Booze forum successful

1/20/11 6:00pm

The Jan. 20 "Booze Talk" forum regarding the future of Rice's alcohol policy was, simply put, the epitome of what makes Rice such an enduring community (see story, page 1). The discussion provided a comfortable venue for students to voice concerns and suggestions about the issues at hand. The outstandingly attended intimate gathering brought together students, student leaders and administrators in an absolute testament to Rice's culture of involvement and unity.Dean of Undergraduates John Hutchinson led a panel that included representatives from REMS, Socials Committees, chief justices and Judicial Affairs. The forum was established to ensure student input in the important issue of alcohol policy. This commitment to administration-student communication has been advocated by the Thresher in the past, and we would like to acknowledge the administration's distinct attempt to include the students and encourage similar discussion in the future.

According to Hutchinson, the philosophy behind the alcohol policy is one which hinges upon Rice's "culture of care." In 1997, while other universities were "clamping down" on their alcohol policies, Rice felt comfortable liberalizing its own policy because of the confidence placed in student leadership to fill in the gap and make the system work in an effective and responsible way. This is a major point which should be considered by all students. The Thresher implores the student body to respect and appreciate the system in place or risk the possibility of losing the privileges that have been granted to us in terms of the alcohol policy.

While some of the alcohol problems might be attributed to population growth in the student body, the fact that incidences of Rice students being brought to hospitals has nearly doubled and the discovery of abandoned unconscious, intoxicated students around campus has increased, it is obvious that there exists a disparity between the current safety of students and the ideal level of safety that students should enjoy while drinking on campus. Students need to step up and fill the gap of caring for each other or else risk administrative interference as well.

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The lowest point of the forum, however, was a short discussion on RUPD's seemingly harsher attitude and more stern philosophy. While Police Chief Bill Taylor dismissed the issue by stating there is no intentional shift in RUPD procedure when dealing with alcohol policy and intoxicated students, it seems that this is an issue that requires further discussion and was not properly addressed during the forum. This is especially true because of the outpouring of complaints from students who have disagreed with RUPD's handling of various incidents over the past semester. RUPD's recent increased vigor in handing out citations and seemingly lowered empathy is a matter that needs to be addressed under the umbrella of the alcohol policy reviews.

Ultimately, Hutchinson forcefully believes that the status quo can no longer remain because it is simply not in the interest of the students. The Thresher agrees with this philosophy; however, it is imperative that no substantial changes are made to the alcohol policy and no aggressive crackdowns on the current alcohol policy's enforcement ensue. Any occurrences like these would lead to the unsafe situation of off-campus drinking. Instead, the change must be a grassroots one in which the students make changes to their habits and gain more responsibility for the care of those around them. Students, we are at a crossroads, and the decisions we make over the next semester will affect life at Rice for us and generations to come.

Take a line from the comic books: With great privileges, come great responsibilities. Students should be willing to care for not only themselves, but for those around them. After all, if students lack the common decency to care for each other, other entities such as RUPD may have no choice but to intervene. This only leads to more work for RUPD and REMS and more angry students confused as to why RUPD is increasing its presence.

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