Opponents of parental notification policies say that they are a return to the bad old days of in loco parentis and a violation of students' right to privacy. But a growing number of schools, including Tulane University in New Orleans and Vanderbilt University in Nashville, are embracing these tactics and informing parents of drug and alcohol violations. Schools also are trying to transform the binge-drinking culture on campus by providing students with more opportunities for good, clean fun. Late-night coffeehouses are the norm, and many schools are expanding the hours of student unions and fitness centers. The school has seen attendance at these events more than triple, to 24,000 students a semester, in just two years.
Critics insist they just move the problem off campus.
They just go out to bars more often. However, the 1997 College Alcohol Study shows a small but significant increase in the number of students abstaining from drinking altogether now 19 percent, up from 16 percent in 1993. And it does seem that others are modifying their behavior. I still drink to this day but in a much more responsible manner. Scanlon also got involved as a junior in Lehigh's effort to reduce high-risk drinking and spent much of his final year trying to enlighten fellow students including his brothers in Sigma Alpha Mu about the dangers of bingeing.