2008 Woodie Awards
ASG creates task force to study student alcohol use
Dave Matthews
Issue date: 3/23/07 Section: Campus
Seven years after the President's Task Force on Alcohol Abuse Prevention was first drafted to look at the alcohol situation on campus, Associated Student Government (ASG) voted unanimously Tuesday night to provide a student perspective by creating a student-led alcohol task force.
The bill, co-authored by Secretary for Off-Campus Affairs Jen House and Secretary for On-Campus Affairs Brendan Buholzer, called for the regular gathering of 12 students who will represent the entire Miami University student body.
The idea for the bill was first conceived in February, during Buholzer's campaign for vice president of student services and after House heard several complaints from members of the Oxford community about the student drinking culture.
"I felt … that we (didn't) have much of a support system for students at Miami who don't want to participate in alcoholic activities or be in an alcoholic environment," Buholzer said.
Most of the ASG members were sold on the idea before it was voted on.
"This is the first student-led task force dealing with alcohol," said senator Alex Cox, a junior.
Buholzer added that the task force is temporary and only plans to meet this year through fall 2007. According to Buholzer, the task force will focus on how alcohol negatively affects the student culture at Miami without looking down upon students who drink.
"We're not going to be preaching that students shouldn't drink," Buholzer said. "We have kids (on the task force) who drink, kids who don't, and kids who go out and don't drink. It's important to have that dynamic."
The task force will act completely independently of Miami administration. At this point, Buholzer said, there is not even a faculty adviser for the task force.
However, some ASG senators were a little skeptical of the task force's ambition to draft a formal report before the end of this school year.
"The Garland Report (for the alcohol task force) was first proposed in 2000," said ASG Secretary for Academic Affairs Melonia Bennett. "This didn't happen overnight."
The bill, co-authored by Secretary for Off-Campus Affairs Jen House and Secretary for On-Campus Affairs Brendan Buholzer, called for the regular gathering of 12 students who will represent the entire Miami University student body.
The idea for the bill was first conceived in February, during Buholzer's campaign for vice president of student services and after House heard several complaints from members of the Oxford community about the student drinking culture.
"I felt … that we (didn't) have much of a support system for students at Miami who don't want to participate in alcoholic activities or be in an alcoholic environment," Buholzer said.
Most of the ASG members were sold on the idea before it was voted on.
"This is the first student-led task force dealing with alcohol," said senator Alex Cox, a junior.
Buholzer added that the task force is temporary and only plans to meet this year through fall 2007. According to Buholzer, the task force will focus on how alcohol negatively affects the student culture at Miami without looking down upon students who drink.
"We're not going to be preaching that students shouldn't drink," Buholzer said. "We have kids (on the task force) who drink, kids who don't, and kids who go out and don't drink. It's important to have that dynamic."
The task force will act completely independently of Miami administration. At this point, Buholzer said, there is not even a faculty adviser for the task force.
However, some ASG senators were a little skeptical of the task force's ambition to draft a formal report before the end of this school year.
"The Garland Report (for the alcohol task force) was first proposed in 2000," said ASG Secretary for Academic Affairs Melonia Bennett. "This didn't happen overnight."
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