University of Mississippi Gets Tough on Campus Alcohol Abuse
by Jim Brown
November 2, 2006
(AgapePress) - - The University of Mississippi, also known as "Ole Miss," is cracking down on underage drinking and binge drinking in and around campus in the aftermath of a recent tragic incident that killed a campus police officer. The victim, Officer Robert Langley, died of severe head trauma after being dragged to death by an Ole Miss student the campus policeman had pulled over for speeding. It has yet to be determined whether the student who was driving was operating his truck while under the influence of alcohol. But in the wake of the tragedy, Ole Miss Chancellor Robert Khayat has implemented a "two strikes and you're out" policy for students who engage in underage drinking or other drug violations.
Khayat says for their first offense, students will be placed on probation for at least a year. During that period, he notes, they will likely be educated on the 12-step program used by Alcoholics Anonymous and be required to perform community service.
"If there's a second offense while the person is on probation, that person will be suspended from school, probably for a year," the chancellor continues. "And it's unlikely that it would be less than a year." Meanwhile, he says the university has set up an alcohol task force to curb high-risk drinking among students, one that he hopes will serve as a model for other colleges and universities to follow.
Some Ole Miss students have raised concerns that the school's crackdown on alcohol abuse on campus may impinge on the freedom of those who are of legal drinking age. However, Khayat says the university is "going to make it clear that we're not trying to change the laws on alcohol."
If any student who is of age and chooses to drink alcohol is engaging in legal activity, and his or her alcohol use is "handled properly and responsibly," the chancellor explains, "that's the person's privilege or right." On the other hand, he points out, illegal activity associated with alcohol use will be taken seriously and addressed appropriately in accordance with university policies.
For example, Khayat says, students caught with fake identification while at an off-campus bar will not be subject to the new alcohol policy but will be dealt with under the school's existing policy against fraud. He believes the magnitude of this problem and the seriousness of its consequences call for a comprehensive response.
"This increase in the level of alcohol consumption and the increase in the number of people who abuse the use of alcohol is a national problem," Khayat observes. "And it is really a challenge to us as a society," he adds, "to accommodate a legal activity within a culture that will be able to responsibly have access to alcohol but not abuse it."
Jim Brown, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
