Bob Ratterman: Town meeting gives insights into underage drinking
Friday, April 18, 2008
Organizers provided a sheet summarizing Ohio laws about providing alcohol to those who are underage. When they broke into smaller groups the conversation proved interesting.
While Ohio law allows parents to provide alcohol to underage children, the parents must be with them while consuming the alcohol. Susan Vaughn, Miami University's director of ethics and student conflict resolution, told of visiting parents who were with their college-student offspring at bars but left for their hotel rooms after buying several drinks.
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Get latest headlines via RSS feedsShe also told of parents who have gotten offended after her orientation program talk on alcohol laws and university response to violations.
One Miami freshman said upperclass students encourage first-year students to drink.
"They told me nobody cares and even the police department does not care," she said.
A Miami senior who said she does not drink told the group that her mother had given her some drinks at home after she turned 18 "so I'd know what it's like."
She said she felt many students drink after coming to school as experimentation.
When there was a comment about drinking parties at fraternity houses, Police Sgt. Jim Squance said fraternities are more controlled than nonfraternity residences.
Fraternity national boards have cracked down on their houses because of liability concerns, he said.
He cited one example of a house caught in an alcohol violation.
"What the university did to them and what the court did was nothing compared to what national did," Squance said, adding that they imposed a $10,000 fine on the house.
Squance acknowledged that underage drinking is a problem in Oxford, but said that the problem is getting attention from the city and the university working together.
Vaughn said there are examples of people collecting money for purchase of alcohol as an example of the scope of the problem. She told of a student purchasing $300 worth of alcohol.
"He presented a fake ID of a 53-year-old woman," she said. "He was that brazen."
Contact this reporter at (513) 523-4139 or bratterman@coxohio.com.
