More than baby-sitting

By The Gazette Editorial Board

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A new initiative aimed at curbing alcohol abuse among University of Iowa students might seem like baby-sitting to some.

After all, the school's ambitious, comprehensive plan to reduce high-risk drinking, especially among underage students, might be the most formal and coordinated effort to impact students' lifestyles the school has undertaken.

But the UI's alcohol culture - one of the most pronounced among university campuses in the entire country - has been resistant to lesser initiatives.

City and community members have shown growing concern about curbing alcohol abuse - as evidenced by council's passage and voters' support of the 21-only bar ordinance - so it's important the UI follow through.

UI officials unveiled the four-pronged Alcohol Harm Reduction Plan on Tuesday, including steps to trim the number of high-risk drinkers attracted to campus in the first place, reduce the number of UI students engaging in high-risk drinking behaviors, and encourage low-risk drinking and abstinence.

Within the next three years, they hope to reduce the average number of drinks students imbibe per occasion from 7.43 to 4, decrease the number of students who say they've recently engaged in high-risk drinking from 70 percent to 55 percent, and reduce from 34 percent to 20 percent the students who report drinking 10 or more days per month.

Officials say they'll hold more high-risk drinkers accountable for failure to meet school expectations - one of several policy and resource shifts they've already begun this year.

Implementing the entire plan will be no small feat, and it will take the investment of every corner of the university - from admissions and academics to athletics to recreation services.

UI leaders also expect to call on parents, high school guidance counselors and other community members to help spread the word. And they say they're serious about holding students accountable for their behavior - to the point of expulsion, if necessary.

“We never want students to leave the UI,” the Alcohol Harm Reduction Committee wrote in the eight-page outline of the initiative. “However, in some cases, after providing all available support, it may be in the best interest of the student, the institution, and the community for at least a temporary separation from the institution to occur.”

It all looks good on paper. But one piece still is uncertain: How much money will this cost?

UI Vice President for Student Services Tom Rocklin told a reporter he still doesn't know what parts of the Alcohol Harm Reduction Plan will be funded immediately and what will be placed on the back burner.

If UI administrators are committed to this plan, they'll find the money or in-kind resources necessary to make it work.