by Amy Borer
Editorial Director
Despite the fact that the University of La Verne is a dry campus, alcohol use has continually been a problem, especially in the residence halls.
“We know that there is alcohol consumption in the residence halls,” said Helena Gerstenberg, housing and residential life director. “All you have to do is look in the recycling bins and see the empty cans or bottles.
“Some of it is more overt and some of it is definitely hidden in the rooms.”
According to the Guide to Residential Life, “The University prohibits the possession and consumption of alcoholic beverages and full or empty alcoholic beverage containers (even as mementos or decorations) anywhere in or around the Residence Halls, as well as on the University campus.”
Gerstenberg and many resident assistants agree that alcohol use leads to vandalism and other damage on campus.
“They are not as in control of their behavior, so they do stuff without either remembering it or without respecting the private property of other people,” said Gerstenberg.
“Most of the alcohol problems have led to serious vandalism on the floors,” said Steve Lopez, RA on A-bottom of the Oaks. “If people would enable themselves to control alcohol abuse, alcohol would probably be allowed.”
According to Asia Roberts, who has been an RA in both Stu-Han and the Oaks, alcohol use is more of a problem in the Oaks, yet she also adds that alcohol is not much of a problem on her floor, E-top.
“The main problem is in the interaction and confrontation between the RAs and the residents,” she said.
Gerstenberg believes that part of the reason alcohol is more of a problem in the Oaks is because more upperclassmen live in the Oaks than in Stu-Han or Brandt.
While Lopez has found students with alcohol, he does not find it to be much of a problem on his floor either.
“My residents keep it quiet,” he said. “The only time it is a problem is when they bring it out of the rooms.”
Although alcohol is strictly against University policy, the residential staff does not search out people who break the rules.
“The policy with the RAs and staff is we don’t necessarily go looking for it. If it is blatant and we see it, though, we are going to confront it and say ‘Hey, you know, this is a dry campus, this is the way it has been established,’” said Gerstenberg.
The policy also states that students found under the influence of alcohol, even if the alcohol was not consumed on campus, will be held responsible for their actions.
If a student is found breaking the alcohol policy, he or she may be subject to a variety of different punishments, ranging from a simple warning to dismissal from the residence halls.
“We go all the way from a creative sanction that might get people to think about the choices they are making in hopes they will make better choices,” said Gerstenberg. “If they are having a raging party, the consequences are going to be higher than someone who has an empty can laying around that he brought back from a party.”
This year, the residence staff and the Prevention Center have formed a program called “Think Before You Drink,” which has become one of the sanctions for students involved in alcohol policy violations.
“Basically, students who violate policy are invited to attend by the area coordinator and it’s a program to give them an opportunity to think about the role alcohol plays in their lives,” said Tracy Germann, coordinator of student substance abuse prevention programs. “It is a scheduled opportunity for them to think about how alcohol has effected their lives.
“When they come in, I have no idea what they violated or any of that kind of stuff. I hope that it is as nonjudgmental as possible.”
Germann also added that she tries to keep her position as neutral as possible.
“I focus on, ‘if you drink, that’s not bad.’ I’m more saying you need to think about how that effects other things you are doing,” she said.
The Prevention Center has also sponsored many programs throughout the year in order to raise students’ awareness about drinking, including taking part in National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week and a campaign against drinking and driving over the holidays.
“The amount that students are really drinking and the amount that students think other students are drinking is really, really different,” said Germann.
In a survey conducted last year, 80 percent of students on campus thought that other students were having at least one drink every week, yet 45 percent of the students would rather not have alcohol available at parties.
While the results from this year’s survey are not complete yet, Germann stressed that the perception of the amount that students drink is still much higher than the percentage of students who admit to drinking.
“We know that drinking is a problem, however we know that if we didn’t have a policy it would be even more,” said Gerstenberg. “Some people say, ‘Well, why don’t you just get rid of the policy?’ We want to create a learning environment and alcohol doesn’t add to a learning, studying, academic environment. That’s one of the reasons we have a dry campus.”
Amy Borer
