Alcohol Warnings Are Rare

While administrators said officials are enforcing the College's new alcohol policy, several officials said yesterday there is a general reluctance among staff to take action against underage drinkers.

College administrators, including Dean of the College L. Fred Jewett '57, have criticized the new law for being too strict, but they have pledged to carry out the law.

Several tutors also questioned the stringency of the new policy, but they said the new guidelines will only punish the most blatant violators because they are given considerable discretion in enforcing the policy.

In accordance with changes in Massachusetts law, Harvard amended its alcohol policy this fall to make it a punishable offense for underage students to possess alcohol.

Under the new rules, students who violate the policy will receive an informal warning for the first offense and a written warning from their senior tutor or proctor for their second offense. The third violation will result in an Administrative Board hearing.

"I don't think anybody likes it," Jewett said. "We're trying to use a process which reminds people that there is this law and it must be observed."

So far, very few students have received informal warnings under the new policy, according to college officials. Jewett said in an interview Friday that no cases are pending before the Ad Board.

However, senior tutors suggested that the low number of reported violations is for other reasons than the students' virtues.

"It might be that the individual tutors feel that a situation has occurred thatthey can handle, and they don't report that as aninformal warning," said one senior tutor whorequested anonymity.

Many tutors don't relish their new roles aspolice, said another senior tutor, who alsorequested anonymity.

"No one wants to enforce this, and the way it'sgoing now, for a student to get before the AdBoard, he has to have ignored any kind ofdiscretion," he said.

The same senior tutor said tutors maintain theflexibility to determine when to enforce thepolicy, despite the expectations of the Collegeadministration.

"We have not been told to wink at this andignore it, but it is complicated and there is noequation that we follow," he said.

Although senior tutors and administrators wereunsure whether the new policy has lowered alcoholconsumption, they said they believe it has madethe students more discreet in their drinkinghabits.

"Students are not drinking publicly and areconscious of the need not to do that," saidWinthrop Senior Tutor Greg Mobley.

"Harvard students are mature enough to knowthat we didn't make this law, but we can't ignoreit," Mobley said.

Assistant Dean of First-Years Michael J.Middleton '87 attributed a decline in largefirst-year parties to the stricter policy.

"In the past, I've seen and been called tolarge parties where students drank in the halls. Ihaven't seen those this year, and I think thatthat behavior has changed," he said.

Despite his criticisms of the policy, Jewettinsisted that tutors must be responsible inadministering the policy.

"They're not doing the student any service bynot doing anything. They have a responsibility tolet the students know the jeopardy they may putthemselves in," he said.

"If a student is caught for a third time, thismay indicate a real problem that must be dealtwith," Jewett said

Many tutors don't relish their new roles aspolice, said another senior tutor, who alsorequested anonymity.

"No one wants to enforce this, and the way it'sgoing now, for a student to get before the AdBoard, he has to have ignored any kind ofdiscretion," he said.

The same senior tutor said tutors maintain theflexibility to determine when to enforce thepolicy, despite the expectations of the Collegeadministration.

"We have not been told to wink at this andignore it, but it is complicated and there is noequation that we follow," he said.

Although senior tutors and administrators wereunsure whether the new policy has lowered alcoholconsumption, they said they believe it has madethe students more discreet in their drinkinghabits.

"Students are not drinking publicly and areconscious of the need not to do that," saidWinthrop Senior Tutor Greg Mobley.

"Harvard students are mature enough to knowthat we didn't make this law, but we can't ignoreit," Mobley said.

Assistant Dean of First-Years Michael J.Middleton '87 attributed a decline in largefirst-year parties to the stricter policy.

"In the past, I've seen and been called tolarge parties where students drank in the halls. Ihaven't seen those this year, and I think thatthat behavior has changed," he said.

Despite his criticisms of the policy, Jewettinsisted that tutors must be responsible inadministering the policy.

"They're not doing the student any service bynot doing anything. They have a responsibility tolet the students know the jeopardy they may putthemselves in," he said.

"If a student is caught for a third time, thismay indicate a real problem that must be dealtwith," Jewett said