U of Michigan program will effectively keep students safe


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Earlier this month, the University of Michigan announced that its class of 2019 would partake in a pilot program to curb excessive drinking. The program dictates that after two violations of the university’s alcohol policy, or one violation that requires medical attention or results in vandalization of public property, parents would be notified. Prior to this program, parents were notified of student alcohol consumption only in emergency health situations. Though this measure to reduce alcohol use might seem excessively strict, the University of Michigan is acting with the students’ best interests in mind amid reports of growing numbers of alcohol-related incidents among college students.

Any time restrictions are placed on alcohol, the concern is always that students will increase drinking in unsupervised zones. These unregulated areas include fraternity houses and house parties, where binge drinking and other dangerous behaviors tend to prevail. Though this mentality is a legitimate concern, this assumption is actually a logical fallacy.

In the past year, the university actually saw a 13 percent rise in the number of alcohol- and drug-related incidents. To combat this issue, the wellness department of the school — not the dean or public safety office — will call parents about violations. Mary Jo Desprez, wellness director at the University of Michigan, said to USA Today, “This is really designed to be about health and well-being. We know that anytime you can do early intervention is the best when you want to get someone back on track.”

The program does not infantilize students nor excessively punish them; rather, it allows effective communication between students, parents and university administrators to work together to reduce alcohol poisoning and binge drinking. Students’ safety is the utmost priority. And when the university contacts parents, it plans to emphasize, according to Desprez, “constructive, non-judgmental early intervention.”

Additional problems that can be facilitated by this wellness program stem from the problems associated with alcohol. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, sexual abuse, assault and failing classes commonly affect those who drink. Each year, 1,825 students die as a consequence of an alcohol-related injury. These examples can be avoided by unobtrusive interference from family members rather than invasive action by university officials.

Opponents of the program may point out that parent notification is not always productive. But since the university will notify parents on a case-by-case basis, it can determine when notifying parents would do more harm than good. Such discretion allows for maximum safety with both alcohol-related incidents and between parents and children.

Notorious for facilitating party culture, USC is not too different from the University of Michigan. And alcohol education — students may not-so-fondly remember taking AlcoholEdu seminars at the beginning of their freshman year — only goes so far to regulate student behavior. If the University of Michigan’s program works, it could set an example for universities around the country, including ours.

Danni Wang is a junior majoring in psychology. She is also the lifestyle editor of the Daily Trojan. “Point/Counterpoint” runs Mondays.