Alcohol changes must come from within

It is no secret that many Duke students lead double lives. During the day, in and between classes, they exhibit intelligence, responsibility and passion in virtually everything they do. However, come nightfall, many of these same students make reckless and unsafe decisions regarding alcohol.

The noticeable but limited success of the online education course AlcoholEdu points to the shortcomings of conversations about alcohol driven by administrators. As a new study indicates, within a single semester of taking AlcoholEdu, college students who have taken the course have similar drinking rates as those who had not taken the course. This is not to say that such one-sided conversations are unproductive. Rather, these conversations are crucial, especially at the beginning of a student’s Duke career. Whether through interfacing with AlcoholEdu or attending the Wellness Center’s “True Blue” talk, freshmen must somehow obtain correct information about alcohol use. But information does not always translate into action.

The stark divide between students’ public and private lives suggests that administration-mandated conversations about alcohol must be supplemented with personal conversations among peers. Didactic models alone do not work. The question is not, “How many fluid ounces of liquor equal one serving?” but rather, “How am I to navigate the Duke social scene while making safe decisions about drinking?” The latter question is best answered through private peer-to-peer conversation, the kind that unfolds candidly in the dorm room or the dining hall. Students are likely to be more honest with themselves and each other in such a setting, and honesty constitutes the first step to real and lasting changes in drinking behavior.

Students must take the lead in starting frank conversations about alcohol. For example, the FAC program could devote one of its FAC chats solely to a discussion about the Duke party scene, while making clear to freshmen that partying is an entirely optional element of the Duke experience. The Panhellenic Association and the Interfraternity Council could also begin alcohol awareness initiatives broadly or on a chapter-by-chapter basis, especially as rush season approaches. These events should foster open dialogue aimed at eliciting honesty, not judgment. Of course, the best conversations are still those had spontaneously among a group of close friends.

The administration’s efforts to change the student attitudes toward alcohol are, at the very least, well-intentioned. Eliminating Tailgate, prohibiting registered parties during the first two weeks of classes and hinting at tougher disciplinary policies all point to an extensive campaign to transform Duke’s drinking culture.

The University’s past commitment to a “harm-reduction” model in alcohol policy can only help. The University’s recent participation in the Learning Collaborative on High-Risk Drinking, a collaboration among 14 universities which aims to curb binge drinking in college students, and its continued commitment to disciplinary amnesty for students who seek alcohol-related medical assistance bespeaks a desire to heal and not to punish. But no substantial change will occur until students feel the impetus themselves.

Let us finally have those honest conversations that have the potential to bring about real change. Such change must come from us, the students, and now is as good a time as any.