6A NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY. APRIL 30,2009
A SHOT OF REALITY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A
ALCOHOL POLICIES AT BIG 12 SCHOOLS
All information was gathered from each university's online code of conduct.
BAYLOR
Wet/Dry:Dry campus."The University believes that spiritual, intellectual, emotional, physical, and social development have their greatest growth free from mind-altering chemicals. Its goal is to provide an environment where the entire campus community is challenged and motivated to live a chemical-free lifestyle."
Policies:
"Baylor University policy prohibits the unlawful manufacture, possession, use, sale, transfer, or purchase
of a controlled substance or another dangerous drug such as a controlled substance analogue (designer drug) on or off the campus."
If Baylor students violate university policies they are subject one or more disciplinary sanctions:
Oral warning
Written warning
Probation
Eviction
Suspension
Expulsion
COLORADO
At the Chi Psi fraternity, Lynn Gordon "Gordie" Bailey Jr. was found dead with a blood alcohol content of 0.328 percent.
Concerns class ($137 fee)
Wet/Dry: Students can buy beer in the bowling alley in the student union. Otherwise, alcohol is not served to students on campus except at special university functions after obtaining a permit.
Concerns class (S137 tee)
Probation (very serious warning for out-of-line behavior) for one full semester
Policies:
1st violation
2nd violation
- Parental notification
- 10 hours community service
- Parental notification
- 5 hours community service
- Attend Focus on Alcohol
Referral to City 2nd Offender Program (5360 fee)
fender Program ($360 fee)
Subject to suspension (removal from the University) for one semester if currently on probation for first offense
3rd violation
Parental notification
IOWA STATE
Wet/Dry: Wet campus. Iowa State University says it gives its students the tools to make informed decisions about alcohol. Minors are still subject to federal and state laws.
Policies:
The university holds the right to determine the times, places and conditions when alcohol may be consumed on university grounds.
Student housing: "To the
extent possible and reasonable, the institution will respect a student's privacy within his/her university housing room. Possession and consumption of alcoholic beverages is permitted in university housing according to the policies established by the Department of Residence and only for those persons having attained drinking age as stipulated in the laws of the State of Iowa"
KANSAS
Wet/Dry: The University is technically a dry campus, but the chancellor can grant permission for alcohol use at special events.
Policies:
hour online alcohol course 2nd violation
90 minute face-to-face discussion with counselor at Watkins Health Center
1st violation
"Under The Influence"- 3.5
3rd violation
Review by the judicial board in student housing
KANSAS STATE
Wet/Dry: Alcohol is available in the student union and is allowed in residence halls for students of legal drinking age. It is also allowed in certain controlled situations such as football games, fundraisers and special events if organizers obtain a permit.
First-Time Offender: Conducted over two sessions with the program coordinator.
Policies:
Online assessment Results are discussed with the program coordinator who helps develop a program for change for the student.
- The student meets with coordinator four to six weeks later to discuss progress
- The coordinator will assess if the offender has com
pleated the e-Chug assessment, designed a program of change, made a reasonable attempt and demonstrated success at a program of change.
Two online assessments and meetings with the co-ordinator.
Multiple Offender:
A similar program of change will be developed.
After a four to six week period, the program coordinator who will assess progress and make necessary changes to the program.
The student will continue with the program for another four weeks and meet again with the program coordinator for a final assessment and review.
The University is technically a dry campus, but the chancellor can grant permission for alcohol use at special events.
Students caught violating the no-alcohol policy in residence halls are punished through a sanctions system. For each alcohol violation, a corresponding punishment is applied.
- For the first violation, students are required to take a three-and-a-half hour online alcohol education course called "Under the Influence." The course costs $40 and consists of seven lessons to help students understand the consequences of alcohol misuse and provides information and tools to help change unhealthy behaviors.
- The second violation requires a $60 one-on-one meeting with a counselor at Watkins Memorial Health Center. The course, called "Choices," uses a journal to guide students through questions regarding their personal drinking habits, opinions and attitudes. These questions are then further discussed with a health educator.
Jenny McKee, health educator at Watkins and counselor for the Choices program, said she couldn't require students to seek psychological care, but she could notify them of available resources.
"My job is to provide them with information," McKee said. "Some students come in and it's like talking to a brick wall for 90 minutes."
- A third violation requires an appearance before the Student Housing Judicial Board that is composed of housing complex directors and resident assistants. Cody Charles, complex director for Lewis and Templin hills, said the judicial system worked hard to get students to change their behavior by discussing its underlying causes. He said finances, issues at home and school-related stress were often associated with drinking.
"I think it's about creating rapport with the student," Charles said. "You have to dig deeper and figure out what's going on. We do have students who drink every day and are probably alcoholics."
Some RAs who are supposed to enforce the policies say the system is too lenient and does not do enough to effectively address alcohol abuse on the KU campus.
RESIDENCE HALLS
Wren was expelled from Oliver Hall after repeated violations but other less severe actions to punish students include moving them to another floor or another hall.
