The stakes are higher. Today's students also have to worry about expulsion. The University of Florida, for example, automatically suspends a student for a drunken driving arrest. The policy began last year as part of the university's crackdown on excessive drinking. The University of Miami now calls parents if their sons or daughters are caught intoxicated or drinking under the state-required age of 21.
Counseling is mandatory.
May. Last February, the Florida Board of Regents ordered state universities to notify moms and dads when drinking or drug-taking students under the age of 21 are in accidents, break the law or violate university rules. Colleges also are encouraging high schools to teach more alcohol awareness. That's why Brack volunteers to talk at high schools about responsible drinking. If they don't learn early, some may develop drinking problems that last well beyond their years in school, says Brack, who is also assistant director for the Center of Alcohol and Other Drug Education at the university. This semester, Florida Memorial College began providing incoming freshmen with Alcohol 101, a popular interactive CD-ROM that shows students how to drink responsibly, even tabulating how much they can drink, based on their gender and weight, says Dr. Woodrow Wilson, head of the college's counseling center.