Extending the academic program and intellectual focus of the College throughout the week, severely restricting the consumption of hard alcohol on campus, and adopting a Statement of Community Expectations are among the Campus Culture Working Group’s (CCWG) recommendations for addressing the culture of excessive drinking at Colby. The CCWG’s report and recommendations, eight months in the making, were presented to students by Vice President for Student Affairs James S. Terhune at the State of the College address Sept. 15.

Formed by President William D. Adams in the aftermath of the May 2008 “Champagne Steps” end-of-classes celebration­—which saw 14 Colby students treated for alcohol poisoning and nearly overwhelmed local emergency rooms—the CCWG includes students, faculty, staff, alumni, and Waterville community members. The group met eight times between Sept. 2008 and May 2009, analyzing national data on college student drinking behavior and outcomes as well as data specific to Colby students. More than 400 Colby students participated in the CCWG’s Student Alcohol Survey, providing more than 3,000 short-answer responses to questions about the drinking behaviors of Colby students. The entire CCWG report and background materials are available at www.colby.edu/ccwg.

Students and other community members had approximately one month to comment on the CCWG’s recommendations before they were slated to go to the Board of Trustees for approval at the October meeting. If approved by the board, implementation of some of the recommendations was expected to begin immediately. Adams said the hard-alcohol ban would most likely begin next year. —David Eaton