<p>We've gotten mailing about alcohol policies from the dean. I don't approve of out of control behavior but am curious if other parents think the school seems a little over the top (esp with fines! whose money is it anyway, not the kids', that is for sure) in its strictness and policies. Or if students would say that this is a bit of a show and that kids can still have some fun there without having to leave campus (isn't campus where fun should happen?).</p>
<p>its not a show. you can have fun on campus, but you’re playing with fire, especially if you’re a repeat offender</p>
<p>That’s depressing. I don’t condone alcohol abuse but the notion of strictness to the level that it seems to be seems old fashioned and not conducive to one of the most important things about college–growing up.</p>
<p>It’s more bark than bite , but the issue of alcohol abuse is serious. Many (not an exageration) freshman are transported to Bryn Mawr Hospital with alcohol poisoning.The students refer to this as getting VEM’d.</p>
<p>It happens almost every weekend first semester including the first weekend!
The school wants kids to grow up , but they also don’t want the moral and legal liability of a kid drinking themself to death.It does happen on many campuses.</p>
<p>[Fraternities</a>, Students Charged in Penn State Drinking Death | NBC Philadelphia](<a href=“Fraternities, Students Charged in Penn State Drinking Death – NBC10 Philadelphia”>Fraternities, Students Charged in Penn State Drinking Death – NBC10 Philadelphia)</p>
<p>[Rider</a> student dies after binge drinking | NJ.com](<a href=“http://blog.nj.com/timesupdates/2007/03/lawrence_gary_devercelly_the.html]Rider”>Rider student dies after binge drinking | NJ.com)</p>
<p>[College</a> Drinking: A Snapshot of Annual High-Risk College Drinking Consequences](<a href=“http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/statssummaries/snapshot.aspx]College”>http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/statssummaries/snapshot.aspx)</p>
<p>[University</a> of Idaho student dies of apparent alcohol poisoning | Idaho | Idaho Statesman](<a href=“http://www.idahostatesman.com/2010/07/13/1265689/ui-student-dies-of-apparent-alcohol.html]University”>http://www.idahostatesman.com/2010/07/13/1265689/ui-student-dies-of-apparent-alcohol.html)</p>
<p>That being said , many kids do drink in dorms and will avoid trouble if they are discreet and have a tolerant RA. Kids do get written up , but I dont know of any that were fined ,put on probation or threatened with expulsion even after multiple offenses.
Villanova is not a party school , but kids can and do find trouble (fun?) without having to go to great lengths.</p>
<p>In light of the damage binge drinking and even just plain old getting drunk cause, I don’t think the University’s alcohol politics are at all “over the top.”</p>
<p>Two years ago a friend’s college son partied before a football game and decided he could walk along the edge of a balcony. He fell, hit his head and sustained permanent brain damage. It affected his speech, his physical abilities (he’s lucky he can even walk) and his entire future. The tragedy to him and his family and even his friends is irrevocable. </p>
<p>Stories like this are more common than they should be. Villanova is taking a realistic approach to a very serious problem.</p>
<p>I think, as stated above, they’re trying to curb a real problem. Everyone on the Main Line knows that 'Nova is a great place to get hard drugs, binge drink, etc. </p>
<p>So, no, it’s not a show. Kids are doing meth and drinking tequila from the bottle and then driving up and down Lancaster Avenue. I think the school’s trying to make up some ground.</p>
<p>This is the world we live in. When your kid gets injured on campus, who gets sued? If school lets them drink or gives the impression that it is ok, they are at fault. You can’t do anything without signing a waiver. The biggest threat for the students (I think) is that VU notifies parents of the behavior, which wouldn’t happen otherwise. How many parents have drinking parties at their houses for their senior hs graduation and supply alcohol? You would be asking for trouble. Why do you thing your kids should be allowed to do whatever they feel like doing on campus?
And the drug use at VU is minimal. I never saw anyone shooting up, or doing cocaine, while I am sure it is somewhere. I found very few students smoke pot. Many of the drug abusers tend to leave or get kicked out. Drinking is more common and the drug of choice, especially on campus. Considering how close VU is to Philly, I was surprised with the lack of drug use (which was a good thing).</p>
<p>I don’t think it is an issue of letting kids do whatever they want on campus. I think that college students are going to do some drinking and that they should be able to do so in moderation. Of course, the problem is that there isn’t much of a way to enforce moderation. I also know that the legal drinking age is 21 now, which it wasn’t when I was in school. So I suppose I would advocate having RAs and cops look for extreme behavior and not search kids’ bags (if that is what happens, which it may not). As for notifying parents, this goes to another topic that I posted earlier on this board–I don’t think that the benefits of a university experience are realized by having mom and dad looking over a student’s shoulder and the kid being worried about what his or her parents think. Yes yes, we are paying for it I know, but this is supposed to be a national university and not a high school. I think that the notion of “telling” mom and dad is a little silly and I think that fining students, which means fining parents, is sillier. </p>
<p>Here’s a difference. Villanova tells students that they will be “sanctioned” if they don’t watch the Alcohol Edu program before a certain date. Other schools say “you will need to see the dean” or whatever. I like the latter better than the former, which has an overbearing tone. </p>
<p>Whatever, I hope it is not an issue for my kid or anyone else’s.</p>
<p>I think the fancy disciplinary terms are to give the law school something to do. If you get in trouble, they take you to student court and have a board decide your fate. It is nice to have a safe campus and those who don’t cause problems have nothing to worry about. I never had my backpack searched by anyone in 5 years while on campus. Now if you were taking a huge duffle bag into a dorm on a Friday night and it makes lots of chinging sounds, public safety might get suspicious.</p>
<p>I went to a LaSalle University dorm, and was amazed how seriously they are. One-way metal partitions, bag searches, metal detectors. I felt like I was in jail, but the people who live there got used to it. In a way, the more security they have, the safer the campus.</p>