With Tufts' new alcohol policy, which underwent revision this summer for the second time in two years, first-time offenders of university regulations will receive a warning rather than automatically being placed on Disciplinary Probation One ("pro-one"), according to Dean of Student Affairs Bruce Reitman.
Students are required to meet with Judicial Affairs Officer Veronica Carter and Director of Alcohol and Health Education Ian Wong following a violation of the university regulations. Those who fail to do so will be placed on pro-one.
This marks a change from last year's policy, which automatically placed first-time offenders on pro-one but reduced students' punishments down to a warning after students met with Carter and Wong.
"This year, we just changed the default action from being on pro-one to being off pro-one from the beginning," Reitman said.
This tweak to the alcohol policy was prompted by a proposal from the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate according to Reitman.
"Now, if a student is asked if they've ever been on probation, say in a job interview, they can say ‘no'," TCU Senator YuliaKorovikov, a junior, said. "By switching the order no one has to lie."
In fall 2009, Reitman convened an Alcohol Task Force comprised of students, staff and faculty to review and revise Tufts' alcohol policy. The findings of the Task Force prompted a modification of the alcohol policy last summer. Prior to fall 2010, first offenders of Tufts' alcohol policy were automatically placed on pro-one.
Nearly 100 percent of affected students complied with last year's policy and met with both Wong and Carter in order to reduce their punishments, according to Wong.
Reitman said that last year's change in policy helped students feel more comfortable calling for medical assistance for their friends without worrying about the disciplinary consequences.
"We never want people to hesitate to call [Tufts Emergency Medical Services] if a friend is in need of medical attention," Reitman said. "There have been students in comas who would not have made it if someone had not called on their behalf."
Wong noted that the new policy encourages student offenders to meet with him soon after an incident takes place.
"If you can intervene closer to the incident, you're more apt to change behavior, he said. "In years past, students would wait up to a year to see me. Now, it usually takes about a week."
The policy change was made possible this year due to technological changes that allow the Tufts administration to track a student's compliance with the policy, according to Reitman.
"A high number of students get into these situations and all these cases need to be kept track of," Reitman said. "This year we developed the technology to do that."
The new technology is not chiefly designed to curb student drinking but rather to identify students who may have alcohol disorders and require serious attention, Wong said.
"We don't want to put all students in the same big pool," he said. "This is an easy way to separate students out and get help to the ones that need it."
Wong expressed satisfaction with the new computer system, which he says has increased the potential for positive intervention.
"We have a really good policy now and are just cleaning up the little pieces that could be improved," Wong said.
The university this year has also stepped up its educational programs for students regarding alcohol consumption and lifestyle choices during pre-Orientation programs and Orientation, Wong and Reitman said.
"No particular policy is going to change the student attitude that they won't be victims," Reitman said. "It requires more a change in the culture of friends taking care of one another before they pass out and before we lose somebody."
