Every so often, a highly publicized scandal or drastic new policy rises to the surface and causes us to turn our attention to the problems on Webster Avenue. Each time, we agree that there seems to be problems with alcohol abuse and social dynamics on campus, and these problems must be resolved to maintain the health and integrity of the student body. This time, the impetus for change came in the form of an announcement from the Hanover Police Department, proposing the implementation of "sting operations" using undercover agents to spot and penalize underage drinking in the Greek scene.
Although this policy was later postponed, College President Jim Yong Kim acknowledged the rationale behind it and stated his intention to work toward a four-pronged strategy for combating excessive alcohol consumption ("Kim urges alcohol abuse prevention," Feb. 12). However, my guess is that little change will come from any new policies or programs that Dartmouth invents in the coming months. Many resources already exist to combat alcohol abuse: from Drug and Alcohol Peer Advisors, to counselors at Dick's House, to the Good Samaritan policy to prevention programs during Orientation Week. Any additional resources created by President Kim won't help all they will do is widen the budget deficit.
The only way to curb alcohol abuse is to realize the underlying forces that have caused it to develop. Over the years, a fixed culture of overconsumption and reckless behavior has developed that cannot be broken by either lax prevention strategies or severe financial penalties. It is important to realize that this culture is not unique to Dartmouth or even the college-aged community. Alcohol abuse and sexual assault are two problems that transcend age and geographical differences. Yet instead of trying to resolve these widespread issues by realizing the source of their development, we continue to swing between two extremes of idealistic education programs and radical harsh penalties that are consistently ineffective.
In order to truly understand and work toward solving these problems, it is crucial to emphasize the fact that these unhealthy behaviors have become socially acceptable in society. This culture of excessive drinking has grown out of the high-pressure demands placed on our generation that seem only to worsen as we get older. Starting at an early age, many of us faced intense pressure to get into a good college, as we were told that this was a prerequisite for attaining success. We face even more pressure at Dartmouth, choosing a major, developing long-term goals and succeeding socially. These demands have made us obsessed with being perfect and have cast an extreme stigma on making mistakes.
In order to cope with these pressures, we have stopped reflecting inwardly and working toward improving ourselves, as we most certainly would find fault in ourselves were we to compare ourselves with others. Instead, we prefer to hide our flaws rather than acknowledge them, and engage in activities that allow us to forget our problems and focus on trivial matters.
This mentality has manifested itself in alcohol abuse. Alcohol serves not only to make one more comfortable socially, but drinking in excess also makes one forget events that occur while intoxicated. Passing through weekends without much memory of what happened helps to preserve our focus on the unimportant and keeps thought away from important but scary topics like identity and values.
Dartmouth's hook-up culture is based on the same underlying principles. As we are constantly afraid of someone learning our flaws, we hesitate to put ourselves in situations that make us emotionally vulnerable. Instead, we choose to fulfill the lonely gap left by this culture by seeking meaningless interactions. Combined with the effects of alcohol, this mindset is breeding grounds for sexual assault.
The only way for alcohol abuse to really be resolved then is through personal motivation to change them. This will not be achieved through law enforcement policies or new alcohol education proposals. It requires a commitment to introspection on why we choose to engage in these behaviors. This will not be an easy task, as it requires reflecting on our behavior and admitting our flaws, something that we all desperately try to avoid. However, it is the only way to begin developing healthier habits.
