Alcohol Panel Seeks Attitude Adjustment
A panel charged with reducing alcohol abuse at Colby produced a report in May that included more than 30 recommendations, many of which attempt to promote "a culture of responsibility."
Following nearly a year of research and discussion the Trustee Commission on Alcohol, chaired by Beverly Nalbandian Madden '80, said it seeks to develop a more vibrant social life while creating an environment "where abuse is challenged and not tolerated, where all persons will be honored, and where civility and respect for the educational process, both inside and outside the classroom, are paramount."
Dean of the College Earl Smith, a commission member, said the panel believed that changing the campus culture, rather than the adoption of harsh regulations, was the best approach for alleviating alcohol abuse. "The rules are probably the least important part of the report," Smith said. "Many of the new things are aimed at creating different attitudes about drinking."
A major recommendation calls for the creation of a centralized social/cultural programming student board to organize campus social events and help fund many kinds of activities. The commission noted that major campus social events such as "Last Day of Loudness" do not provide adequate alternative options for students who don't wish to drink.
Shannon Baker '98 (Columbus, Ohio), a member of the commission, says that changes resulting from the panel's suggestions won't happen overnight. "I'm probably not going to see a big difference during the time I'm at Colby," she said. "But hopefully five years from now we won't have people coming into Colby expecting to play beer die every night, thinking it's a party school."
Baker says the commission report "has students talking." The components most often discussed, she says, are the new regulations limiting residence halls to one party per week and the introduction of chem-free lounges in all residence halls. "Not everybody is happy with all of the recommendations, but that's a sign that we've introduced real change," she said.
In addition to several faculty and administrators, the commission included trustees Alida Camp, Jane Whipple Coddington '55, George Haskell '55, Ellen Haweeli '69, Jean Pratt Moody '56, David Pulver '63, Elaine Zervas Stamas '53 and John Zacamy '71; students Shannon Baker '98, Alex Chin '96, Holly Grochmal '98 and Noah Wepman '96; and Alumni Council Chair Ronald Lupton '71.