OU official expresses satisfaction at booze-drug offense decline
By Nick Claussen
June 30, 2008
Alcohol and drug violations are way down at Ohio University, but that doesn’t necessarily translate into a corresponding big decline in students’ usage of alcohol or illegal drugs.
Kent Smith, vice president for student affairs at OU, explained at an OU Board of Trustees committee meeting Thursday that reports from university Judiciaries show how the alcohol and drug violations are way down this year.
Both the number of complaints and the number of confirmed cases are down, and some other university Code of Conduct violations also have decreased, Smith said.
People can debate all they want about the reasons the numbers are down, he said, but one thing can’t be argued.
“Something has changed at Ohio University,” Smith said.
The university has made concerted efforts to address alcohol abuse in recent years, and the numbers show that the programs are making a difference, Smith said.
“Something is happening with student behavior,” he said.
Smith qualified his remarks by saying that the university also completes studies of student behavior, and the latest figures show that the rate of high-risk drinking has not changed significantly.
This could mean that students are still using alcohol and drugs, but are being more discreet about it. (Others have speculated that because of ramped-up penalties, resident assistants may be less likely to bust their peers for offenses that could result in suspension from school.)
The studies show that the rate of high-risk drinking has decreased slightly, but not nearly as much as the rate of complaints and violations, Smith said.
This is still encouraging, according to Smith, because it shows students are aware of the regulations with alcohol and drugs and are following them.
The statistics that Smith presented Thursday show that in the 2005-2006 school year, OU had 2,362 cases involving alcohol. In the 2006-2007 school year, the university had 1,651 cases involving alcohol.
In the 2007-2008 school year, OU handled just 1,016 cases involving alcohol.
That drop in cases of more than 50 percent in two years shows the strides the university is making in this area, Smith said.
For cases involving illegal drugs, OU had 220 this year, compared to 336 last year and 267 the year before that.
SMITH ALSO POINTED out that of the Code A offenses (which include a wide range of activities), the number of cases of “mental or bodily harm to self,” which often involves alcohol abuse, were down to 188 in the 2007-2008 school year.
The year before, OU had 433 of these cases, and two years ago the university has 610 of these cases, Smith said.
“This is tremendous,” Smith declared.
Code A and Code B offenses also showed sharp decreases in several areas, Smith said.
OU has increased its enforcement of alcohol and drug violations in recent years, and has also strengthened sanctions, especially for repeat offenders.
Smith told the Trustees Thursday that new sanctions will be implemented in the next academic year, and added that students have had a say in the new rules.
Giving the students a voice in the process grants them more ownership in the rules and helps them to follow the regulations, Smith explained.
Trustee Dell Robinson said after Smith’s Thursday presentation that these figures should help dispel the image of OU as a party school.
Trustee M. Marnette Perry said with all of the work the university has been putting into fighting the alcohol abuse problems on campus, she’s happy to see Smith’s report.
“There is so much to be proud of here,” Perry said. “This really is a pleasure to read.”
At Friday’s full Board of Trustees meeting, President Roderick McDavis said that Smith’s report is important for the university.
“This is really, really, really great news,” McDavis said.
The university has worked hard to curb alcohol abuse on campus and educate students about this issue, and the students have responded well, he added.
“I think for all the right reasons, we’re headed in the right direction,” McDavis said. “I applaud all of our students.”
After students’ education, their safety and security is the most important role for the university, McDavis said.
The statistics show that the university’s programs to keep students safe from alcohol abuse are working, he added.
Trustee Chair C. Daniel DeLawder noted that the alcohol abuse issue has been an important topic on campus, and these new figures speak loudly about the success the university has been having in fighting this problem.
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