Dartmouth College is not alone in its renewed initiative against alcohol abuse.
Several other Ivy League institutions, most notably the University of Pennsylvania, have also implemented revised alcohol policies at the start of this school year.
After six months of discussion spurred by the alcohol-related death of Penn graduate Michael Tobin last March, the university instituted a broad series of changes aimed at increasing nonalcoholic social options and alcohol awareness, and reducing the number of alcohol related incidents on campus.
The policy stipulates that hard alcohol be unavailable at undergraduate events, alcohol distribution must end at 1 a.m. and a stricter monitoring program be implemented. The policy also includes counseling for violators and stricter regulations regarding drinking in dorm rooms.
The Penn task force's 45 recommendations also aimed at providing greater nonalcoholic social options to students, varying from increasing Gymnasium hours to regular screening movies for students.
Michael Silver, Penn's Undergraduate Assembly chairperson who was involved in implementing the alcohol initiative this summer, referred to the death of Tobin as a "wake-up call" and characterized the new policy as comprehensive.
But he also added that the policy does not affect off campus residences, which include approximately 40 percent of the university's undergraduate population.
"The university can't do a lot of stuff legally," he said.
Expressing the need to encourage and not enforce stricter measures, Silver, a senior at the university, said the Assembly plans to organize a forum on alcohol-related liability and insurance issues, distribute a pamphlet on first aid to all off-campus students and form an alcohol committee.
Even though it is still early in the term for the administrators and undergraduate assembly to gauge student response to the initiative, Silver admitted the existence of some skepticism among students.
"It is harder for [the administration] to reach out to students and explain that [the policy] is in their best interest," he said.
Admitting that it is early to comment on the success of the policy, Silver said a Zeta Beta Tau party last weekend ended without any violations.
Even though Princeton University's alcohol policy remains essentially the same, the penalty for students caught serving alcohol to minors has become stricter.
Previously, offenders would receive a dean's warning and subsequently a three-month and then nine-month probation before being suspended on the fourth violation. Following the recent initiative, first-time offenders receive a three-month probation directly; the deans' warning is no longer given.
Kathleen Deignan of the Dean of Students' Life Office at Princeton said the Committee on Discipline recommended these changes after realizing that students weren't taking alcohol rules seriously. She said a dean's warning was considered by most as "very mild."
Letters have been sent out to freshmen and upperclassmen at Princeton informing students of these changes.
Chris Farrell at The Daily Princetonian said most students feel the recent changes are harsh. Even though the changes haven't affected many activities on campus, Farrell said fewer parties were organized freshmen week.
The Editor-in-Chief of The Columbia Spectator, Nathan Hale, said while Columbia University's alcohol policy remains unchanged, the administration plans to enforce the policy more rigorously this year.
