Editorial: Assessing the new alcohol policy

During the SGA’s Oct. 13 meeting, Dean of Students Allison Gulati and Assistant Dean of Students Jane Schubert announced the College’s new plan to enhance campus social life. The primary focus of this plan involves providing alcohol at campus events to those of legal age, in addition to scheduling more alcohol-free events during late night hours.

The introduction of alcohol will certainly change how students engage with college-sponsored events and will likely invigorate social life on campus. It will provide safer spaces for consumption, as well as discourage the off-campus experiences that have resulted in a rift with our Allentown neighbors.

That said, the policy is far from perfect. Because this plan will involve balancing experiences with and without alcohol, there is a possibility that providing alcohol at certain events will alien- ate those who cannot legally drink. Students who are under the legal drinking age might feel excluded, especially since the over-21 group will be in a physically separated area. Although the intent of the policy is to create a safer and more inclusive community, this strategy could easily backfire if events with alcohol oc- cur too often. Therefore, to ensure the policy is successful in this regard, it may be best for events with alcohol to be as infrequent as to still consider them ‘special.’

In a different but related vein, alcohol abuse is an ongoing issue among college students as excessive and binge drink- ing are prevalent on college campuses. Currently, the exact legal terms of the policy have not been made available to students. It will be vital that the policy has well outlined rules that allow supervision of those drinking and would effectively prevent students from over-consumption. However, this is not to say students can’t handle themselves. They should—and can—be responsible for their own health. If anything, these safer, public spaces should lower excessive or binging occurrences.

In the best case scenario, students of all ages will hopefully be more compelled to attend on-campus events; the alcohol will serve as the primary draw for the over-21 population, and the later start times should be more appealing to all students. The result would be a student body that is both unified under and engaged in a greater social atmosphere.

Of course, it is also important to consider a less successful outcome, one where the inclusion of alcohol serves as a divisive force, rather than a unifying one. In this scenario, the only difference would be the location of drinking: on campus, as opposed to in private homes. However, the primary goal of the policy—to improve a presently underwhelm- ing social life—would be largely unsuccessful. Ultimately, the weight of the policy’s success falls on the management of individual events.

Muhlenberg has seen many changes in its first year under President Williams, but most of these have focused on improving the College’s external image and reputation. This new policy is perhaps the first change specifically designed with student interests as its top priority. For that alone, the College should be commended.

Overall, the College’s plan to create more opportunities for students to socialize both with and without alcohol is a step in the right direction. By encouraging students to remain on campus and to drink legally with their peers, the policy may have a net positive effect on not only social life, but health for students as well.