EDITORIAL Zero sense

Prior to the beginning of the school year, students and their parents received a letter explaining a reinterpretation of the school's alcohol policy. According to the letter, sent out by Dr. Robert Bonfiglio, vice president for student development, students who drink to the point of requiring hospitalization via an ambulance will be suspended for one week. Although we understand that the intent Bonfiglio has for adjusting the policy is to deter students from excessive and irresponsible drinking, we feel that the actual results of the adapted policy will be overwhelmingly negative.

It is common knowledge that college students are going to experiment with alcohol. And on occasion, these "experiments" are going to go wrong. Before the altered policy was put into effect, students who miscalculated their bodies' tolerance for alcohol and necessitated medical assistance would receive the repercussions of a painful experience and alcohol violation fines. Now, with the threat of a week suspension looming over their heads, will students whose alcohol consumption is too much for themselves to handle, in order to avoid harsh punishment, attempt to incorrectly deal with their medical problems themselves? We believe they will.

Another neg'ltivr outcome that can come out of the adjusted pohcy 1s students taking it upon themselves to transport ill friends to the hospital, so an ambulance does not have to be called. When alcohol is involved in a situation, the line between right and wrong tends to be blurred, and chances are much better than average that these students who decide to drive their friends to the hospital will have been drinking socially earlier with their sick peers. The results of these actions are obvious-drinking and driving violations, drunk-driving accidents, even death.

Dr. Bonfiglio, we are not asking the school to idly stand by when students drink themselves to the point of endangerment, because the school never has. There have always been worthy repercussions for alcohol abuse that have adequately deterred students from further reckless drinking. Although the new punishment for alcohol-related illnesses is far more severe than others before it, the adjusted policy is completely unnecessary and potentially very dangerous.