Substance-free living on the rise in campus residence halls

DARBY FAREDLIS/Daily LSA first-year students Hilary Gallanter and Gennifer in Mary Markley Residence Hall, live in one of University housing's dozens of substance-free halls.

Many students, while filling out their housing request sheets, may have noticed a space for selecting substance-free housing. With the college student stereotype of partying and drinking, how many people actually opt to live in these rooms?

More than you'd think.

In fact, says Alan Levy, Director of Housing Public Affairs at the University since 1993, about 30 percent of students living in the residence halls are in substance-free housing.

The program was first offered as an option to students in fall of 1989. Unlike many other universities implementing substance-free programs, the University placed clusters of these kinds of rooms in every residence hall on campus instead of centering them in one particular dorm. Why? Because there are a number of living/learning communities based out of different residence halls.

"We wanted to make sure nobody was precluded from any opportunities because they chose substance-free housing," said Levy.

When the program began, there were 500 spaces deemed substance-free. Even that was not enough to fulfill demand; 700 of 1,200 applicants were turned away in 1989. The option has expanded over the years and the pool has since grown to 2,600 spaces. This year, substance-free rooms were very close to being filled by applicants, but a small decline in requests forced a few students to be housed in the rooms without previously applying.

Specially designated housing may seem almost redundant since all dorms, substance-free or not, are supposed to penalize the use of alcohol and drugs in the rooms.

"Parents and some students say to us, 'If these rooms are substance-free, does that mean that anything goes elsewhere in housing?'" said Levy. "The answer is 'No.' We enforce Michigan policy in all residence halls whether they are substance-free or not in regards to underage drinking."

But the substance-free areas are, according to a housing statement, "an additional measure of support for individuals who choose not to drink, smoke, or use other drugs." Choosing a substance-free room means committing to an agreement between students that they will respect the others in the area by not smoking, drinking or using drugs in their rooms. The only real difference between penalties in substance-free and regular housing is that a person living in a substance-free room is more likely to be removed on the first offense than someone in regular housing.

When students who had lived in substance-free housing were surveyed by the Housing Department, many students said that they "were not necessarily non-drinkers, but that in their home they wanted to be free from the worst aspects of a campus alcohol culture." Many students request substance-free housing to avoid the noise and vandalism associated with alcohol consumption. Other students simply don't want to drink and choose substance-free rooms in order to get roommates with a similar outlook.

"I think it works pretty well," said Engineering first-year student Thomas Ambrose, a resident of Couzens Residence Hall. "I never notice anybody drinking or using anything in here. I requested it so I could get my studies done ... just because it's a little bit of a better environment."

LSA first-year student Paul Tyll lives in a substance-free room in Mary Markley Residence Hall. "I requested it because I'm looking for a quieter atmosphere," Tyll said. "Some people choose to drink but they don't drink here, they drink elsewhere. We have no problem around here."

"I wanted to be in substance-free (housing) because I can't stand smoking and drinking. There are a lot of problems that can arise from that. I think substance-free housing is a good policy," said Mosher-Jordan Resident Adviser Robert Reid.

Some other students, however, were less eager to praise the program.

"I don't think it makes any difference," said LSA sophomore Julius Bunek, who lives in a substance-free room in Mosher-Jordan Residence Hall. "If people want to, they drink anyway. I don't think it's any quieter here."

"The people that want to drink just close their doors. Substance-free (housing) reduces the incidence of drinking, but if people want to, they are just as able here as anywhere else," said fellow Mosher-Jordan resident and LSA sophomore Mark Powers.

Plenty of students living in the substance-free housing say they are fairly satisfied with the program and were more than happy to vouch for its success. Overall, substance-free housing seems to mark a new consciousness in college attitudes. Some students are now - at least, in theory - saying "no" to the typical college drinking habits, or at least separating them from their academic lives in order to accomplish what they came here for.

"I respect people who are in substance-free housing," said LSA first-year student Steven Kyritz, who lives in Mary Markley Residence Hall. "There is a lot of peer pressure on campus and I respect the fact that they're willing to take a stand and say, 'No, I'm not going to get involved in that.'"

10-08-98