Dartmouth’s alcohol ban will fail to eradicate sexual assaults

Dartmouth College President Philip Hanlon announced a ban on hard alcohol for all students on campus in January. His decision, made in light of recent sexual assaults at college campuses, mirrors other recent Prohibition-esque bans begun by Brown University, Swarthmore College and the University of Virginia.

Although Hanlon and other colleges have good intentions, the ban is actually misguided and ineffective. The assault of women is a much larger and deeper societal issue that cannot be remedied by a simple alcohol ban.

At first glance, the hard alcohol restriction may seem reasonable since, according to One in Four USA, half of reported sexual assault cases involve alcohol. However, banning alcohol on paper will not effectively prevent free-willed college students from drinking at parties. Just as during Prohibition in the 1920s, people will find ways to bypass the system.

The U.S. authorizes adults over the age of 21 to drink, an ineffective and already unpopular law; likewise, Dartmouth’s policy, preventing students of all ages — and even above 21 — from drinking hard liquor on campus, stands little chance of success.

The policy is even counterintuitive, as students may be encouraged to visit clubs outside of campus and hold parties there instead, exposing themselves to more danger overall in the absence of campus supervisors.

Dartmouth’s ban will not only fail to succeed as proven by the historical failure of Prohibition, but also fail to target America’s rape culture, which condones sexual assault. According to the national One in Four organization, one in four college women have survived rape or an attempted rape, and the actual number of cases is much higher than reported. At Dartmouth, women report that they feel unsafe in fraternities and must travel in buddy-systems when attending parties.

Rather than try to ban alcohol, Dartmouth should allow students to learn about respecting one another’s boundaries, especially those of females. There need to be more campus-based sexual assault programs that educate students. Colleges should also create stronger policies to encourage the reporting of sexual assaults as well as discipline the offenders with harsher consequences.

Dartmouth has already taken key steps toward addressing these issues by adopting a more stringent sexual assault policy and educating incoming students. The college  aims to  build an environment in which sexual assault, gender-based harassment, domestic violence and stalking are not tolerated. For instance, a sexual perpetrator is subject to stringent disciplinary action, which could include expulsion.

Students are also taught not to act as silent bystanders during sexual assault. The college enforces timeliness for reporting a sexual assault for most effective action.

Instead of an unenforceable alcohol ban, these are the types of programs will more effectively curb actual assaults and change a culture that puts women in danger.