The next freshman orientation may involve a new alcohol education program aimed at curbing what is increasingly viewed as a dangerous drinking culture prevalent in the student community at Tufts.
This program would be similar to the In the SACK (Safety, Awareness, Consent and Knowledge in relationships) sexual−assault awareness presentation, a staple of orientation, and would likely involve input from Tufts Emergency Medical Services (TEMS). Further details are currently being worked out between the administration and several Tufts Community Union (TCU) senators.
Freshman Senator Yulia Korovikov, who came up with the idea, has met with Dean of Student Affairs Bruce Reitman several times to discuss the program and said that planning will be finalized in the coming weeks.
"The idea came up a couple of months ago when I realized that there is no [alcohol] programming for incoming freshmen," Korovikov said.
The program will tentatively include a peer storytelling segment similar to that of the In the SACK presentation and a talk by students in TEMS, according to Korovikov.
TEMS could better educate students about how to define "dangerous" drinking habits and could emphasize that TEMS is concerned with keeping students safe, not getting them in trouble, Korovikov added.
Debate has raged in recent months over whether TEMS is sufficiently able to protect students, in light of the fact that receiving treatment for alcohol poisoning from the group can lead to punishment.
"The reason people have been critical of the change in the alcohol policy is that they say it is less likely for individuals to call TEMS when their friend is not only under level one but disciplinary probation, and so we're making it harder for people to call TEMS," Reitman said.
The number of TEMS calls has remained static, however, a possible indication that the new policy has not prevented concerned students from seeking medical help, according to Reitman.
Still, the more pressing issue is the role of relationships with peers in dangerous drinking, Reitman said.
"I would reshape that question about what a good friend is from somebody who is willing to call TEMS to somebody who doesn't need to call TEMS," Reitman said.
Korovikov agreed with Reitman's characterization. "Reitman has a very good point," Korovikov said. She added that alcohol education should handle the question of personal drinking limits, as well as the influences of peers.
Korovikov has also worked with Senator Bruce Ratain, who chairs the Administration and Policy Committee on which she sits.
Ratain said the program's origins were in discussions with the Alcohol Task Force last semester. These talks brought to light a need for more education on what constitutes dangerous drinking.
"There wasn't sufficient alcohol education within the context of orientation, in terms of what constitutes dangerous drinking, what constitutes signs to look for," Ratain said.
Ratain believes that no administrative policy, such as the possible option of eliminating alcohol at Spring Fling, will affect cultural change.
"Ultimately what we're trying to do is change the culture, a fundamental paradigm shift that we're still working on in some ways," Ratain said. He added that social norms marketing is a proven technique for this transformation.
He said that students need to recognize the normal behavior of their peers at events like Spring Fling, where people incorrectly assume that everyone is very intoxicated.
"Anything we can do to increase the amount of information students have and to sort of try and shift norms from the beginning of students' college experience and really to shift the initial perspective of norms when students come to school, anything we can do to that effect is a step in the right direction," Ratain said.
Reitman expects the program to be implemented this coming semester, despite the difficulty of scheduling a full−class event during what is typically a crowded week of freshman orientation.
