Dear Dartmouth Students: The Ad Hoc Working Group on Alcohol Policy chaired by Professor Robert Binswanger completed its work at the end of Winter term and recently submitted their final report and recommendations. The Working Group's report was released for review by members of the campus community at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 16 in Dartmouth Hall, Room 105 at an event organized in cooperation with the Student Assembly. Members of the Working Group were present to discuss their findings and recommendations. The report has also been posted online at http://www.dartmouth.edu/~deancoll/alcrec/.
I am very pleased that the members of the Working Group have agreed to extend their service to the community by gathering feedback about the report and recommendations. Also actively participating will be members of the College Committee on Alcohol and Other Drugs (CCAOD). In addition, students recently appointed by the Student Assembly will play a role in educating the campus about the alcohol policy. Professor Binswanger has agreed to facilitate the gathering and compiling of feedback provided by members of the community. I have asked for this work to be completed by May 1, 2002. Responses to the report should be sent directly to the "Dean of the College" BlitzMail account.
I will confer with Professor Binswanger and the leadership of the Student Assembly in May to determine those recommendations that should move forward for implementation by Fall term. We will also work together to identify any recommendations about which there is such concern or misunderstanding that we should take additional time for discussion, perhaps taking as long as two or three additional terms if that would be helpful.
The release of the Working Group's report marks the beginning of an important phase in campus discussions about alcohol policy and the role of alcohol in campus life. I would especially appreciate your comments about several issues discussed in the report. First, does the proposed shift in the language of the policy, from what might be described as a fairly prohibitive posture to a more informative one, establish a more constructive tone for the policy? Second, does the proposal for an easy-to-use event registration process provide an improved format? Third, does the Dartmouth-specific server-training program meet important needs for students and student organizations? Fourth, does the proposed change to the "Good Samaritan" policy strike the right balance in weighting its overall emphasis on health and safety against the need to prevent the misuse or manipulation of the policy?
The members of the Working Group have done us a great service. Over the past two terms, they have engaged in an extensive dialogue about alcohol use on campus with their fellow students, with leaders of student organizations, and with faculty, administrators and others interested in campus life. They have successfully avoided the familiar trap of imagining that only two extreme positions exist. The report is considered a work in progress. Thus, while it is possible that they heard from both the proponents of enforced abstinence on the one hand and from those whose advocacy for individual rights tends to ignore the notion of individual responsibility and respect for the rights of others on the other hand, the position ultimately taken by the Working Group is a more measured and moderate one.
Perhaps the central question in all of this is whether it is possible to create an environment at Dartmouth that both respects an individual person's choice not to drink and that demands responsible use and behavior of those who do? A related question is whether it is possible for us to create an environment where alcohol serves as a secondary element of social functions rather than a centerpiece? For those who believe, as I do, that the sensible, moderate social consumption of alcohol can play a role in facilitating relationships, the prospect that we might soon find ourselves mired in a debate focused on extreme positions is not at all appealing. Therefore, it is my sincere hope that our discussions this spring will be characterized by three things: a willingness to look beyond the extreme positions; an ability to withhold judgment, at least initially, and to listen carefully; and the capacity, where differences of opinion appear to be irreconcilable, to disagree respectfully.
I look forward to your involvement in the discussions that will take place in the weeks to come.
