Tufts' recent efforts to reform the drinking culture that appears to define undergraduate social life have been numerous. The university has instituted an online alcohol education course for incoming undergraduates to take before matriculation, replaced the warning that students previously received for a first drinking offense with automatic level−one disciplinary probation and most recently mandated that Spring Fling be a dry event, among other developments. However, one of the more effective and important of these efforts may be one of the least well−known — University President Lawrence Bacow's meetings with students who have required assistance from Tufts Emergency Medical Services (TEMS) for alcohol−related problems.
This practice is commendable. Adding a personal element to the TEMS process transforms it from disciplinary to rehabilitative; discussions help students internalize the dangers of their actions and persuade them to avoid a repeat offense better than any online program or straightforward punishment can. As a university official who was forced to deal with a student dying from alcohol poisoning during his tenure at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Bacow undoubtedly has valuable insights to share with students who have required assistance from TEMS, and he can present to them guidance that they would not otherwise consider if they were only presented with an impersonal course or lecture. The gravity of meeting with the university's president undoubtedly serves as a wake−up call for students that is far more likely to have a personal impact than being reprimanded by other authorities, such as resident assistants. At the very least, the potential embarrassment and shame of having to talk with Bacow twice and explain that they ignored the promises they made to him would likely reduce recidivism.
It is therefore in the university's interest to continue this practice. Being rowdy and lacking self−control are certainly not reputations that Tufts wants its students to develop, and it is very important for the administration to work to prevent that. Personally reaching out to the students most responsible for this image demonstrates to prospective applicants, students' families and the larger Medford/Somerville community that the administration is committed to engaging this issue on all levels and will give individual attention to each and every student who needs it.
Almost as important as the meetings' effects on alcohol safety within the Tufts student community is the perception of personal involvement it creates among the larger community. Whether they are right or not, some of Tufts' alcohol policies — such as the university's decisions surrounding Spring Fling — produce resentment among many students. This can create animosity toward disciplinary measures that seem to be coming from a faceless organization. The Daily commends Bacow for his personal efforts to reduce the level of harmful drinking on campus.
