St. Cloud State University officials soon could turn to parents to help curb drinking by students who are underage. Under a proposed policy, the university would send letters to parents if their children younger than 21 are caught drinking.
Most students care deeply about how they are perceived by their parents.
Bird and other officials are researching similar programs at schools in Delaware, Texas and elsewhere. They also plan to meet with student groups and parents before enacting the policy, which could be adopted as early as January. The proposed policy is an attempt to reduce binge drinking among students and to prevent a drinking-related tragedy like those that have captured national headlines over the past year. Recent changes to federal and state laws allow officials to release certain student information. In the past, school officials required those caught for underage drinking to undergo alcohol abuse education.