Alcohol policy changes at ‘Duke’s pace’

Editor’s note: This is the second and final portion of a two-part series looking into drinking at Duke. Wednesday’s focus was on the increase in alcohol-related incidents on campus and the University's education-based policies. Today, The Chronicle looks into the differences between Duke's alcohol policies and other schools' and whether Duke's is likely to change in the near future.

University leaders dream of a day when Duke and drinking are not mentioned in the same breath.

But shifting the alcohol-centered social culture is no easy task.

“There is an [abundant] presence of alcohol [at Duke],” said Tom Szigethy, associate dean and director of the Duke Student Wellness Center. “The amount of alcohol that flows through this campus would not be tolerated at other schools.”

Colleges all strive to reduce student alcohol abuse—though how to address the issue differs among universities.

Duke currently operates under a “zero-tolerance” approach on East Campus and a “harm-reduction” model on West Campus, which emphasizes safety and personal health over strict underage enforcement. Szigethy noted that Duke is unlikely to change its approach, though some metrics suggest that alcohol-related incidents have increased in recent years.

According to the University’s annual Clery Campus Security Reports, liquor law violations and arrests at Duke have grown incrementally from 2007 to 2009.

But Chief John Dailey of the Duke University Police Department said student alcohol violations—when taken proportionally—are comparable to neighboring institutions.

At Duke, Bryan said excessive alcohol consumption remains a problem.

“We still see too many students being transported to the emergency department for alcohol-related incidents; still see very negative behaviors occurring at tailgate; and see too many cases of disorderly conduct as a result of alcohol consumption,” Bryan wrote.

The issue with policy

To curb dangerous drinking, some U.S. universities have found that tough enforcement of alcohol policies and state laws has proven effective.

A recently released study by the Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse Research at Children’s Hospital Boston shows that colleges with strictly enforced alcohol policies have fewer cases of underage and binge drinking.

Of the 11 surveyed Massachusetts public colleges and universities, the greatest declines in alcohol cases occurred in schools with the strictest enforcement, which may include checking bags and identification at parties and searching rooms for liquor.

“If there is a unified stance by the school around the alcohol policy, from the administrators to the resident assistants, that sets a tone on campus about the acceptability of this kind of behavior,” said Sion Kim Harris, associate investigator in the Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse Research and lead author of the study.

The question of which comes first, the policy change or the culture shift, is much debated in institutions—including Duke.

“Eventually... [tough policies] can actually change the culture and reduce drinking,” Harris said. “It takes time to learn what needs to be put into place.... This isn’t a quick fix.”

After reading the study by Harris, Emily Fenn, a junior at the University of Delaware, met with university faculty, deans and the student body president to advocate stricter enforcement of Delaware’s policies.

“It is just clear that the strict policy works, and I think all universities should take that into consideration,” Fenn said. “It is really disappointing to hear that the administration isn’t willing to take a stricter stance on drinking.”

Nevertheless, strict policies do not necessarily capture the full array of consequences that can come with drinking. Harris’s study also shows a slight increase in drinking and driving incidents among undergraduate students.

Other unintended consequences of such regulation may include a migration of drinking out of the college’s jurisdiction.

Szigethy, who previously served as the director of the Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention at the University of Connecticut, said much of the University of Connecticut’s social life moved off campus as a result of harsher policies on campus.

Junior Ben Berman agreed that increased alcohol regulation by university officials could foster a more dangerous off-campus scene.

“The more you enforce it, the more it will be underground,” Berman said. “People will find a way to blow off stress whether it is behind closed doors or out in the open.”

Furthermore, tightening policies may be futile at Duke as students have already come to expect that rules will be loosely enforced, said junior Ronnie Booth.

“College kids are going to do what they want to do no matter what the policy is—there are ways to get around it,” Booth said. “[Duke] is definitely lax on enforcing [the rules], but that doesn’t mean I think it should be increased.”

Harris noted that strict enforcement policies are more characteristic of public rather than private schools. Still, she added that both types of institutions should experience similar success from such regulation—especially when layered with educational programs and non-alcoholic social events.

“Public [schools] are tied more to this higher administrative structure, but private schools would have more agility to try things, sometimes unorthodox, to see what works,” Harris said. “Really, I don’t think it should be different. Everyone is governed by the same state and federal laws around alcohol use.”

The Duke brand

Part of Duke’s allure for prospective students hinges on its school spirit, passionate students—and its lively social scene.

The problem occurs when that scene because synonymous with hard drinking, Szigethy said.

“There are statements coming to me all the time that say you must have alcohol if you want to hold an event at Duke,” Szigethy said. “We make this assumption that everyone just wants to drink.”

Often cited as the epitome of “work hard, play hard,” Duke has attracted a number of high school seniors who are drawn to the combination of scholarship and recreation.

But using the motto to describe Duke sells the undergraduate experience short, said Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Christoph Guttentag. He added that students are attracted to the balanced environment—whether or not that scene involves drinking.

The University has seen a shift in recent years, attracting students who are more focused on academics than partying, Szigethy said.

Though Sam Carpenter, an assistant director for Undergraduate Admissions, acknowledged the shift, he said prospective students may simply be omitting references to partying or alcohol in their applications.

“There is a social scene here that doesn’t involve alcohol and is very vibrant,” Carpenter said. “But the other end of that social scene is Tailgate.”

The dichotomy may set Duke apart from other institutions.

“Duke bills itself as the school where you can get an Ivy League education but still have a social life,” Szigethy said.

Indeed, Berman said he transferred to Duke from Washington University in St. Louis partially because of Duke’s campus scene.

“Duke would lose many of its brighter stars if it was known as being less of a fun school,” he said. “Brilliant kids avoid other schools of Duke’s stature because their social scenes don’t measure up.”

But pinpointing the reasons students choose Duke is difficult to gauge from their applications alone, Guttentag said.

“Sometimes students are a little hesitant [to talk] about... what factors affected their decision,” he said. “It is one of the things we are looking into.”

‘...always up to the students”

Szigethy said campus culture is shifting, albeit gradually, but changes in policies or enforcement strategies are unlikely in the near future.

“Duke just does it at Duke’s pace,” he said. “A lot of institutions did an overnight change, and Duke’s is more gradual, trying to get students on board with the issues as they go.”

Imminent reforms will most likely be student-driven, though administrators will step in if student safety or health is compromised, Dean of Students Sue Wasiolek said.

“The reality is the policy allows for a lot of discretion and choice on the part of students,” Wasiolek said. “When those choices become unhealthy and result in behaviors that bring attention to them, that’s when administration intervenes.”

Incremental policy changes are made on a case-by-case basis. Duke prides itself on collaboration and administrators still work with students in reforms.

Wasiolek said she predicts that the greatest change will result from students who seek to change the culture on campus, not from a shift in policy or rules.

“The ultimate decision was always up to the students,” Szigethy said. “And that’s just a philosophy of Duke in general—right, wrong or indifferent.”