"It was like from the early-'90s or late '80's." Baraban said of the video he had to watch. "It was definitely out of date. There was a workbook you had to fill out and it was like a joke, too. There was like a smiley face that said 'sober' and there was a sad face that said 'depressed and drunk.'"
Baraban was cited for violating housing policy 15 times. He said three of those write-ups were for violating alcohol policy, while
Blake Baraban, Topea junior, was required to complete all three steps in the sanctions process during his freshman year in Oliver Hall.
If an RA suspects alcohol use but is refused access to a student's room to verify the violation, the most the RA can do is write the student up for being "uncooperative with staff" along with a "suspicion of alcohol."
several others would have been alcohol infringements if he hadn't found a loophole in the system. To avoid getting written up for having alcohol in the residence halls, he and his friends would not open their bedroom doors when an RA came to check on them.
Members of the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity "shotgun" beers during the preamble hours before it is a common practice at parties. Most fraternities at the University are allowed to follow their own polity.
"I guess I learned the system," Baraban said. "A lot of people do that, though. A lot of people know not to let RAs look in your drink or don't let them in your dorm - things like that."
Diana Robertson, director of the Department of Student Housing, said that the sanction system at the University worked for most students, but that there was no data to show whether they changed students' drinking behaviors.
"You're not going to have 10 alcohol violations and still be living with us." Robertson said. "We want to make sure we're getting it right and doing the best thing to make people learn."
Ward, former Oliver Hall RA, said she thought the sanctions system used in the residence halls wasn't persuasive enough to support the authority of RAs and didn't change students' attitudes about drinking.
"Sanctions don't do anything except make them angry," Ward said. "It doesn't change their opinion if they don't care. They just get mad at you because you're the one who caught them. A lot of the sanctions are far too easy in my opinion."
At Nebraska, students are required to have a psychological evaluation focusing on substance abuse after three policy violations. Keith Zaborowski, associate director of residence halls at Nebraska, said he rarely saw students receive three violations.
"I think it's kind of putting a Band-Aid on a large wound instead of getting surgery on that wound," Vaglio said. "It's kind of like covering up the problem instead of fixing it."
He said that in the residence halls, community service officers patrolled the hallways at night and called campus police to deal
Ward said most RAs eventually stopped trying to strictly enforce alcohol policy.
But Jay Vaglio, an RA at Lewis Hall, said he thought the sanctions system was relatively effective in controlling the drinking situation, although he said it was not going to prevent underage or abusive drinking in the residence halls.
"You just give up because nothing you do or say is going to change their mind," she said. "It's very common practice to look the other way. The unspoken rule is, 'If I don't see it or hear it, it's not happening.'"
The University has one of the most lenient alcohol policies compared with other universities in the Big 12.
POLICIES ELSEWHERE
with students violating alcohol policy. In those cases, students were charged with violating city law and often received a ticket for "Minor In Possession" in addition to university sanctions.
Oklahoma implemented a more severe alcohol policy after freshman Blake Hammontree died of alcohol poisoning inside the Sigma Chi fraternity house in 2004. Following his death, the fraternity was expelled from campus, five students were charged with furnishing alcohol at the party where Hammontree died, and school president David Boren instituted a more stringent alcohol policy.
At Oklahoma, students are automatically suspended for a minimum of one semester after accumulating three alcohol violations. The school notifies parents following the first violation.
Oklahoma was honored nationally as a success story in 2006 for its new alcohol policy by the Underage Drinking Enforcement Training Center.
"I think the parental notification piece is the one we're dusting off again," Roney said, referring to the University's privacy policies. "Normally after any incident on campus we step back and review our processes and our policies, so
At Kansas, however, Roney, vice provost of student success, said Wren's death did not create any greater sense of urgency to address alcohol policy than before.
it's kind of a normal part of what we do"
The University created the Alcohol Priority Group, which first met in November 2007, to "identify measurable actions by which alcohol consumption could be reduced within the KU and Lawrence communities." The group eventually made 36 final recommendations for change. Almost a year later, Roney said the University had begun work on seven of those, including implementing an alcohol screening program for incoming freshmen and allowing housing staff access to student dorm rooms.
Another result of those recommendations is the Community Alcohol Coalition, a group similar to the Priority Group, which plans to review the University's current practices compared with those at other universities and to recommend models that can be implemented here. Its first meeting was Tuesday.
"There has to be a willingness to change or learn," McKee, Watkins Wellness Center educator, said. "When they're ready for a behavior change hopefully they know where to go."
The University offers a few treatment options to students with alcohol concerns and dependencies, but students must take the time to search out their treatment.
TREATMENT OPTIONS
Tyler Waugh/KANSAL
10. (a) The temperature of the gas is 298 K, and its volume is 5 L. At what pressure will the gas be in equilibrium?
Mariesa Roney, KU viceprovost for student success, listens to a question during a panel discussion on drinking culture sponsored by the Drug Policy Forum of Kansas at the Hawk's Nest on April 9. The panel was called in response to the death of Jain Wren. Issues addressed included potential chances to KUS' privacy policies.
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