An alcohol task
force has offered Miami University President Jim Garland 41 wide-ranging recommendations to battle student abuse of alcohol,
including proposals to add more early-morning and Friday classes, broaden programming efforts, build a new student union,
increase the penalties for intoxication, drinking and using false identification.
Garland in August called for a task force to tackle what
he sees as a universal problem on college campuses, saying at the time the university must "stand back and take stock of all
of our efforts, to assess what works and what doesn’t work, and to try some now, possibly radical approaches."
Garland said he has directed Dr. Richard Nault, vice president for
student affairs on the Oxford campus, to see which proposals can now be put in place and to oversee their implementation.
The 10-member task force includes faculty, students, administrators,
a coach, a community member and a parent, with Dr. Jeffery A. Potteeiger, chair of Miami’s physical education, health
and sport studies department, serving as chair. Among other items, the task force recommends:
•Increasing the percentage of scheduled for early mornings and Fridays
to at least 30 percent by fall 2008
•Assigning high priority to construction of a new student union.
•Stop delivery of alcohol to students living in on campus residential
facilities.
•Establish alcohol and drug recovery housing
•Including a group intervention as part of the assessment portion
of the alcohol violation sanction.
•Extending the notation of Student Code of Conduct violations on
a student's transcript to seven years.
•Adding an education program and severe sanctions for using
false identification, with
automatic suspension from the university for the second violation.
•Releasing to the media monthly aggregate information on alcohol
related disciplinary decisions.
•Continuing After Dark as an alternative activity, and piloting expanded
hours for the recreational sports center.
The task force provided some additional suggestions for "further
consideration," including:
•Prohibiting the marketing, sale, or consumption of alcohol to all
"student centered" events, such as all athletic events and concerts.
•Encouraging the city of Oxford to establish a municipal court.
Task force members met with community, university and parent
groups; reviewed materials; and participated in several late-night rides with university
police officers in an effort to attain a better understanding of behaviors
in which students are participating.
The task force report is online on Miami's publications and policies
page under "Health and Safety."
