A Chance To Get It Right
By The Summer Editorial Board, The Dartmouth Staff
Published on Friday, July 13, 2012
On July 2, Dean of the College Charlotte Johnson announced proposals for a revised alcohol policy that will permit random walkthroughs of all campus common spaces by Safety and Security at any time, require Greek houses to hire licensed caterers to serve hard alcohol and apply stronger punishments to organizations for serving “punch” at parties. Given the well-known and widespread issues of binge drinking and hazing on campus, the administration’s attempt to take concrete action to address these problems is commendable. But with these proposals, the College has the opportunity to do something even more commendable — to be truly responsive to student input and to craft lasting, uniform and positive change.
When administrators instituted changes to the dining plan in fall 2011, they did so with minimal student input and did not adequately seek suggestions or criticism until after implementation, forcing a reactive approach to the issue rather than a proactive one. In the fall, students will be offered more options and flexibility in their dining plans, but only after a full academic year of dissatisfaction and tension. By announcing these new alcohol policy proposals before they are set in stone, Johnson and her fellow administrators can act with transparency and cooperation with campus organizations to truly protect student welfare.
On Thursday, Dean Johnson announced in a campus-wide email that all community members can learn about the proposed reforms in their entirety and provide feedback through the dean of the College’s website. Those interested will also have the opportunity to attend an open forum on July 31 to share their thoughts with administrators directly. While we applaud Johnson for providing multiple mediums through which students can make their voices heard, simply providing these avenues is not enough. The input provided cannot go ignored. If it does, the College will have missed the chance to get these essential reforms right the first time, and administrators will have to deal with an unpleasant fallout as students across campus express displeasure not only with the policies but with the lack of agency in their formulation. That battle will only result in harming the very thing that the proposals are intended to aid — student safety and well-being.
At this point in time, we still have more questions than answers about the policies. Who will pay for the licensed caterers? What exactly is a licensed caterer, and how will catering licenses be obtained? Can Safety and Security enter a Greek house at all hours? Do the officers have the right to enter all parts of Greek houses and College dormitories? Can they intrude on fraternities’ and sororities’ members-only meetings? The administration will need to take advantage of the time they have left before the policies are scheduled to go into effect next term. Johnson must finalize these details and include them in an open discussion of the policies and their implications. Some students have expressed concern that these policies may cause Greek houses to hold fewer registered and open events, leading to more “underground drinking,” making the Greek system more exclusive and deterring students from making Good Samaritan calls when necessary. If the administration does not work with the student body, such negative consequences are far more likely, and could be far more extreme.
Above all, we urge the administration to keep a balance between student safety and student freedom their top priority. Any new policies must be intended to benefit students and should not be implemented to counteract a negative public image.
It is clear that Johnson and the rest of the administration will need to be proactive in promoting campus dialogue about binge drinking, hazing and the potential for new policy measures to address these issues. We are looking forward to the campus-wide forum on July 31 for further discussion and urge all affected students as well as relevant members of the administration to take advantage of the feedback methods available to them.
Dean Johnson, JD has shown that she doesn’t care about student input and is once again revealing her true colors that she is anti-student. We already know she is anti-gay from her early exit at the Speak Out event last term and the rumors that she forced April Thompson out because of her sexual orientation. The only thing Johnson knows how to do is develop bad policies. She has done nothing positive for Dartmouth and is continuing to drive it into the ground. Let’s hope the revised alcohol policies involve her resignation, effective immediately!
By The Sad Truth on Jul 14 | 8:26 am
The problem is the national drinking age. It doesn’t make sense at a college where relatively no students drive.
Since students are busy, and often miss important meetings like the food court meeting, why not have a student wide ballot box on important things like this and let democracy take over? Voting would be the most fair and balanced way to figure out what all students want and the outcome could be revealed in the D. Create a student run Dartmouth Undergraduate voting mechanism on your own and take that information to the administration and the trustees.
By Anonymous on Jul 15 | 10:19 pm
Hey, how about random walk through drug tests and are you working checks by students and alums of the Dartmouth administration? Students aren’t too busy for that are they.
By Anon on Jul 16 | 11:42 am
I agree with Anonymous on Jul 15 | 10:19 pm that the problem is the national drinking age. Sadly, there will probably never be enough momentum to change that system.
Random walkthroughs should be conducted of faculty’s private residences as well for their own safety.
By Anonymous on Jul 17 | 12:41 am