Alcohol and drugs play an undeniable role in the college lifestyle, and when the use of these substances goes too far, there are consequences. Tufts' probation system aims to curb and eliminate dangerous drinking, as well as uphold the federal and state laws surrounding substance use.
"The real worry about alcohol use from all of us is dangerous drinking," Dean of Student Affairs Bruce Reitman said. "Yes, we have to pay attention to what is legal and what isn't, but our real concern isn't someone having a beer with pizza. It's doing shots of hard alcohol, because that's what gets people sent to the hospital."
The current alcohol and drug disciplinary process consists of a warning followed by Disciplinary Probation One ("pro−one") and Probation Two ("pro−two"), and the speed with which a student progresses through them is dependent on whether they commit a Level A or Level B violation. According to Judicial Affairs Officer Veronica Carter, Level A is a lesser offense and can include possession of alcohol, public drinking or possession of small amounts of marijuana. Level B offenses are more serious and include excessive and irresponsible drinking that leads to disorderly conduct or a need for medical attention. Level B violations result in more severe consequences.
Director of Alcohol and Health Education Ian Wong explained that the program's main goal is to identify and aid those students with serious drinking problems, despite the possible consequences for students who simply make a mistake.
"We want to make sure that students who have a substance abuse disorder get help," he said. "Unfortunately, sometimes with this big net we put out there, we catch students who don't have a problem. I'd rather throw out that bigger net than shrink the net and miss the students who really do have a problem."
Wong uses this screening procedure as a way to filter out one kind of student from the other, in order to provide assistance to those who need it. In implementing this policy, he routinely interviews students about their drinking habits, asking them to fill out a survey with questions such as, "How often do you have six or more drinks on one occasion?" and "Have you or someone else been injured because of your drinking?"
Wong stressed the importance of the immediate nature of this screening because it has a greater impact on the individual when it happens closer to the actual event. He also noted the delicate balance the school must strike between upholding federal drinking laws — at the risk of the state and institution losing federal support — and making sure risky drinking is prevented.
"We don't want to make it too punitive, so that students will hide," he said. "But we also want to make sure we're meeting our obligations to the federal government. Some schools have an amnesty policy, but by turning a blind eye, some students may not get what they need."
During the 2009−2010 school year, Reitman convened an Alcohol Task Force in an effort to strike a balance between these two extremes. The task force and the TCU Senate proposed the addition of a warning prior to pro−one. The policy had previously put students directly on pro−one after their first offense.
Reitman gave two reasons for the shift towards leniency. First, going directly to pro−one discourages students from calling Tufts Emergency Medical Services for their friends, endangering the friends' safety. The second was that pro−two meant that a student was no longer in good standing with the university which affected access to certain programs such as study abroad.
The approach to dealing with alcohol and drugs has shifted not only at Tufts, but also throughout the wider college community. According to Reitman, colleges' approaches have evolved from a focus on cracking down on rampant binge drinking to "social norming" — raising awareness to correct misconceptions about drinking — to a recent move toward bystander intervention.
"Bystander intervention is educating the community with tools and tips for how to intervene when you see someone in trouble, either on a given night, or better yet, in general," Reitman said. "There will be a new program at new student orientation next year specifically on this."
Carter added that the new program would encourage positive bystander behaviors.
"When students see someone who's really intoxicated, they're afraid not to call, and that's a good thing for Tufts students," she said.
According to both Wong and Reitman, statistics show that at Tufts, alcohol violations due to dangerous drinking occur most often in the fall of students' freshman year. This phenomenon seems to be a result of experimenting with a newfound freedom and a lack of "protective factors," including direct accountability to parents, Wong said.
"If you want to take 10 shots before the party, no one's going to say anything per se," he said. "If you want to stay out Thursday night until four in the morning and not go to class the next day, no one's going to say anything."
Wong and the Alcohol Task Force are working on several initiatives to provide some form of these "protective factors." These include a panel during next year's Undergraduate Orientation where upperclassmen give advice on drinking based on personal experience, as well as an electronic handbook for parents.
"The handbook for parents is for beginning a conversation with their sons and daughters about substance use, so they're part of that conversation, rather than just letting the students come to campus and make the decisions on their own," Reitman said.
"The forgiveness policy encourages calls for medical help, which increases our transport numbers," Reitman said. "With a severe intervention system that gives out harsh discipline, I would see that number go down, and I would think of it as a disaster."
Both Reitman and Carter agreed that the current drinking age affects Tufts' policy as well, saying that 21 makes no sense as the drinking age on campuses like Tufts'.
"It drives the problem underground," Reitman said. "It is a lot harder for peer leaders, residential staff, all of us, even the police, to talk about responsible approaches, responsible uses of these things." I would rather have it out in the open, as a social accompaniment for those who choose to do it."
