College Connection: Promoting responsibility
By Dr. Jim Sorensen
Monday, November 17, 2008 10:32 AM PST
Students often arrive at college believing social activities and alcohol are expected to go together. They think college will be a time to party, experiment and escape many of the rules they may have lived with at home. When you mix these ideas with the normal desires of students to reduce inhibitions and test their independence, it should come as no surprise virtually all colleges face challenges involving alcohol.
While Treasure Valley Community College has not experienced the crisis of binge drinking that has made headlines from other colleges and universities, we are proactively working to make sure our culture and practices support responsible and safe behavior.
Drinking isn’t a “student affairs problem” or an “athletic team problem” or a “campus housing problem.” It’s a community issue and one TVCC is proactively working to address before it becomes a campus and community problem.
We work hard to provide a safe environment in which students can learn about alcohol abuse, take responsibility for their actions and have healthful options for social activities. We continually talk with student, staff and faculty leaders about these issues.
This has led to the creation of many policies and programs, including alcohol awareness seminars, dry parties, an alcohol-free campus policy and a student-involved judicial board that deals with alcohol-related violations.
Under the direction of Student Programs Director Justin Core, our student leadership has taken the lead in bringing educational seminars and speakers to campus. They also work hard to create fun alcohol-free activities and events on campus.
A few weeks ago, TVCC hosted an alcohol awareness forum. And mandatory attendance was required for all student-athletes. The presentation was given by Erica Upshaw, who shared a personal story of her brother’s death at a university campus because of alcohol poisoning. She reminded students 1,700 college students die from alcohol related deaths each year in the United States, drawing on the stories of other young men and women whose harmful choices led to the most frightening outcomes.
On Nov. 20, we are collaborating with the Ontario Police Department to bring even more awareness to this issue. Ontario Police Chief Mike Kee will be the featured speaker at a campus forum that will address alcohol, firearms, assault and drug use, beginning at 7 p.m. in Weese No. 10. The community is invited to attend this free and informative session.
In addition to the dangers of alcohol abuse, underage drinking carries serious legal implications. Educating students about the legal consequences, as well as the dangers of taking part in risky behavior, will be Chief Kee’s message.
OPD does a tremendous job in helping TVCC not only educate our students about local laws, but also in enforcing these laws and providing back-up to security on campus. In addition to being an alcohol-free campus, we have a zero-tolerance policy for any drugs or firearms on campus.
We also have developed a strict policy on no-alcohol use on field trips or other college sponsored trips, regardless of whether students are over 21. This puts TVCC in the minority, as most schools have a more tolerant alcohol use policy. Our approach, while maybe not popular, is one of the ways we believe we can improve campus and community safety.
With education, programs and intervention, colleges can be places where students learn how to socialize in a healthy, enjoyable and responsible way.
