Drinking nailed after tragedies

In response to recent tragedies on campuses nationwide, colleges and universities have beefed up alcohol awareness programs, suspended fraternities and formed task forces to examine student drinking.

In some cases, they acted before determining that alcohol was responsible for the incident, making alcohol a popular scapegoat for collegiate tragedies.

The crackdown on alcohol nationwide comes at a time when the University is implementing its Binge Drinking Committee for alcohol education and investigating the death of LSA first-year student Courtney Cantor, who fell from her sixth-floor Mary Markley Residence Hall window nearly two weeks ago.

Cantor was found to have a blood alcohol level of 0.059. University administrators said they are hesitant to attribute her death to alcohol, but they are using the opportunity to emphasize alcohol awareness.

"What tragedies do is allow what work has been done to try to reduce the problems associated with alcohol to come to the forefront," Alcohol and Other Drug Education Coordinator Marsha Benz said.

But some students said they feel the University is wrongly pointing the finger at the presence of alcohol on campus.

"They're trying to crack down a lot on alcohol" following Cantor's death, Engineering first-year student Nate Greenberg said. "But the main thing is people have to take responsibility for their actions."

Greenberg, who lives on the sixth floor of Markley, said people are incorrectly blaming the residence hall windows or people who served Cantor alcohol when it was Cantor's decision to drink.

"Students have to choose the limit of their drinking," Greenberg said, adding that although some fraternities or sororities may encourage it, a student can choose not to drink. "I had a friend who depledged because he couldn't stand (the pressure to drink) anymore."

Greenberg said it's not wrong to use the opportunity to create alcohol awareness, but people cannot solely blame alcohol for the incident. "There are just too many excuses," he said. "They're not looking at the real issue."

LSA sophomore Brian Reich said the University is being hypocritical when it attempts to target drinking following such tragedies.

"It's completely unfair," Reich said. "To vilify a frat who may have been serving alcohol is just an easy target."

Reich added that the University should attempt to create alternatives - including providing concerts and events throughout the weekends and lowering the prices of sporting event tickets to make it easier for students to attend - to cut down on drinking before it becomes a problem.

"Punishment after the tragedy" is not the solution, Reich said.

In actions similar to the University's, Michigan State University also is targeting alcohol education following a riot on Munn Field last fall, which developed from a peaceful protest.

MSU spokesperson Kristen Tetens said students were upset because the university banned alcohol during tailgating parties on Munn Field before consulting with students.

The peaceful protest turned into a violent riot that gained national attention, Tetens said, prompting MSU to develop the Alcohol Action Team. The team proposed 33 recommendations to the university last Friday to foster communication between students and the administration and to prevent binge drinking. Tetens said some students at the riot "had been drinking."

But MSU sophomore Lindsey Rahl, who took part in the protest and had not been drinking, said the riot was not an alcohol-motivated brawl.

"The first month after the riot there was a huge police presence," Rahl said. "There is a huge emphasis on underage drinking. It's crazy."

Rahl said MSU wrongly blamed alcohol for inciting the riot.

"Ever since I got here, there has been a huge crackdown of alcohol," Rahl said. "Any way they can blame alcohol they will."

At universities where alcohol is related more definitively to the tragedy, administrators launched massive anti-alcohol initiatives.

Last spring a group of Washington State University students, who had been drinking heavily in celebration of the last week of classes, reacted violently when police officers attempted to break up their party. The night ended with student arrests, property damage and 10 injured police officers.

"The disturbance crystallized the problem of drinking and the impacts it has on relationships with alumni, students and the community," said John Thielbahr, director of conferences and institutes at WSU.

Following the occurrence, the school was awarded a $250,000 grant for student alcohol awareness programs.

"We decided that we needed to expose this on a national basis," Thielbahr said, adding that he currently is working on gathering experts for a national teleconference Nov. 13 that will address collegiate drinking.

Thielbahr said colleges from around the country were invited. Although Western Michigan University, Michigan Technological University and MSU are taking part in the conference, WSU has not yet received a response from the University.

Thielbahr said the event triggered the renewed emphasis on alcohol awareness, although it was always a priority.

"There have been ongoing programs, including initiatives from fraternities to go alcohol-free," Thielbahr said. "We want students to see that alcohol is as dangerous as anything else they're facing."

But some students questioned the effectiveness of any administraive efforts.

"Awareness hasn't changed," said a WSU sophomore who did not want to be named. "People still drink just as much."

She added that members of Greek Row, which is supposed to be "dry," go out to drink regularly - despite the "overboard" efforts of the local police department and university administrators to decrease drinking on campus.

Penn State University, at which riots occured this past summer during teh annual arts festival, also is struggling to bring alcohol awareness to students.

The Daily Collegian, the university's student newspaper, reported that some students were drinking and got out of hand.

Bryan Shine, a representative in PSU's student government, said the university spends too much time blaming alcohol for uncontrolled incidents.

"I think they are going a little too far," Shine said.

Shine said recent incidents have caused a crack down on alcohol.

Shine said the incident combined with the riots this past summer caused the administration embarrassment.

"They are all about anti-drinking," Shine said. "The state troopers come to campus during the football games."

Shine said the university should address other issues besides alcohol.

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