After years of student grumbling about the University's strict fines for alcohol violations, the Dean of Students Office has revised its regulations on drug and alcohol use. The new policy is designed to present a unified response to illegal drinking at Tufts, while encouraging students to seek medical help for friends in alcohol-related emergencies.
Dean of Students Bruce Reitman called the new rules, which closely resemble those of other Boston-area schools, a "middle of the road policy."
"We're not asking for a dry campus - some schools did that, and I think it's foolish," said Reitman. He went on to say that the new policy meets the administration's goals of "balancing something that meets the requirements of the law, meets the requirements of our own Tufts families - which are not just students - and is not so strenuous that it prevents people from calling medical help for their friends who need it." The new standards are much more lenient on the vast majority of students, who never get beyond a first citation.
The policy employs three levels of probation to deal with alcohol and drug infractions. A first offense will result in level one disciplinary probation for one year, a drug/alcohol consultation, and residence hall probation for one year. If a second violation occurs, the student will be placed on level two disciplinary probation for one year, and will attend another consultation. The student's parents will be notified, and they will be placed on deferred residential separation for a year, meaning that any further residential life policy violation will result in the loss of campus housing.
If a student commits a third offense, which has never happened according to Reitman, he or she will be placed on mandatory medical leave from the University for one year.
The new policy eliminates the controversial $50 fine that is thought to have made students less likely to call for help when their classmates were in trouble. While the old policy allowed alcohol violations in residential halls to be treated differently than infractions elsewhere on campus, all disciplinary action regarding illegal drinking will now be dealt with by Assistant Dean of Judicial Affairs Veronica Carter.
The changes come amidst a growing student sentiment that Tufts imposes too many fines and fees on its students, many of whom are already on financial aid or receiving student loans. Many complained that the old policy, which allowed students in certain circumstances to choose between a monetary fine and community service, was harder on students with less money.
"I was written up for drinking my freshman year," said junior Bill Lane. "We were given a choice between a $50 fine or ten hours of community service, and I chose the fine." Under the new policy, students no longer have the option to "buy their way" out of alcohol and drug violations, putting all students on equal footing, regardless of an individual's financial situation.
Reitman said that there was much disagreement among students at last spring's Opening Up the Classroom forum on whether parents should be informed about students' alcohol violations. Massachusetts law requires all public universities in the state to call a student's parents on the first alcohol offense, but Tufts, as a private university, made the choice not to involve parents until a second offense is committed, out of respect for student privacy.
The Dean of Students Office urges students to contact Tufts Emergency Medical Service (TEMS) for people who are "intoxicated or drugged to the point of semi-consciousness," and warns them never to "leave an individual alone to 'sleep it off' or overestimate your own ability to assure his or her safety or to recognize the danger signs." Students can reach TEMS 24 hours a day by calling 7-6911.
