Lieberman kisses off '04 college vote

[hoosier]

Campus drinking decried

Senate urged to take action

By MELISSA B. ROBINSON, Associated Press
First published: Thursday, May 16, 2002

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Joseph Lieberman, a potential presidential candidate in 2004, is expanding his social agenda, charging Wednesday that colleges and universities aren't doing enough to combat excessive student drinking.

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Too many schools ``are denying a problem even exists,'' said Lieberman, D-Conn., who previously has criticized the entertainment industry for peddling sex and violence to children.

Schools should implement tougher alcohol policies and work more closely with communities and police to enforce minimum drinking age laws, Lieberman said. They should also increase enforcement at campus events where drinking is promoted and inform incoming students and their parents about alcohol policies and penalties, Lieberman said at a hearing of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, which he chairs.

Last month, a federally appointed task force released a report that found 1,400 college students are killed each year in alcohol-related accidents and that drinking by college students contributes to 500,000 injuries and 70,000 cases of sexual assault or rape.

``Universities must move out of their denial of the extent of these problems on their campuses,'' said Daniel P. Reardon of Washington, whose 19-year-old son, Daniel, died of acute alcohol poisoning in February after a fraternity party at the University of Maryland.

"I am not an expert on these issues,'' said Reardon. "I am only an expert on the anguish of sleeping on the floor of an intensive care unit for six days while my son lay dying.''

"Parents do not send their children to college to die,'' Reardon told the committee.

Yet 1,400 college students ages 18 to 24 die each year from alcohol-related injuries, including car crashes, according to a federal report released last month by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, part of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Terry Hartle, senior vice president of the American Council on Education, said schools are increasingly offering alcohol-free parties and alcohol-free dormitories and hosting informational sessions on alcohol use for incoming students.

However, the success of such programs is limited, he said, partly because students tend to resist restrictions on their freedom. It also can be difficult, Hartle said, to get community and business leaders, alumni and other groups involved in comprehensive anti-alcohol initiatives.

``That takes a lot of time, it takes a lot of money, it takes a lot of energy, and you need a community-wide motivation to do it,'' said Hartle, whose organization represents roughly half the nation's colleges and universities.

Lieberman lauded a program launched by the California State University system following the alcohol-induced death of 18-year-old Adrian Heideman on the Chico campus in October 2000.

The board of trustees adopted an alcohol-use policy and gave each campus $25,000, to be matched locally, to set up councils that work with local businesses and police to enforce existing laws; curtail promotions, such as `happy hours,' that encourage binge drinking; and decrease the use of alcohol in the promotion of business and community events.

[theta sig agd]

I actually dont think that article is bad! The person DID die after bindge drinking and he DID die after leaving a fraternity party. I thought the article was very clear to state all college people and not specifically greeks as the problem.

I will support him on this issue!

[navane]

Hi Hoosier,

Uhm...I'm not sure I understand. The title of your post was, "Lieberman kisses off '04 college vote." The title implies that Lieberman has done something "wrong" and that he doesn't care about what students think (the "kiss-off").

I read the post and I don't see what he did that was wrong. I do see the line where the *article's writer* quoted a parent whose son died after drinking at a fraternity. But, Lieberman is not quoted as saying "Greek letter organizations are responsible for all of this."

Are you against alcohol reform at universities? Are you against working with communities to prevent excessive drinking and underage drinking? That's what the article was saying he wants done.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a big Lieberman fan or something. I'm just curious what your stance is, because the title doesn't seem to match up with the article you quoted. Could you please clarify?



......Kelly

[KSig RC]

I'm against any knee-jerk legislative action in response to a free and voluntary choice made by a person. Binge drinking may or may not be a problem on colleges, depending on how you doctor your statistics and define your subjective standpoints - however, I don't understand what 'stand' the college can take in this way, about this problem.

I think hoosier's drawing a line from pt A to pt B, thinking that one possible course of action is to eliminate the greek system, as one way to bring student drinking "under control" - this is NOT an unreasonable conclusion to draw from such statements, if you look at past movements of this sort.

I find it patently ridiculous that any college should be held responsible for my actions outside of the educational environment, unless specifically condoned or pushed by the university. In few (if any) other situations can a voluntary action (drinking, to excess) lead to the university owing millions of dollars to my family.

I can see fraternal liability, I can see personal liability, etc. Until a link from university policy to me picking up a bottle can be drawn, then I'll consider this logic to be purely a post hoc fallacy, and take Lieberman's position to be grandstanding.

Essentially this is identical to his decrying of the entertainment industry - pointless grandstanding, putting his face in the media, and attempting to rally popular support around a (weak) "new cause."

Quotes from distraught parents, such as "No one sends a child to college to DIE!!!", have no place in reporting - it's an appeal to pity, another logical fallacy, and is implicitly biased.

Combatting excessive student drinking should be placed on the same level as combatting student smoking - both are decisions that can have decidedly negative effects. One is just more sensational in newsprint.

[theta sig agd]

I agree with what you are saying. I dont believe it is right to tell legal age drinkers they cant drink...I am with you there. However, when it is on University property then that is where it becomes hazy and I feel to a point the Univ. does have a right to say dont dry or at least to combat and try to eliminate drinking dealths from occuring on there campuses. That is why I have stated I will support this. I mean your not on your property when you do this, your on state property. If you are at home, of legal age then yes the university has no right or should be made to stop you.

