We at W2FY recently found out about some new changes to the TU alcohol policy. Since we figured this is probably an important thing to know, and since the Daily sucks, we figured we’d report it yo ya’ll. Resident policy expert Deltron is doing this in two parts–one to familiarize all ya’ll with the policy, and the next one to describe what exactly this means for you drinking on campus.
The Tufts University administration recently stepped back and loosened its increasingly firm grip on student affairs, reworking an alcohol policy that had been placing students on irreversible disciplinary probation just for being caught enjoying a beer with their pizza.
Granted this consequence may have been suitable for the more egregious offences like requiring the services of Tufts Emergency Management Services (better known as TEMS, used as both a noun and verb on the hill), but the policy did not distinguish between social drinking and dangerous, irresponsible binge drinking.
But fear of the law was arguably making students less safe, not more, both students and administrators had said, prompting a yearlong debate about drinking that resulted in our new, less-strict policy.
Now, a year and half after a Spring Fling that put 24 students in the hospital and a Winter Bash that hosted oral sex on the dance floor and urination in the corner of the room, the university has drawn a distinction between a few brewskis with the broskis and blacking out off a handle of Rubinoff vodka.
Following a citation for the former “level A” offense, students are still put on probation one, but can be taken off if they meet with the university’s director of alcohol education. The more risky “level B” behavior, however, carries no such “forgiveness option,” and will result in parental notification and possible removal from student organizations.
Students and administrators that were heavily involved in the discussions last year were content with the results of their deliberations and said that all of the talks—which took place at a variety of levels within the community—were civil and cooperative, but the immediate effects of the new policy remain to be seen.
The university’s dean of student affairs agreed with one student who emphasized the preliminary nature of the latest policy changes. Both recognized the danger of viewing the policy as a final step in what should be a much more comprehensive look at drinking culture on campus. After all, it is commonly acknowledged that many factors contribute to any one student’s decision to indulge in dangerous behavior and the rules are just a small part of that decision when social norms often paint an alternative picture.
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