The Dangers Of Complacency

Binge drinking is a big problem on America's college campuses. Congress, in the Higher Education Act passed last week, took a long overdue step to address the problem. The legislation will require colleges to report to the government all liquor-law violations, including incidents which do not result in arrest. Colleges will now also be permitted to inform parents of any alcohol-related offenses committed by their children.

Though we are concerned about the invasion of privacy allowed by the latter stipulation, the new anti-drinking initiatives are, on the whole, valuable in the fight to save lives from alcohol overconsumption. Here at Harvard, alcohol-related incidents that had gone unreported will now have to be revealed to the government. Those numbers may lead to a more accurate estimate of the prevalence of heaving drinking on campus.

The Higher Education Act also requests that colleges employ a zero-tolerance policy for underage drinkers. But rather than embrace this crackdown, or at least propose new steps toward zero tolerance short of a dry campus, Harvard seems a little too pleased with itself.

In comments to The Crimson last week, Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis '68 said, "Harvard has done a lot over the past couple of years...and we continue to review and converse about our policies with a variety of people and offices...I do think that Harvard took this issues on a bit earlier than some other colleges have done and that awareness may be higher here than elsewhere."

Dean Lewis is right that Harvard is free of some of the alcohol-related pressures present at other schools; at MIT, for example, students are driven into a fraternity system in the search for better housing.

Nevertheless, Lewis's comments seem to reveal a hint of complacency about drinking at Harvard. True, no fraternities are recognized by the College. But has Dean Lewis forgotten our precious final clubs, also not recognized by Harvard, but where students drink the weekends away? Or the heavy drinking that occurs weekly at parties in private rooms? Or the annual, beverage-laden initiation ceremonies for sports teams and other officially-recognized organizations?

Harvard is lucky that it has managed to avoid any binge-drinking tragedies. But this legislation should remind the College of the need to continue to educate.

The College should increase awareness about final clubs, perhaps in the form of a brochure directed at first-years outlining the nature of the clubs.

The Dean of Students' Office should continue to look toward promoting social events on campus that do not involve alcohol, perhaps by directing more money to House Committees to be used for social functions that do not rely on alcohol to draw crowds.

This legislation is a start. Ultimately, however, binge drinking will only be effectively curtailed by a change in students' attitudes. Not treating binge drinking as a serious problem on this campus is not the way to change that attitude.