VSA Council, administrators debate Security, drugs and alcohol in heated forum

The Vassar Student Association (VSA) Council held a Drugs, Alcohol and Security forum on Sunday, Feb. 25, the second forum in its series of three. Administrators crowded into the College Center multipurpose room to engage in a dialogue about campus well-being with student leaders.

The guests at the event were Dean of the College Christopher Roellke, Director of Security Don Marsala, Associate Director of Security Kim Squillace, Associate Director of Residential Life Rich Horowitz, Director of Health Education Renée Pabst, Associate Dean and Director of Psychological Counseling Sylvia Balderrama, Director of Health Services Irena Balawajder, Assistant Director of Counseling Wendy Freedman and Dean of Students D.B. Brown.

"I hope to get some input from students," said Marsala before the event. "We are willing to listen to any ideas."

Drugs and alcohol have been a source of contentious debates in Council throughout the year. In addition, the Nov. 15 armed robbery outside Chicago Hall has led to discussions among the Council about the proper role of Security on campus—whether Security should focus more on preventing crime than on punishing students for underage drinking. For these reasons, Security was the first forum topic that the Council agreed on when planning the series, said VSA President Jimmy Kelly '09.

The forum featured a common refrain: Many members of the VSA Council accused the Security Department of cracking down too harshly on student parties. However, Marsala and other administrators continually opposed this argument, noting that Vassar is required to enforce its regulations. "We haven't been cracking down. There have just been more parties to attend to," said Marsala.

However, the Council members still pleaded for more leniency when it came to underage drinking. "One of the unhealthiest ways drinking occurs is pre-gaming. I want to appeal to your sense of pragmatism," said Noyes House President Sean Koerner '11. He noted that underage drinking occurs all across the country and asked the administrators to focus more on the students' safety and less on underage drinking.

Horowitz took a somewhat different stance toward underage drinking and College regulations. "What I encourage students to do is look at regulations as our expectations for them," he noted.

Roellke, however, fully rejected the idea that being more permissive about student drinking would increase student safety. "It seems counterintuitive to me," he said. He also reminded the Council that "We are handcuffed by the law."

Roellke continued by asking the Council, "If we were to hassle you less, would there be less binge drinking?" In response to this question, Pabst told the Council that research shows that less enforcement does not lead to less drinking. "Leniency is not the answer," she said.

"Students feel that they have to binge drink [in order] not to get caught by Security," countered Vice President for Activities Alexandria Dempsey '09, noting that students are aware of Security's usual patrolling hours through the dormitories, and often schedule parties during intervals when officers are not likely to walk by. However, Squillace told the Council that if a few students are drinking quietly in the privacy of their own room, no one is going to notice.

After several members of the Council criticized the administration for their treatment of underage drinking, Roellke responded sharply. "You're saying we're causing your drinking. Well, stop drinking so much! What is the biggest predictor of quality of life? Students' own decisions." Roellke later apologized for his passionate response and acknowledged that students and administrators must work together to solve the problems contributing to some students' excessive use of alcohol and other drugs.

The administrators also emphasized the health issues associated with underage drinking. "Fifty percent of college students, when they start drinking, will continue drinking in the same way after they leave college," said Pabst.

Balawajder pointed out that 18- to 20-year-olds metabolize alcohol slower than older adults, which leads them to become more intoxicated after ingesting smaller amounts of alcohol.

Many members of the Council spoke about AlcoholEdu, an online alcohol education program that incoming freshmen are required to take. Several Council members argued that AlcoholEdu was too generic and not a good introduction to the specific problems of drinking at Vassar. Some members also argued that the program was ineffective or counter-effective.

"AlcoholEdu teaches students how to drink," said Cushing House President Mathew Leonard '11, noting that the course tells students exactly what they need in order to become drunk.

However, the administrators insisted that AlcoholEdu is only a small part of the alcohol prevention program at Vassar. "I would encourage you to come back here early to be part of Altered States if you want to step up to the plate, to be part of the solution," Pabst challenged the Council. Altered States is a drug and alcohol education session that occurs in each of the residences during orientation. She also explained that AlcoholEdu received positive ratings from the vast majority of the Class of 2012 and that many students reported that they learned a lot from the course.

The forum also focused on the treatment of drinking among students who are over 21. According to Dempsey, students who are over 21 years old should set an example of safe drinking. Currently, "There are no models for safety other than [Matthew's] Mug," she said, noting that the bar at the Mug barely has any customers this year. Members of the Council suggested that the administration lower the price of alcohol at the Mug.

The Council also criticized Security's treatment of parties in senior housing, which are open only to students who are over 21. "There is an issue with party guidelines as they stand," said Terrace Apartments President Riane Harper '09. "Half a keg for a party for 50 21-year-olds is bit irrational," she said, in reference to the limits on the size and the amount of alcohol allowed at parties. Harper calculated that half a keg's worth of alcohol, when measured in champagne, would provide 50 people with less than half a glass each.

"We're the only college in counties who has a bar on campus…that allows kegs on campus," said Pabst. She disagreed that allowing seniors to have parties open only to over-21-year-olds promotes responsibility. "Responsible behavior is not having a funnel and not encouraging drinking games," she said. She also challenged seniors to cease serving underage students.

Squillace noted that the size of parties is limited because there are not enough Security officers to break up a party of several hundred students.

The Council members also questioned the administrators extensively on the issue of consistency among Security officers. "If someone with a badge comes to my door, I want them to do the same thing another officer would do," said Class of 2011 President Joseph Redwood-Martinez. The Council's concern was that some officers may be more lenient or more strict than others.

"Officers cannot use discretion. Our Department is charged with upholding College regulations; it's our job," said Squillace. However, Roellke admitted that there is no script for handling student offenses and that officers' emotional states may affect the way they handle certain situations at a given point.

"It's a two-way street," said Pabst. "We want Security to respect you guys just as we expect you to respect our jobs."

"Security officers don't have the right training or mindset to deal with these situations," said Raymond House President Nathan Mandel '10. Squillace encouraged students to contact her or Marsala if there is ever any trouble concerning an officer. "To say our officers aren't properly trained—that's not true," she countered, though she admitted that there may be a few officers who could use more training.

Given the large number of parties and cases of underage drinking that officers deal with, Marsala said, "It's amazing that we don't get more complaints," with regard to aggression from Security.

A final issue that the forum dealt with was the potential for sexual assault on campus. Although administrators and student leaders have tried to do away with parties such as Scantily Clad, other parties such as Pumps and Hoses—a thinly-veiled reference to "pimps and hoes"—as well as the recent Last Grope of 2009, worried some members of the Council and the administration.

Roellke expressed his disapproval with the word choice behind the Last Grope of 2009, a program run by the senior class on Feb. 14 that, through online software, matched students who anonymously indicated mutual interest. "It's something that's illegal in some communities," he said, in reference to groping.

"It's difficult to talk about [sex] when you're sober," said Balderrama, explaining why students get drunk before going to sexually-themed events. "We should talk about sex when you're sober," she said.

In the end, both sides seemed to be open to input from each other. "I think increased communication is one of the big things that is coming out of this meeting," said Freedman. "We all have the same goal, which is safer drinking."