Ah, to be a young freshman at Tufts University; there could be no sweeter thing. Since my sophomore year I have been jealous of each newly matriculated class. The new freshmen have it made: They get nicer Nalgenes, cooler T-shirts and newer mattresses than we did. They also seem to be traveling in bigger herds than was acceptable back in my freshman days. All in all, freshmen have it pretty good, or so I thought. But along with awesome flame-retardant couches and renovations made to The Rez comes another change to the Tufts community: This change has to do with campus policies, and it spells trouble for the Class of 2013.
Since the most well-known policies at Tufts pertain to octopus-style lamps and alcohol, it is not surprising that the change has affected one of these college experiences. Octopus lamps are banned just like they were before; the alcohol policy, however, has changed quite a bit. There is now a $300 fine for kegs on university property. More importantly, Tufts has eliminated the warning that students previously received for a first drinking offense. Any alcohol or drug violation now automatically results in level-one disciplinary probation, or pro-one. While I understand that Tufts feels the need to crack down on irresponsible and dangerous alcohol consumption, I think this policy will only create greater problems concerning underage drinking on campus.
The new policy will encourage underage drinkers to party more at off-campus locations to avoid being caught by resident assistants or the Tufts University Police Department (TUPD). It could also result in students pre-gaming harder so they do not have to risk keeping alcohol on their persons. The most serious consequence of the new policy is that it will discourage students from calling Tufts Emergency Medical Services (TEMS).
As a person who has received care from TEMS after an irresponsible bout of underage drinking, I feel this new rule is unnecessarily harsh. It is already upsetting enough to wake up in the hospital feeling terrible and not knowing what happened the night before; now, the administration also wants people to worry about probation, too. Pro-one might not sound too bad: You just have to keep out of trouble for the rest of the year. But being on probation means more than this. For one, you may have to report the incident if you apply to graduate school or even for certain jobs. Being on probation could prevent students from participating in some extracurricular activities. Perhaps, the administration realizes these consequences and wants to use them to curb underage drinking, but I think they will result in students not calling TEMS.
I am grateful that my friends called TEMS when I was too drunk, but I might not be so grateful if I had gotten on pro-one for taking a ride in an ambulance. Of course, when people are unconscious or in other dire conditions, people will call TEMS without hesitation, but people are not going to call TEMS for less serious conditions that might still warrant medical attention. My friends did not think I was going to die when they called TEMS, but they realized that I needed medical help, so they made the call.
The new policy also unjustly punishes students that have medical emergencies that might not be caused by alcohol consumption. Is a sprained ankle from slipping on ice less legitimate if the person has had a few drinks? It is not fair for the administration to force people to choose between a clean record and medical attention just because drinking or drugs are involved.
So how can the administration ensure that students are still comfortable with calling TEMS and discourage irresponsible drinking? The solution is simple: In keeping with precedent, the first time students get TEMSed, they should lose a warning but not receive pro-one. However, if students receive alcohol violations and they are not TEMSed, they should receive pro-one. This change to the policy would reflect the administration's strict stance on underage drinking without endangering the welfare of students. If the administration really wants to change the drinking behavior at Tufts, it needs to work with students to find ways to communicate the dangers of irresponsible drinking. Perhaps students who have been TEMSed, TUPD officers and TEMS workers could go around to dorms and share experiences about overdoing it. Maybe, we need to have posters in dorms that graphically depict the possible negative consequences of drinking. The administration has already created a group that includes students, called the Alcohol and Drug Taskforce; I am eager to learn about their proposals for controlling substance abuse on campus.
College students are going to drink, and unfortunately many of them will drink too much. I am not endorsing underage drinking. Nor am I encouraging more policing of students. I just want the punishment to fit the crime. Tufts students need to take more responsibility for their drinking and not create fiascos like last year's Fall Ball and Spring Fling. The administration needs to support students who run into trouble and not punish them for their first offense.
I encourage students to read the school's new alcohol policy, which can be found by visiting the Tufts Student Affairs Web site and clicking "Policies."
Sweet. I'm done writing just in time to catch the end of happy hour.
--
Meera Gajjar is a senior majoring in peace and justice and environmental studies.
