Fall 2009 had a 15 percent drop in alcohol violations and a 3.7 percent drop in drug-related violations from the previous fall.
Images
But students questioned what the decrease really means.
"I definitely think it's just that people are better at not being caught," CAS freshman Erin Stovall said. "In lots of dorms, I know people who will just towel the door, open the window, spray some Febreze and they're all set."
Still, director of residential life Craig Jolley said the results weren't because of anybody's actions.
"While some students may be successful in concealing their behavior, we believe the staff is well-trained in detecting and responding to incidents as they occur," he said. "Based on the volume of reports, we are confident that RAs are responding to all complaints or incidents they encounter."
The university also had successful results with Informed Choices, the program students are referred to when they violate alcohol or substance abuse policies. Students who attended Informed Choices Marijuana had a 44 percent lower rate of repeated violations than students who received only a written warning or probation.
Zoe Ragouzeos, director of health promotion, wellness services and emergency response, said the Student Health Center reaches out to students with substance abuse concerns. The center provides counselors who specialize in substance abuse issues.
"Many times, students just want to know if their use is 'normal,' and at counseling and wellness, we are very able and willing to have these conversations with students," she said. "The clinician and the student ... determine the best way for the student to remain safe and healthy."
CAS sophomore Meagan White changed her habits without input from Wellness Exchange.
"School got harder this year," she said. "I think that's the difference."
Jolley said more students are choosing to stay substance free. The Choices housing community, where residents commit to maintaining an alcohol- and substance-free environment, received 44 upperclassmen applicants for 2010, a 28-student increase from 2009.
CAS freshman Savannah Shipman opted for Choices housing next year.
"Alcohol isn't a big thing for me and I'm not exactly the life of the party," she said. "I wanted to be in an environment of like-minded people where drinking wouldn't be an issue."
But CAS junior Ashley Bullock, who lived in Choices her freshman year, thinks most students haven't reformed.
"I don't think people are necessarily hiding their drinking," Bullock said. "Rather, they may be less prone to getting belligerently drunk in the dorms, by either drinking more elsewhere — clubs, apartment parties — or simply limiting their alcohol consumption to a moderate amount, thus decreasing the need for RAs to write people up."
Tisch freshman Kali McBurney also said she hasn't seen much of a change.
"I sure hear about a lot of parties that definitely aren't getting busted," she said.
