations by recommending Brown work to limit binge drinking and peer pressure, she said.
"The issue of alcohol problems is well known, established and consistent across the country. Brown is no different in that regard," Barnett said. "But students who choose not to drink are affected negatively by those who do. The sheer volume of those events has been eye-opening."
Barnett said she would like to put a damper on alcohol usage but is not advocating a policy of prohibition, she said.
"My perspective is to focus on harm reduction. It's not a focus on the drinking per se, but how to avoid bad things happening when you drink," she said. "We need to have a culture that's supportive of students who choose not to drink and people who have already identified themselves as having an alcohol problem."
Greene told The Herald he has not yet communicated with the SAOD, but he supports Barnett's goals.
"We need to take a multi-pronged approach and deal with the environment as a whole, including life in the residential halls and life in the Providence area with easy access to alcohol on College Hill," Greene said. "There's no single approach that would make the difference we would want to see on campus. You have to target your efforts in a variety of areas."
Greene said the issue of fake IDs must be addressed, noting local police have cited minors' access to alcohol as a long-term problem. "In the city of Providence this has been an issue," he said.
William Touret, treasurer of the College Hill Neighborhood Association, said the University's consistent neutrality on the issue of granting liquor licenses to local establishments represents a hypocritical stance on alcohol use.
"If the Brown administration really cared about controlling or reducing drinking by its students, what it should first do is to try to reduce the increase of bars and restaurants," he said.
The CHNA has asked Brown representatives to oppose additional liquor licenses in the Thayer Street area, but Brown has largely refused to take a position, Touret said.
Jesse Maddox '08, an Undergraduate Council of Students representative and a member of the SAOD, has voiced his concerns at committee meetings that a more stringent policy could force drinking underground and negatively alter the Brown culture, he said. Maddox hopes to prevent "drastic" measures such as a revised peer counselor policy, he said, adding that other members of the SAOD have been receptive to his concerns.
"My biggest concern is preserving the culture of 'nobody tells you what to do or makes you do anything. We're going to let you make your own decisions, but you have to live with them,'" Maddox said. "Many members of the committee are adults, and their jobs center on improving safety."
On the whole, Maddox said he supports the committee's recommendations but realizes some students may have to make concessions.
"It's very difficult when you've got a social norm where drinking under 21 is allowed, and the law that says it's not allowed," Maddox said.
