Enter the alcohol policy matrix

There is an electricity on campus these days, a back-to-school buzz rippling through every part of Boston College, as returning students, still sun-streaked and giddy from seas of familiar faces, settle back into a routine. Those new to campus still look a little bewildered, though just as enthused for the coming school year.

The beginning of the year brings with it the usual host of social gatherings, but this year will take a different tone when the University gets involved. As many students will quickly learn firsthand, 2008-2009 brings with it a revised set of sanctions for drug and alcohol violations, including fines of up to $400 for multiple offenses.

These policy changes come during an interesting transition in the way many universities approach alcohol consumption on their campuses. As BC tightens its grip on the scene, harsh alcohol policies are drawing heavy criticism across the country in the form of the Amethyst Initiative. Supporters of this proposal, which was signed by 129 college and university presidents across the country, cite "a culture of dangerous binge-drinking on many campuses," despite the legal drinking age of 21, as a reason to open discussion about the law's effectiveness. Those involved express concern over the "unintended consequences" of the legal drinking age, including closeted binge-drinking off campus and loss of respect for the legal system through the use of fake identification.

Presidents of universities such as Dartmouth, Duke, and Johns Hopkins have signed on, along with those of a number of large state universities and small liberal arts colleges. BC is not currently among them.

This is not because binge-drinking is absent from campus. Neither BC students nor administrators will deny the strong presence of alcohol in campus culture. Binge-drinking is defined as the consumption of five or more drinks in succession for men, and four or more for women, at least once in the past two weeks.

So, why has BC seemingly gone in the opposite direction of the other schools? Is "the Matrix," as it has been ominously termed, an attempt to scare students into good behavior?

"BC is actually in line with many other schools," says Henry Humphreys, director in the Office of Residential Life, referring to the number of fellow Jesuit and ACC schools with similar fining policies. "Before any final decision was made, we conversed with other benchmark institutions, and we are in line with what they are doing."

This is the first time BC has published a minimum set of disciplinary sanctions, and this is the first time fines will be collected from students, though all other punishments remain relatively the same as in previous years.

"The process is meant to be constructive," Humphreys says. "The belief is that the money should go back into the community affected by the negative behavior, which is why fines will be put toward student programs such as alcohol education and late-night programming. It's not like we're going to build a new recreation complex with the money."

Adding a further dash of credibility to the policy changes is the College Alcohol Study (CAS), which, recently concluded by Harvard School of Public Health, found that schools with strong drinking cultures, lenient alcohol control policies, and easy access to cheap alcohol, generally have higher rates of binge-drinking among students. The study, spanning a period of eight years and involving more than 14,000 students at 120 colleges in 40 states, has shown that school policy has a heavy influence on the number of students illegally under it.

This is not to say, however, that the CAS findings and consistency between schools invalidate concerns of students and the Amethyst Initiative alike. Though alcohol is illegal to possess or supply by those underage, it has become a widely accepted part of college life. Something so deeply ingrained will not simply disappear. A certain amount of backlash is to be expected over what could be seen as a $400 can of Natural Light.

"It seems obvious," said Loren Pani, A&S '11, "that when students feel disrespected in the judicial process, they will come out of it bitter and less willing to comply with the rules. I went through it last year, and came out feeling horrible about myself, and angry enough to do it again."

The act of drinking also carries with it an illusion of maturity, often creating a status symbol out of drinking prowess in a college setting. Because it can be viewed as a measure of social aptitude, students have voiced concerns that people will challenge harsher rules with reckless habits, consuming more alcohol in a shorter amount of time to avoid getting caught.

"Where I'm from, that's nothing to be proud of," says David Laugier, CSOM '11, a native of France who immigrated to Israel in high school, "but here it is. I've never seen more irresponsible drinking practices than at BC. People don't seem to understand the concept of quality over quantity. Sure, everyone has their rough nights, but it's nothing to brag about the next morning."

Students may be able to appreciate sanctions that are more clear-cut than in previous years but still disagree with the severity of punishments.

"[The administration] should be much more open to what everyone knows happens, and how it's going to happen regardless of what they do to prevent it," says Brendan Feinberg, CSOM '11. "The priority should be to make sure kids are safe, and the new policies won't make kids feel that way."

These unintended consequences of stringent policies form the base ideology behind the Amethyst Initiative, which is currently drawing harsh criticism from groups such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), transportation officials, safety experts, and politicians. These critics have accused signatories of shirking their responsibility to the law and presenting misleading information to the public. As a result, two university presidents have removed their names from the list, citing critics' failure to understand the petition's purpose of examination, mistaking it as an effort to bolster their reputation as "party schools."

The name chosen for the petition indicates otherwise. The word amethyst is derived from the Ancient Greek "not" (a-) and "intoxicated" (methustos). In Ancient Greek culture, the purple gemstone amethyst was believed to counter the negative effects of drunkenness, and its use in drinking vessels stood in support of moderation.

It would seem that BC is using an opposite strategy to curb drinking on campus by shooting for abstinence instead of moderation, but a shared purpose with the Amethyst Initiative propels BC's new policy into a progressive light.

"The thing about the Amethyst Initiative," Humphreys says, "is that it asks for a dialogue."

At BC, the discussion is already underway, with an alcohol amnesty policy proposal currently in the works, and the involvement of student groups, including the Residence Hall Association and the Undergraduate Government of BC, giving students a voice. Major issues remain, but the discussion floor has opened, and, by Amethyst standards, that's a step in the right direction.