Pubdate: Tue, 06 Jun 2000 Source: Boston Herald (MA) Copyright: 2000 The Boston Herald, Inc. Contact: One Herald Square, Boston, MA 02106-2096 Website: http://www.bostonherald.com/ Author: Ed Hayward COLLEGE OFFICIALS DEFEND RECORD ON CAMPUS ALCOHOL, DRUG USE A pair of state universities with the highest alcohol- and drug-related incidents on campus blamed those results on aggressive enforcement policies aimed at student drinking. Officials at Bridgewater State College, where there were 100 alcohol-related arrests among 8,926 students in 1998, and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where there were 95 alcohol arrests among 24,884 students, said they have other statistics that show their new policies are working. "Given these higher levels and standards that are being enforced, the numbers really jumped that first year (1998)," said Eve Gafney, a spokeswoman at Bridgewater. "It's one thing to say you have a strict policy and another to enforce it." A survey of alcohol and drug arrests by the Chronicle of Higher Education found alcohol-related arrests on 481 college campuses surged 24.3 percent from 1997 to 1998. Gafney said Bridgewater approved new regulations in 1997 and they took effect in 1998. Some indicators of alcohol use on campus decreased as students faced sanctions that included parental notification, loss of housing and suspension. In 1998, 892 Bridgewater students were referred to a campus judicial panel for alcohol violations. In 1999, that number dropped to 299. At UMass-Amherst, a stricter enforcement policy took effect in the fall of 1998. This fall, parental notification will be added to the list of sanctions, which already includes alcohol education courses, loss of campus housing and a one-year suspension, said Paul Vasconcellos, assistant dean of students. In 1997, there were 1,070 alcohol-related incidents at UMass-Amherst. After the new policy took effect, that number climbed to 1,283 in 1998, but decreased to 622 in 1999, according to university statistics. "I think our focus with a strong emphasis on education and high-impact sanctions has certainly contributed to a better environment on campus," said Vasconcellos. He said 500 students were referred to an alcohol awareness program this past school year and few who participate in the program re-offend. - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart