Dartmouth's College Try

But once on campus, they rapidly close the gap. By the middle of fall term, 35 percent become high-risk drinkers (defined as four or more drinks for women, five or more drinks for men on at least one occasion in the previous two weeks) compared with 26 percent among college students nationwide.

At Dartmouth, Wednesdays are drinking nights because that's when fraternities meet. Fridays and Saturdays are drinking nights, obviously. Mondays, ditto, because "senior societies" meet then.

"The fact that students are engaging in high-risk drinking potentially four nights a week has a bearing on their health and well-being; it also clearly affects their level of academic engagement," a committee composed of faculty, alumni and students reported to Hanlon.

Indeed, the report's description of what passes for a party at Dartmouth underscores the inadequacy of cracking down on hard liquor alone. "Dartmouth's social scene is in large part centered around the performative drinking game 'pong,'" it said. "Pong, particularly as the game has developed, encourages rapid and increased alcohol consumption; current versions of the game may involve up to 30 cups of beer on the table."

The committee "also heard enough stories of inducing vomiting to facilitate further consumption ('boot and rally') and competitions to see who vomits first ('doming') to suggest that these are common occurrences. Students also routinely relate stories of having 'blacked out.'"

For this we're spending $65,000 a year?

I wish, as the parent of a student at a similarly selective institution and the observer of her peers at other colleges, I could smugly report that Dartmouth is the exception to the generally responsible rule. Not true.

So some of Hanlon's other proposals make sense, and merit consideration elsewhere: Creating a four-year residential "house" system, with grown-ups (faculty and grad students) on premises, to create community apart from frats. Encouraging service-oriented "gap" years, to develop responsibility. Increasing "academic engagement" -- including earlier Tuesday and Thursday morning classes; clamping down on grade inflation; and upping academic requirements such as writing theses.

One Dartmouth student I know argued that binge drinking stems from too much pressure, not too little. Students, she said, "turn to extreme behavior as a way of releasing stress they confront" -- to excel academically, cram in extracurricular activities, find prestigious jobs. Still, if students can drink this much and maintain 3.8 GPAs, something seems wrong.

"Now, get to class," Hanlon concluded his speech outlining the new approach. That's not a bad message, to college students everywhere.

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Ruth Marcus' email address is ruthmarcus@washpost.com.