I do feel there is a problem with bindge drinking on college campuses and was just saying I think what Lieberman?? is doing is fine?

Thanks!

[dekeguy]

This is probably only tenuously connected to the original posting but the drinking issue always seems so damned emotive that its hard to discuss it calmly.
I am of two minds on the drinking question. On the one hand it seems sensible to me that underage drinking is not legal and ought to be strictly regulated. On the other hand, if one is old enough to vote and to serve in the Army it seems to me that maybe they have the age question wrong and the various state legislatures should address this. I understand Louisiana had legal drinking age set at 18 for many years and is considering returning to that.
To me, binge drinking is a crock. What is the point of drinking until you are so rat arsed wasted that you you make an drooling idiot of yourself and become a pain to everyone else. In my house we were told that a man who could not hold his liquor was not a gentleman and that either learn to hold it or lay off of it. Most of us were from the South and had been taught about drinking by our parents at home. So it was really no big deal to us but rather something to be enjoyed rather than being greedily slurped down like a slob turned loose in a donut factory.
As a side note, some guys we were seriously considering bidding didn't make the cut as they couldn't hold it and wouldn't take the hint to lay off. (No, we didn't feed them any at the house, but there were endless opportunities to observe at bars, parties, etc that were not connected to rush). Some of the brothers also "had words put on them" that they had better lighten up. We had what you might call a "prime directive" which was summed up as 'Do what you want, but take absolute personal responsibility for what you do'. We were usually considered on the wild side but we took the responsibility thing damned seriously.
Sorry to be going on and on about this, but I think we need to be a whole lot less PC about this and a whole lot more responsible for our and our chapters actions. My own personal rules on the subject are, I am of legal age, I like a good drink, and I like to party, but, if I am drinking then I am not driving. If its my night to be the designated dry guy then its Cola or coffee. If someone is showing signs of taking on a little too much fuel I'll drive him and his date home. If he wanted to be a jerk about it, well, I was 6'2" of (sober) rower and rugby guy and there were always a few of us who were the designated drys. As a law student I am a bit removed from the day to day activities, but I don't think things have changed to any appreciable extent. Let me end this and give someone else a chance at the pulpit.

[Kevin]

This one is right out of the Clinton handbook...

Step 1: Find a victim
Step 2: Have them wave around their 'bloody shirt'
Step 3: Get yourself on TV, have people associate you with assuaging the victim's plight.

-- People think victims on the news are 'losers' but anyone that helps them or takes up their cause is a 'good samaritan'. There are no good samaritans in DC.

Anyone remember the lady Gore used in the election to show why we needed medicare reform because she had to pick up cans alongside the highway to pay for her medications? This is a common tactic.

Why this is really not newsworthy: Lieberman is not even suggesting legislative reform. Hell, read the article he's not even suggesting CHANGE!

The college representative quoted in this essentially didn't want to look like pro-drinking bad-guys so they simply said that change is difficult and any expected results are unrealistic (which is probably true).

This type of grandstanding serves no purpose except to try to pick up a few moderate votes in the '04 election.

College vote? WHAT college vote? Our age group rarely votes which is why we have no voice in DC or state government.

[Tom Earp]

Voting? Dont Vote!

If you do not then do not complain!
I have voted everytime since I regitered!

That way I can truely Bitch like hell!

I am a reg. Rep. I was a reg. Dem. They said I had to vote one way! I walked out and reregitered. I do not care what designation the person is, I vote for the individual.

I usually vot against the incumbent and vote for the opponent! Why, cause it takes them a while to become a crook!

I ran for mayor of one town and lost. I ran for City Council and lost!

Thank God I did!!!!!!!

When I told my Dad that I was running, he said" are you crazy"? I responded saying well I was brought up right to be honest! He just laughed and said they will chew you up and spit you out!

Yep Daddy was right once again!

Joe L NOPE!

Another Polotician trying to lay it on the back of an Organizational type who does more for the welfare than the Govt. ever thought about. We do not attach strings to the money we donate to causes!

We Just Do the right thing!

[PM_Mama00]

I agree and disagree with this article. Yes, drinking is a problem at colleges. Yes, thousands die from alcohol related incidents. But what about the thousands or non-college students that are alcoholics? There are so many people who are affected by alcohol, not just college students. I think the stereotype is getting worse and worse. Something I think is a problem to is parents. Well, at least personally. Many of my friends were sheltered throughout high school, and then when they went on spring break or away to college, they started partying hard core. Growing up, I was allowd to have the occassional drink at a wedding or on holidays, and now that I'm in college I don't feel that it's important to be wasted every weekend. If parents don't feel they can trust their child away at college, then they shouldn't let them go! Plus, when teenagers are exposed to new things (such as being able to party every nite w/o parents) they are going to try things, unless they don't want to and are strong with their morals.

[Kevin]

There's no question that all of these issues are caused by our anti-alcohol culture.

The problem still remains and it's extremely complex.

Unfortunately the solution can't be as simple as having parents take a more liberal stance on alcohol with their kids.

You have to change the whole Amercian culture.

[KSig RC]

Originally posted by ktsnake
[BUnfortunately the solution can't be as simple as having parents take a more liberal stance on alcohol with their kids. [/B]

... Or as simple as implementing "new" alcohol policies at colleges and universities.