Last Friday, caught somewhere between a vague feeling of civic duty and a desire to put off writing my thesis for yet another day, I found myself attending the ACC's first workshop concerning high-risk drinking on Princeton's campus. As a member of the Interclub Council, I had sat through an ACC "shareholders" meeting, at which the co-chairs of the ACC told us that they were interested in student feedback concerning high-risk drinking and that they had no pre-ordained agenda. Some of us weren't entirely convinced, and I have to admit my skepticism going into the workshop. In retrospect, while it's fair to say the ACC's workshops are nothing revolutionary, they do seem to be a solid step in the right direction.
First of all, last week's workshop was not solely focused on what we're doing wrong with regard to dangerous drinking on campus. It also placed significant emphasis on what we're doing right. In one discussion, several students expressed their strong support of the University's policy not to report incidences of underage drinking on campus to local authorities, feeling that such a move would make students less willing to care for their peers. Participants also acknowledged the many efforts made by student organizations and the University administration to create a safe environment conducive to responsible behavior. For example, the USG gets popular bands to play on Dean's Date in an effort to provide safe, non-alcoholic fun, and the residential colleges host frosh week discussions each year concerning alcohol use and abuse to educate the incoming freshman class. The eating clubs have gone to great lengths to ensure the safety of the students they serve, hiring security personnel and putting sober officers on duty every night they open their doors. The students and administrators in attendance at the workshop recognized that, while we've got some ground to cover, it's not as if we aren't already trying to maintain a safe campus environment.
I was also surprised by the frankness of the workshop participants. The people in the room with me weren't just flapping their jaws; most of them seemed to be sincerely interested in discussing - and solving - the problem at hand. During the general discussion at the end of the workshop, an administrator stood to express her gratitude to the students at her table for the honesty and openness they exhibited during the break-out discussions. Much to our surprise, she then returned the favor by frankly stating that the most serious concern facing us with regards to alcohol consumption is how to create a safe environment for underage drinking. She wasn't encouraging students to break the law, but she was openly acknowledging that, above all else, our top priority is ensuring the health and well-being of the members of the Princeton community, not getting kids in trouble for drinking. As a student, I found such a statement coming from an administrator incredibly reassuring.
It's possible that these workshops are essentially meaningless. They could be just another bureaucratic construct that gets the University off the hook when critics claim that nothing is being done about high-risk drinking on Princeton's campus. But after attending last week's workshop, I hold out hope that the ACC's efforts might actually result in some positive changes. At the very least, I have been convinced to attend the ACC's second workshop today concerning "Structures that affect high-risk drinking" in Wu Dining Hall at 1 p.m. If you're bored and looking for a way to spend your Friday afternoon, you should consider showing up.
Tommy Curry is the former president of Colonial Club. He can be reached at tcurry@princeton.edu.
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