Yuko Gruber, Staff Writer

“As long as there are college campuses, there will be struggles with alcohol policies,” said Layla Karst, rector of Lewis Hall.  At 18, 19, 20, or even 21 years old, students may find it difficult to see the university’s alcohol policy as anything other than annoying and restrictive.  Additionally, many students have concerns about inconsistent enforcement of Notre Dame’s alcohol policy.

Concerns about the way in which the policy is enforced differently from dorm to dorm have generated conversation among groups on campus.  The Campus Life Council and Residence Hall rectors, for example, have both discussed introducing more consistency in the enforcement of existing rules.  Currently, however, no concrete plans are in place to change the policy.

Many aspects of the alcohol policy are non-negotiable, Karst explained, and are necessitated by Notre Dame’s place in the larger community.  These policies are not made with only the Notre Dame community in mind, but rather “the foundation of our alcohol policy – that students can’t drink if they are under age 21, for example, is derived from a respect for local and state laws.  That respect is important, both on the part of individuals and the university as a whole,” said Karst.

Other aspects of the policy are designed with the safety of students in mind.  “The university’s hard alcohol policy was created to address the most severe forms of intoxication,” Karst said.  “There is a dramatic correlation between severe intoxication and students’ chances of getting hurt, whether through alcohol poisoning, sexual assault, or even falling down stairs.  While [these events are] not exclusively tied to hard alcohol, hard alcohol is often involved.”

Though these facets of the alcohol policy are necessary, Karst emphasized that they do not capture the spirit of, or underlying reason for, the university’s policy of regulating the consumption of alcohol on campus.  “Notre Dame is concerned with the education of the whole person,” she said.  “Part of that education involves cultivating healthy behavior and lifestyles, including a healthy and responsible use of alcohol.  We don’t believe that alcohol is intrinsically good or bad; it depends on how it is used.

Fr. Jim Gallagher, C.S.C., priest in residence in Zahm Hall, echoed this sentiment, speaking to the way in which Notre Dame’s alcohol policy is part of the university’s educational framework.  “There is a heavy emphasis in Notre Dame’s policies and procedures on building community, and a system of accountability within that community,” Fr. Gallagher explained.

“The alcohol policy in particular helps to usher students through a transitional period in their lives.,” he continued. “Many students come to college not old enough to legally drink alcohol, and never having experienced an environment where alcohol is readily available.  By the time they leave, they are old enough to drink and alcohol has become readily available.  This is a transition often wrought with pitfalls, and [through Residence Life] Notre Dame is in a position to ensure that students have support as they navigate the transition.  We aim to make sure that students learn from their mistakes.”

As a priest in residence, Fr. Gallagher is in a unique position to help mentor students without being a formal link in the disciplinary system.  Sometimes this means discussing alcohol consumption with students: “I will address students who I believe are dangerously intoxicated or disruptive of community life in the dorm,” he said.

Rather than dealing strictly with punishment or policy, he is “able to invite them to think about their actions, to serve as a voice calling them to be accountable to their community, and to open the door to further conversations.”  A former rector at the University of Portland, also founded by the Congregation of Holy Cross, Fr. Gallagher is able to draw contrasts between this more informal role and the position of being a disciplinarian.

“[At the University of Portland], there was a very specific course of action for dealing with drinking violations,” Fr. Gallagher said.  “Often, my hands were tied.  A first alcohol violation could range from finding one beer bottle in a student’s room to a student arriving home dangerously drunk, but the consequences were the same.  There was little room for interpretation [of the particular event].”

Thus, while he understands students’ concerns about fairness of the enforcement of the alcohol policy on Notre Dame’s campus, Fr. Gallagher pointed out the benefits of the current system.  Residence Life at Notre Dame allows rectors to set the tenor of life in each hall, and to use some discretion in enforcement of policy.

“Notre Dame’s residence halls are under the direction of gifted rectors, people who are able to see and react to specific situations.  While there is no perfect system, we continue to work toward the system that serves students best.”

Yuko Gruber is a junior biology major and peace studies minor who proudly survived her first broomball game.  To compare bruises, contact her at ygruber@nd.edu.