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By Candace Stevens
November 4, 2005
The number
of alcoholic incidents among freshmen has risen considerably this year,
according to Dean of Students Paul Pugh.
Pugh said
that the number of alcohol incidents this year was a little higher, but not
doubled, and that the freshman class's reputation was established early, when
several members of the class were hospitalized.
"The
scary part is that our hospitalizations for our freshmen are higher, and our
worry with it is that we don't want that to happen to them, for their own
safety," said Pugh.
"Once
they're back from the hospital, they will have to face the consequences, and
put their education in jeopardy. I don't understand why they'd squander
that."
And with
Facebook groups with titles like "We're Pretty Much Getting Drunk The
First Day We Get To Villanova," finding friends and facilitating parties
was never easier for an incoming student. But some students maintain that
Villanova's freshmen are not that bad.
Freshman
Kevin Moran said, "Well, we do have a reputation, but when you compare the
Villanova freshmen to some other local schools' freshmen classes, I don't think
we're too bad actually."
Freshman
Nicole Byrns also appeared somewhat shocked when asked if the freshman drinking
situation was out of hand. "Here?" she said. "No, because my
friends at other schools are drunk every night."
The rates
of reported alcohol incidents are higher for freshmen, but the numbers might
not reflect exactly what is going on around campus. The increase is at least
sparking proactive attention to drinking on campus, according to Catherine
Lovecchio, the director of the Center For Health and Wellness Education.
"I don't want to say it's due to more students drinking at a higher
rate," she said.
"I do
think that we have our students that are educated and that we're seeing that
being put into action, where the RAs are a little bit more vigilant, and also
other students know better when to call for help. I think that's very important
and we need to stress that."
"The
educational efforts here at Villanova are at a higher level than they were in
previous years so our students now have a better understanding of what to do
and how to take care of each other."
She attributes
this change to things such as AlcoholEdu, the alcohol education program that is
required to be completed by all freshmen, which emphasizes "harm
reduction" and giving the students all the facts, rather than preaching
abstinence from substances.
"The
bottom line is that we can't make choices for students," she said.
"The only thing we can do is educate; we can't make choices for them. The
student has to take control of their own life."
According
to Lovecchio, Villanova was the first school to require the AlcoholEdu program,
and the school's involvement was even mentioned in the Nov. 1 edition of The
Wall Street Journal.
As the year
has gone on, the freshmen incident reports have tapered off. "I think the
perception rides from the first weeks of school - is this an aberration or a
prediction?" Pugh said. "Who knows? Now with mid-terms kids are more
focused on their grades."
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