On-campus alcohol policy sobering
No alcohol is permitted on campus.
Published March 17, 2009
About 80 percent of college students drink alcohol and about 60 percent of college students are between 18 and 20 years old, according to the National Institute of Alcohol Awareness and Alcoholism.
The number of liquor law violations in campus residential areas rose from 12 in 2005 to 19 for 2007 at MU, according to the MU Police Department.
According to NIAAA, more than 70 percent of high school students have had a full drink before coming to college, and the habit is not discouraged in college.
"Most students, if they are using drugs or alcohol, have already done it before," Residential Life Director Frankie Minor said. "It's just that now there's a little less parental supervision."
No alcohol is permitted on the MU campus. According to the MU Student Legal Services Web site, if a student's blood alcohol content is more than .08, the student's license can be suspended for 30 days. Minor said there are also other consequences students don't think about.
"If you go for a bar exam, to be an attorney, a doctor, work for the federal government, those kinds of behaviors can come back to haunt you," Minor said.
In the residence halls, students found with alcohol are required to attend alcohol responsibility classes, according to the 2008-2009 Tiger Guide written by the Department of Residential Life. There are also resources available to students who need help with alcohol- and drug-related problems.
"I think the policy works well," Minor said. "I don't think I've ever come across a student who was surprised by the policy."
Minor said the consequences for drug use are more severe than consequences for being caught with alcohol.
"Alcohol in and of itself isn't illegal, it's only illegal because we made it illegal in residence halls," Minor said. "But drugs, that's not permitted anywhere, and so we have to involve the police."
Once there are legal implications, MUPD becomes involved.
"Our interaction would be to take law enforcement action and make arrests when appropriate," MUPD Capt. Brian Weimer said. "We also supply information from our reports to student discipline."
In Missouri, any person age 17-21 who buys alcohol illegally can be fined up to $1,000 or sentenced to jail, according to the SLS Web site. Additionally, Columbia has an open container law prohibiting any person from having any open alcohol container on a street, sidewalk or city parking area.
There also is a Parental Notification Policy to let parents know about underage drinking, under the Warner Amendment to the Higher Education Act of 1998. Although parents are notified by MU about underage drinking, the university cannot give any details without written consent from the student.
"Research has indicated that the best predictor of whether students are going to follow policies or not are basic conversations they have with their parents," Minor said. "We encourage parents to talk to their kids about alcohol."