[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 321 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 321

 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that college and 
 university administrators should adopt a code of principles to change 
        the culture of alcohol consumption on college campuses.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            November 9, 1997

Mr. Kennedy of Massachusetts submitted the following resolution; which 
      was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that college and 
 university administrators should adopt a code of principles to change 
        the culture of alcohol consumption on college campuses.

Whereas many college presidents rank alcohol abuse as the number one problem on 
        campus;
Whereas alcohol is a factor in the three leading causes of death for 15-24 year 
        olds (accidents, homicides, suicides);
Whereas more than any other group, college students tend to consume large 
        numbers of drinks in rapid succession with the intention of becoming 
        drunk;
Whereas 84 percent of college students report drinking alcohol during the school 
        year, with over half--44 percent--of all students qualifying as binge 
        drinkers and 19 percent as frequent binge drinkers;
Whereas alcohol is involved in a large percentage of all campus rapes, violent 
        crimes, student suicides, and fraternity ``hazing'' accidents;
Whereas heavy alcohol consumption on college campuses can result in drunk 
        driving crashes, hospitalization for alcohol overdoses, trouble with 
        police, injury, missed classes, and academic failure;
Whereas the prevalence of second-hand effects from students drinking alcohol 
        ranges from assault, property damage, and unwanted sexual advances, to 
        interruptions in study or sleep or having to ``babysit'' another student 
        who had drunk too much; and
Whereas campus binge drinking can also lead to the death of our young and 
        promising students: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This resolution may be cited as ``The Collegiate Initiative To 
Reduce Binge Drinking''.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

    It is the sense of the House of Representatives that, in an effort 
to change the culture of alcohol consumption on college campuses, all 
college and university administrators should adopt the following code 
of principles:
            (1) For an institution of higher education, the president 
        of the institution shall appoint a task force consisting of 
        school administrators, faculty, students, Greek system 
        representatives, and others to conduct a full examination of 
        student and academic life at the institution. The task force 
        will make recommendations for a broad range of policy and 
        program changes that would serve to reduce alcohol and other 
        drug-related problems. The institution shall provide resources 
        to assist the task force in promoting the campus policies and 
        proposed environmental changes that have been identified.
            (2) The institution shall provide maximum opportunities for 
        students to live in an alcohol-free environment and to engage 
        in stimulating, alcohol-free recreational and leisure 
        activities.
            (3) The institution shall enforce a ``zero tolerance'' 
        policy on the illegal consumption of alcohol by its students 
        and will take steps to reduce the opportunities for students, 
        faculty, staff, and alumni to legally consume alcohol on 
        campus.
            (4) The institution shall vigorously enforce its code of 
        disciplinary sanctions for those who violate campus alcohol 
        policies. Students with alcohol or other drug-related problems 
        shall be referred to an on-campus counseling program.
            (5) The institution shall adopt a policy of eliminating 
        alcoholic beverage-related sponsorship of on-campus activities. 
        It shall adopt policies limiting the advertisement and 
        promotion of alcoholic beverages on campus.
            (6) Recognizing that school-centered policies on alcohol 
        will be unsuccessful if local businesses sell alcohol to 
        underage or intoxicated students, the institution shall form a 
        ``Town/Gown'' alliance with community leaders. That alliance 
        shall encourage local commercial establishments that promote or 
        sell alcoholic beverages to curtail illegal student access to 
        alcohol and adopt responsible alcohol marketing and service 
        practices.
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