The numbers are stark and overwhelming. The number of alcohol violations at Fairfield University jumped from 651 in 2003 to 752 in 2004, a 16 percent increase in a single year, but there is little agreement on whether the most recent numbers listed in the annual crime report reflect increased alcohol consumption on campus.
“We have had a busy year so far,” said Director of Public Safety Todd Pelazza, in reference to the freshman class. According to The Mirror, 23 students were sent to the health center or hospitalized for alcohol consumption in the first two weeks of school.
This increase in numbers is not necessarily negative, according to Dean of Students Mark Reed. Reed said that he is okay with these numbers going up only if it means that there is more awareness among students and those students are helping their friends get help when there has been heavy drinking.
Hutch Williams ’08, an RA, worries that as the party reputation grows, “our fine university is being shunned.” He says that this poor behavior reflect select students who choose to abuse alcohol, not Fairfield as a whole.
Alcohol abuse incidents have not showed signs of declining this fall.
This problem is not just merely an obstacle for Fairfield, as campus reports and stories distributed by the University Wire conclude that it seems to be a problem across the nation.
At Loyola College in Maryland, there were 126 more referrals between the 2003 and 2004 school year, and Duke University posted a referral jump of 207.
Schools such as Maryland University have started taking privileges away from students for drinking violations, such as limiting where the student is allowed to live the following year. These efforts may be attributed to Maryland’s decrease in referrals from 1,139 to 940 between the 2003 and 2004 year.
Jeanne DiMuzio, director of Wellness and Prevention, said that there has been a high risk of consumption on campus that can be contributed to “pre-gaming” and “power hour” among students.
Fairfield has many programs to help keep students aware of this risk. Programs like Alcohol 101, alcohol awareness week and FYE are constant aids to students. Also, the new Ride to Safety program has been received well and is frequently used by students.
DiMuzio said that they are adding another program called MyStudentBody.com, which is an interactive website for all students. Also, Wellness and Prevention is working on a social norms campaign, which, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education, is based on the theory that students overestimate how much their peers drink. Giving accurate information about campus consumption will prompt students to drink less. This campaign is expected to launch in the spring of 2006.
University president Jeffery von Arx, S.J., said that the school also wants to encourage student activities and culture activities to help integrate learning in the classroom with everyday life behaviors. The knowledge students gain from the classroom will hopefully influence their judgment and actions in the dorms or when socializing with other students.
Students have noticed that Public Safety and Judicial are getting stricter.
“There is a greater awareness from administration and Public Safety to crack down on the problem,” said Taylor Murphy ’08. She said that more students are being caught for drinking, but she does not think that student awareness of alcohol consumption has increased.
Murphy said that she feels the university tries the best it can to provide outlets such as FUSA events on the weekends and other choices for sober weekends, but students “don’t take advantage of these opportunities.”
Lauren Zaremba ’08 said such programs are not always easy outlets. Some activities require money and are off-campus, which she feels takes away from school spirit and uniting the campus.
“There needs to be something to bring the campus together and they need to be more frequent,” she said.
Other students agreed that these programs are not well known, but felt that the university is definitely doing a better job at adding programs for students to be involved in.
“We are pleased with efforts we’ve made,” said Reed. “but not satisfied either.”
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