College officials have had to navigate the highly varied interests presented by alumni, students and federal authorities as they developed various iterations of College alcohol policy, according to several administrators. Over a 25-year period, the policy has shifted away from a punishment-based model to one focused on harm reduction, they said.
The Student and Presidential Committee for Alcohol Harm Reduction, created by College President Jim Yong Kim in mid-February in response to controversy about campus alcohol use, is the latest group to address the College's approach to alcohol.
The committee will investigate the College's alcohol policy to promote student safety, continuing the shift toward policies focused on education rather than harsh punitive measures, an approach the College has followed for the past decade, according to April Thompson, director of Undergraduate Judicial Affairs.
"If [students] want to drink underage, that's their choice," Thompson said. "My responsibility is to provide them with all of the information they need to make informed choices."
The progression toward policies of "harm reduction" also owes much to the influence of alumni, who express input through the Alumni Council and various other outlets. If alumni opinions were not considered, Dartmouth would likely have a much more punitive policy, according to Brian Bowden, education coordinator for Dick's House's Alcohol and Other Drugs Program.
"We wouldn't have the current system if alumni did not support it," he said. "The other approach would be the judicial approach, where we wouldn't care about [students' personal problems] at all and give them a $400 fine and put them on probation and if it happens again, they're out."
A decade ago, most colleges nationwide, including Dartmouth, imposed strict penalties on students who violated alcohol rules, according to Eric Ramsey, associate director of the Collis Center, who regulates alcohol policies for non-Greek organizations. Today, Ramsey said, colleges have adopted the "harm reduction" method after national studies demonstrated its benefits.
"Research shows that a focus on harm reduction gets help to people who need it the most and that's what we are striving for at Dartmouth," Ramsey said. "We are constantly evolving to see that we have the best and safest alcohol policies."
The College implemented two significant changes to its alcohol policy over the past five years that reflect the shift to a less punitive policy. The Good Samaritan policy which allows students to call Safety and Security without the threat of College disciplinary action when a student is intoxicated to the point of needing medical assistance was changed in 2006 to allow students multiple opportunities to exercise the Good Sam program without punishment. Also, starting in 2008, first-time alcohol policy offenders were allowed to receive referrals to educational programs in lieu of disciplinary action, according to Thompson.
"Because we're a college, because our goal is learning and education and growth, we needed to give people an opportunity to learn before imposing any sanctions," Thompson said.
Through meetings with students, administrators consider their concerns about alcohol policy and respond accordingly, Thompson said.
The Social Event Management Procedures, which regulate alcohol use, have been amended several times since their implementation in 2003 by various student committees created by the Dean of the College's office. The principles behind SEMP remain consistent, but the framework changes depending on how specific students want stipulations to be regarding issues such as the presence of food and identification of drinkers over age 21, Thompson said.
"Some years we've had very detailed social policies," she said. "Then, the next group of students will say, We don't need so many restrictions in the details. Tell us the general policies we have to uphold and let us decide how we want to do it.'"
SEMP is at the center of the conflict between the College's responsibility to promote safe social settings that comply with state and federal laws and underage students' desire for social events in which they can drink alcohol, according to Thompson.
The College's alcohol policy historically was more lax, allowing for the "moderate use of alcoholic beverages in dormitories and other appropriate places," according to a 1947 report by the Board of Trustees.
When the New Hampshire drinking age was raised to 21 in 1985, it created new complications for College administrators, according to history professor emeritus and unofficial College historian Jere Daniell '55.
"[College officials] can't deal with it internally because justice is on another level of authority," he said.
Rules and regulations regarding alcohol use increased in 1990 after the Department of Education restricted federal funds to educational institutions that did not comply with the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act amendments of 1989. The amendments require that institutions create standards of conduct about drug and alcohol use that threaten sanctions for violations, The Dartmouth previously reported.
Specific alcohol policies such as the presence of party monitors, "alternative beverage" rules and "age-21" rules were implemented between 1980 to 1991, according to several College documents on alcohol policy.
The 1991 Student Alcohol Policy banned common sources of alcohol in residence halls, and the commercial delivery of alcohol to individual students and student groups, according to a Fall 1991 memo from then-Dean of the College Lee Pelton.
In the 1990s, Greek houses were required to register events and kegs with the College, and could only purchase a limited amount of alcohol for an event. Social events were classified under a two-tier system based on the number of students attending. Students monitored events and managed student alcohol use, The Dartmouth previously reported.
Instituted in 2003, SEMP expanded and clarified regulations and altered event registration procedures. College officials announced in 2008 that SEMP would be replaced by the Alcohol Management Policy, but has since scrapped the policy and opted for a review of SEMP, The Dartmouth previously reported.
