<p>While I feel that the sanctions are tough and it is unfair to blame only the greek community for something I see that happens in non-greek circles as well, it is no secret that there is a group of greeks, club sport organization and other groups that participates in hazing activities and dangerous drinking activities. How do you feel that my university can best handle this situation going forth?</p>
<p>Last year a fraternity pledge died after he decided to drive while under the influence and recently another fraternity member had to be taken to the hospital after drinking too much (in addition to being on cocaine) and these incidents probably prompted the administration to take action.</p>
<p>1) Ban fraternites and expel any student participating in off-campus fraternites.</p>
<p>2) Take irresponsible alcohol infractions seriously. Kick kids out. </p>
<p>3) Stop accepting applicants from high schools and prep schools that send drunks to the college. Let the guidance counselors at those schools know why Biffy and Buffy aren’t being accepted.</p>
<p>Wow, they banned activities by ALL Greek organizations? They didn’t just punish the guilty ones?</p>
<p>Compare that to Elon, which suspended one fraternity for 6 months following a pledge’s alcohol poisoning. Here’s some comments from Elon’s president Leo Lambert, and Dean of Students Smith Jackson:</p>
<p>So, if 99% of students at X high school are not “drunks,” they should not be accepted to a particular college because a student from their high school got into trouble at that college? That makes no sense. Also, a high school doesn’t “send” a “drunk” to college. A family sends their child to college. A high school may not have any idea that a particular student is a “drunk” or will become one when he/she arrives at college (some students start drinking in college). Also, how would you have the high school define “a drunk”? If a student drinks outside of high school and the high school knows nothing of it, how is the high school responsible for who enrolls at a college and what they do when they get there? There are no questions on the counselor’s report that ask the student’s alcohol history (not that the high school guidance counselor would even know it unless the student had had disciplinary actions at the HS, which case suspensions are reported). And why are the other students from that high school punished for the actions of one graduate from their HS?</p>
<p>Correct. I believe that high schools and prep schools identified as feeder schools for drunks at elite colleges should pay a price. IMO, there would quickly be intense community pressure among parents and students of those, often affluent, schools to stop condoning teenage drunks.</p>
<p>I think they are in a tough predicament. Reminds me of how Queens, a well known college here in Canada, decided to ban homecoming weekend because it had gotten increasingly raucous/drunk/dangerous year after year (those most often arrested were non-students). The sanctions affected many but I think it was necessary. And it has been a chance for the entire school to step back and ask themselves how they contributed to the problem and what they can do differently going forward. Even if they were just observing, they were in many ways adding to the riot. </p>
<p>I think greeks on some campuses have the ability to organize and lead and set the tone of the campus culture, unlike any other particular group on campus. So even if they were not responsible, they might be the ones to help change the culture going forward , especially with an incentive.</p>
<p>^ I agree with the above statement. This year at my private LAC has been by far the worst for alcohol poisoning incidents. This new freshman class LOVES going out, but with the school driving most of the social life off campus, kids end up drinking heavily in their rooms “pre-gaming” for events downtown or at other clubs. I don’t think the new class drinks anymore than in years past as our school is a fixture on Playboy’s party school list, but administration cracking down on drinking on campus is only making things worse for people’s personal safety.</p>
<p>In regards to Greek Life, none has been directly related, and the new freshman class can’t rush until the spring so their higher incident rates are unrelated.</p>
<p>At the Canadian unis drinking is allowed at 19, and they drink just like American kids do. A lot. McGill (located in Quebec where the drinking age is 18) has the strongest drinking/partying rep. in the country. Students at UK universities, where drinking is allowed at 18, drink hugely too. Hugely.</p>
<p>So…^^^ you want high school guidance counselors who, in addition to working on school schedules, interpersonal and personal relationships, college applications to become Gestapo agents and investigate the private lives of the kids they counsel? (OK, maybe Hoover style FBI in the old days…or KGB…)</p>
<p>So, I agree, we should ban all kids from high schools who produce a drinker. It will certainly solve the race of competition to get into college.</p>
<p>As it stands right now, elite college high schools and prep schools cover up alcohol related suspensions on college applications. A big part of the problem is that peers, schools, and parents effectively condone Otis the Town Drunk behavior. I’m saying that some negative consequences where it hurts (college applications) would have an immediate impact on teen drunkenness.</p>
<p>I know that you mis wrote: there is no such thing as “elite college high schools” . I’m sorry, this whole notion of a school turning a kid in for off campus out of school hours POSSIBLE and/or rumored behavior isn’t moral and/or legal and would open up the school and the counselor for legal action.</p>
<p>I have little or nothing to do with most families at my kids’ public hs. They aren’t my problem or concern. How, exactly, am I supposed to exert “peer pressure” on some random kid who may have a drinking problem? And why should that kid’s issues be reflected in my kids’ acceptances? It’s about as dumb as saying that the kids born at the same hospital as mine reflect on mine somehow.</p>
<p>I believe every high school in this country has kids who drink excessively or will drink to excess in college. Every single one. Therefore no colleges would accept students from any US high school, as every single one sends drunks to college.</p>
<p>Let’s say my kid goes to a hs where drinking is the norm. Kid manages to avoid the party scene, is labeled “uncool” and has a limited social life, stays on track throughout. Now my kid gets penalized by colleges for doing exactly what Interestdad has advocated for before, i.e. letting kids know that not everyone drinks, binge drinking is NOT the norm, it’s ok to be sober and to find fun in other ways, etc.</p>
<p>Interestdad, which is it? Do we want to empower our kids to learn to say no, or do we just punish them for having survived a HS which promotes a drinking culture even though our kid has managed to rise above it?</p>
<p>Quote
3) Stop accepting applicants from high schools and prep schools that send drunks to the college. Let the guidance counselors at those schools know why Biffy and Buffy aren’t being accepted.</p>
<p>Are you high? There is zero chance that this would ever be remotely possible. It baffles me that you could type that sentence without laughing so hard you pass out on your keyboard. </p>
<p>I think all dogs should be banned from ring outside their owner’s house too. Because at some point every type of dog has injured somebody. Therefore, all dogs will injure somebody. Ban them all. Let their owners know why Spot and Spike are not allowed outside the house. </p>
<p>That’s saying the exact same thing. I really hope you posted that as a joke and you can now make fun of me for thinking it was serious. </p>
<p>You have to see the flaw in your argument and logic.</p>
<p>I want to motivate elite college feeder high schools and prep schools to stop condoning and promoting a culture of teen drunkenness. I don’t believe it would take long at all if Biffy, Buffy, their parents, and their headmaster knew that college admissions could be the penalty.</p>
<p>But, who’s kidding who? The college want the drunks. They could stop admitting them, but they don’t. Elite college admissions can get whatever class they want. That’s the problem here. The full extent of the willingness college administrators to address the problem is putting a fraternity on “social probation” for a few months. Big whup. Then, it’s right back to promoting the drinking culture and recruiting more drunks.</p>