November 25, 2007 02:07 am
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Last year, a young man visiting university students here fell to his death from a balcony in Mankato. He’d been drinking. Last month, a student died after she drank a lethal amount of alcohol. Last weekend, one student was killed and another severely injured when they were struck by a car. They had been at an off-campus sorority party and police say alcohol was a factor.
Then, there are the unknown number of local accidents, arrests, injuries, sexual assaults and related crimes that have one unifying element — excessive drinking.
Maybe it’s time to do something.
Really do something. Not just hold another memorial service, appoint another task force, or shrug it off by saying kids will be kids.
It would be unfair to say no one cares or that no one is trying to help. A lot of people are trying very hard. But Mankato still lacks the kind of comprehensive and sustained effort that starts to put a lid on drinking by some that has gone far beyond a “rite of passage.”
For whatever reasons, more young people are drinking more hard liquor to extremes that endanger their lives or kill them.
Recent surveys show the number of college students who say they drink solely to get drunk has more than doubled in recent years. The upper Midwest’s drinking problems — for all ages — is higher than most anywhere in the country.
The lead in helping curb what has become a crisis falls in large part to Minnesota State University.
It’s not that they’ve caused the problem. It’s not that they don’t try to educate their students about dangerous drinking. The president and student and staff groups have worked hard to combat excessive drinking. They are concerned and committed to help.
And MSU can’t and shouldn’t alone address the problem.
But when you are the institution that brings more than 14,000 young people to town, you have an extraordinary obligation.
We don’t need to reinvent the wheel to tackle the problem. A few campus towns already know what works.
One example is our sister institution, Minnesota State University — Moorhead.
Three years ago, Moorhead, too, saw two students die from alcohol abuse. Their response was bold and expansive — and it appears to work.
The university has explicit, detailed rules for its students: Don’t drink on campus. Don’t drink anywhere if you’re underage. Don’t get in trouble if you are legal age and drink.
Most campuses have similar guidelines. What sets Moorhead far apart is that it also doles out swift, specific and helpful sanctions for any student who violates the rules.
And, unlike many universities, it holds students responsible for offenses off campus. Law enforcement in Fargo and Moorhead forward to the university the names of all students cited for alcohol or drug offenses. The university disciplines the students the same as if they’d violated a campus policy.
Susanne Williams, assistant to the president and chair of MSU-Moorhead’s alcohol and drug committee, said the campus used to have the same vague and usually unenforced policies that most universities have.
“Our policy was mushy and unclear and our consequences were unclear.”
Not any more. Students are given details of exactly what will happen when they violate the alcohol policy. The consequences increase based on the severity of the offense or if there are repeat violations. A first and minor offense brings a disciplinary letter and requires the student to meet with university officials, undergo a drug and alcohol screening, and attend a mandatory class (and pay $75 for it).
Level 2 brings mandatory counseling and other sanctions, and Level 3 brings a minimum of one semester suspension from the university and readmission only after the student shows he or she participating in appropriate treatment.
Students can be moved to level 2 or 3 even on a first offense if it is more serious.
“We hold our students accountable for their behavior off campus,” Williams said.
The university, along with other smaller campuses in the area, the cities, law enforcement and health professionals work together to track and help students with alcohol violations. And Williams said the university’s sanction process is used often.
“It’s not to punish them. It’s holding students accountable and providing them the intervention services they need. We want to help them.”
The university, and the other local campuses, go even further. They received a $320,000 two-year grant from the federal government and the campuses use it to pay overtime to local police to add extra patrols three nights a week. The patrols concentrate on the campus, off-campus student apartments and bar areas.
When the grant expires this year, the campuses have pledged to make the funding part of their regular budgets.
Williams warns that while there may be intense interest in battling dangerous drinking after tragedies like those in Mankato, it’s vital to sustain the effort.
“You have to address it year after year after year with the same intensity. You can’t let up. It takes a partnership with the whole community.”
So far, the program seems to be helping. Student surveys in Moorhead show a nearly 20 percent drop in those who say they partake in high-risk binge drinking.
Williams thinks it’s appropriate for the university to take the lead.
“Campuses have to stand up and say we have a problem and we can’t do it alone.
“And people shouldn’t sit around and try to point blame, or say who’s responsible for the problems or who needs to fix them. It’s a cultural problem, not just a campus or police only problem.”
Tim Krohn is a Free Press staff writer. He can be contacted at 344-6383 or tkrohn @mankatofreepress.com.
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