Post by Admin on Dec 29, 2003 13:24:17 GMT -5
Norwich reviewing its drinking policies
August 8, 2003
(from the Top Story section)
By Sky Barsch
TIMES ARGUS STAFF
NORTHFIELD – Norwich University may change some of its already strict drinking policies in response to several high-profile instances of students abusing alcohol over the past year.
But exactly what it will change, if there are changes, remains undecided.
The nation’s oldest private military school is looking into its current policies, “after some of the things that happened last semester, to see if they all have been addressed,” said Dean Mudgett, a Norwich spokesman.
A Norwich student died Saturday after the car she was driving struck a telephone poll. Northfield police say that Rachael Priestley, 21, had been drinking and was not wearing a seatbelt, but they have not yet released her blood alcohol content. Priestley, the granddaughter of the school’s legendary hockey coach Bob Priestley, was about to embark on her junior year as a civilian psychology major.
Freshman corps member Brendan T. MacDonald, 19, of Massachusetts, died in April after falling out of a fourth-floor dormitory window. He had been drinking at a party and was vomiting out a window when police believe he passed out or lost consciousness and fell to his death. Also that month, police arrested 21-year-old Norwich student Jorge Hernandez of Chicago for fondling a woman in a Killington condominium after he attended a keg party.
Media attention during the last months prompted President Richard Schneider repeatedly to say that these types of problems do not just exist at Norwich, which has a dry campus, but at other universities as well. Students aren’t allowed to consume or possess alcohol on campus, even if they are of legal drinking age.
Norwich policies state that students who consume or possess alcohol or are intoxicated on campus property must perform 30 hours of community service for the first offense. Students may be suspended for a second offense.
Mudgett said that although administrators are evaluating these policies, he is not sure what would change, because the rules are already severe. And, he pointed out, Priestley’s accident occurred during the summer when she was not enrolled in classes.
Asked if Norwich’s strict policies against drinking or its rigorous academic and military programs might contribute to alcohol abuse, Mudgett said he saw no relation between them.
He also said counselors on campus are trained in alcohol and drug abuse prevention and the school offers many alcohol-free events to students. If the administration decides to change any policies, the school would try to implement them as soon as possible, he said.
Contact Sky Barsch at sky.barsch@timesargus.com or 479-0191, ext. 1153.
August 8, 2003
(from the Top Story section)
By Sky Barsch
TIMES ARGUS STAFF
NORTHFIELD – Norwich University may change some of its already strict drinking policies in response to several high-profile instances of students abusing alcohol over the past year.
But exactly what it will change, if there are changes, remains undecided.
The nation’s oldest private military school is looking into its current policies, “after some of the things that happened last semester, to see if they all have been addressed,” said Dean Mudgett, a Norwich spokesman.
A Norwich student died Saturday after the car she was driving struck a telephone poll. Northfield police say that Rachael Priestley, 21, had been drinking and was not wearing a seatbelt, but they have not yet released her blood alcohol content. Priestley, the granddaughter of the school’s legendary hockey coach Bob Priestley, was about to embark on her junior year as a civilian psychology major.
Freshman corps member Brendan T. MacDonald, 19, of Massachusetts, died in April after falling out of a fourth-floor dormitory window. He had been drinking at a party and was vomiting out a window when police believe he passed out or lost consciousness and fell to his death. Also that month, police arrested 21-year-old Norwich student Jorge Hernandez of Chicago for fondling a woman in a Killington condominium after he attended a keg party.
Media attention during the last months prompted President Richard Schneider repeatedly to say that these types of problems do not just exist at Norwich, which has a dry campus, but at other universities as well. Students aren’t allowed to consume or possess alcohol on campus, even if they are of legal drinking age.
Norwich policies state that students who consume or possess alcohol or are intoxicated on campus property must perform 30 hours of community service for the first offense. Students may be suspended for a second offense.
Mudgett said that although administrators are evaluating these policies, he is not sure what would change, because the rules are already severe. And, he pointed out, Priestley’s accident occurred during the summer when she was not enrolled in classes.
Asked if Norwich’s strict policies against drinking or its rigorous academic and military programs might contribute to alcohol abuse, Mudgett said he saw no relation between them.
He also said counselors on campus are trained in alcohol and drug abuse prevention and the school offers many alcohol-free events to students. If the administration decides to change any policies, the school would try to implement them as soon as possible, he said.
Contact Sky Barsch at sky.barsch@timesargus.com or 479-0191, ext. 1153.