Letter to the Editor: Alcohol policy denies climate of integrity

At a moment when Duke University seeks to promote integrity and honesty through the implementation of a new Community Standard, the administration implicitly forces students to lie, at all times, about our drinking.

The Community Standard requires that all individuals associated with Duke University constantly uphold a "climate of integrity." In the same breath, the University mandates that all living group events with alcohol have a University bartender or be designated as BYOB. From our observations of BYOB events, attendees rarely bring their own alcohol, but rather are openly and freely served by the party's hosts. This is not done surreptitiously; it is the common manner by which parties operate on our campus.

How can we claim to promote a "climate of integrity" when the administration tacitly condones the distribution of alcohol to underage drinkers? Deans and residential staff regularly walk the halls of BYOB events, observing countless underage drinkers, without saying a word. This flagrant disregard by staff members creates an untenable situation in which students act contrary to administrative policy without fear of repercussion. Arbitrary enforcement leads to misplaced expectations and rightly disgruntled students when enforcement arrives.

This system will unequivocally lead to the demise of all social living groups. When providing viable (although illegal) social options, living groups are consistently winked at by the administration. Failure looms inevitably though, because at any moment, living groups and individuals can be punished judicially for behavior that had been previously condoned.

Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of this dilemma is how it demonstrates the University's unabashed selfishness and lack of faith in its students' decision-making abilities. The current incarnation of Duke's alcohol policy was created in response to an alcohol-related student death five years ago. While you'll never hear this from Larry Moneta, the undeniable purpose of this document is to limit Duke's financial liability. The University has sold its students' trust to lower its insurance premiums.

This letter is not the appropriate space to detail a new alcohol policy. However, public acknowledgement of underage drinking dooms a proposal from its inception. As Dr. Moneta noted to us in an e-mail, alcohol policies should try to minimize hospitalizations, sexual assaults and unsafe behaviors. Any new set of rules must focus primarily on promoting safe behaviors and avoid the detailed mess entailed in our current system. A responsible treatment of alcohol on this campus must realistically reconcile known patterns of student behavior with University liability. Then, Duke won't have to pretend we live in a "culture of integrity."

Chase Johnson and Anthony Vitarelli
Trinity '05
Vitarelli is President of Campus Council, but this letter represents his own opinion, and does not necessarily represent the view of Campus Council