By Julie Depenbrock ’13

A committee has been created to address high-risk drinking and drug activity on campus.

The Alcohol and Other Drug Standing Committee (AODSC), chaired by Dean of Students Paul McLoughlin, will implement and assess strategies, programs, and policies to reduce high-risk drinking behavior.

Though the committee is not yet fully formed, it will have a roster soon, according to Vice President for Campus Life and Senior Diversity Officer Annette Diorio. The committee will consist of faculty, staff, and students.

“As you may know, alcohol abuse is one of the most serious problems on college and university campuses across the country,” Diorio said in a campus-wide email Monday. “Nationally, more than 1,800 alcohol-related deaths occur each year among 18 to 24 year-olds.”

The AODSC will issue regular reports to Student Government, the Faculty Committee on Student Life, and the Board of Trustees Committee on Student Life. The committee will “target education and outreach, student advocacy and peer education, and social programming,” Diorio said. “Students can expect to see immediate changes in the way the college responds to underage drinking.”

Diorio said the AODSC focuses on high-risk drinking while the Alcohol Policies and Procedures Committee, chaired over the summer by former VP for Campus Life Celestino Limas, examined the drinking culture in general.

Camila Moscoso ‘16 has her doubts about the new committee.

“I think they could come up with ways to prevent people from getting into serious trouble while drinking, but I don’t think they can stop people from going out and drinking,” Moscoso said.

Johno Martin ‘14 agreed. “I think it will definitely not be effective. Enforcement doesn’t decrease use.”

“I think that if it makes it more of a taboo thing to drink, it will just increase the problem,” Becky Schultz ’14 said. “If they make drinking deviant, people will do it.”

Josh Sperber ‘15 does not think tighter enforcement will solve the problem. “No matter how much they crack down on it, this is a college campus and these things are going to happen.”

Diorio emphasized that the group’s aims are realistic. “The purpose of the group is not to try to eliminate alcohol on campus, but to deploy educational activities and enforcement as tools for helping students make lower risk choices,” she said.

Students can expect increased patrols during Homecoming and Lafayette-Lehigh, Diorio said.

Kate Cherney ‘15 contributed reporting.