As part of a campaign to prompt student discussion about alcohol on Dartmouth's campus, Senior Associate Dean Dan Nelson spoke to the Student Assembly on the history of alcohol use at the College, the administration's attitude towards student drinking and its future plans for the alcohol on Tuesday.
Over the past year, Nelson has given a similar presentation to a variety of campus groups, including undergraduate advisors, College staff and leaders of Greek organizations.
The timing of Nelson's presentation coincides with a student and faculty committee's review of the College's Social Event Management Procedures. The SEMP review committee is expected to present its findings in the spring, Nelson said.
Dartmouth's current policy, mandated by state and federal law, requires the College to take an active role in enforcing alcohol laws and cracking down on illegal drinking, according to Nelson.
"Dartmouth's policies adapt and respond, in a large part, over the years, in response to state and local policies," he said.
Up to 90 percent of Dartmouth students have consumed alcohol while at the College, Nelson said, explaining that this level of drinking poses a challenge to the administration.
The policy fails in that it forces students to lie to the administration about their drinking habits and forces the administration to pretend it believes them, Nelson said. If students are "dumb enough to get caught," Nelson added, the administration is forced to punish them.
"I think Dartmouth can do better than that," he said, "The 21-year-old drinking age, I think, makes it very, very hard."
The College's current alcohol policy emphasizes prevention and risk-reduction more than enforcement, Nelson said. He cited the Good Samaritan policy as a success in this regard.
"There was at least one occasion last year when a life was saved," he said, later cautioning the audience, "Don't wait until someone's completely passed out and unresponsive to call for help."
Despite the varying alcohol policies of colleges across the country, Nelson said drinking rates nationwide tend to be the same, though he noted that private schools in the Northeast have a discernibly higher drinking rate.
Nelson hopes the SEMP review will bring the College's policies closer to addressing alcohol use on campus but also believed the administration has a tough challenge ahead, he said.
Officials at other colleges have told Nelson that "alcohol issues are one of the most difficult and challenging things" they have addressed, he said.
