Notes from the Division of Student Life

Michael S. Malone

Dear Dickinson Parents,

The Division of Student Life includes the offices of the Dean of Students, Residential Life, Student Activities, Greek Life, Religious Life & Community Service, Diversity Initiatives, Student Development, Community’s Standards (formerly the College Discipline System), the Counseling Center, Health Services and Public Safety.

Nearly 75 percent of student time is spent outside the classroom, and this division is a result of the college’s commitment to cultivating a vibrant student-life program. As the acting dean of students, I am committed to supporting Dickinson’s academic mission by helping to create a healthy and safe learning environment.

In recent years, national attention has focused on the programs and policies surrounding student-life issues such as alcohol abuse on college campuses.

Fortunately, the majority of Dickinson students do not encounter the disciplinary system. An average of 20 percent of students go through the disciplinary system, and of that group, only 5 percent get more than a warning. This is a remarkably good statistic. But there are those who have—or will—run into problems during their time spent in college. And, often, that trouble is alcohol related.

As parents, teachers and administrators, we are in a unique position to influence the lives of our students. Many of us were able to drink legally when we were 18. Therefore, it may be easier for us to dismiss drinking as a harmless, post-adolescent flirtation with adulthood.

But alcohol abuse is considered one of the most serious difficulties affecting college campuses across the country. Far from a developmental right of passage, the use of alcohol can take on destructive proportions, which often can change the course of students’ lives. And current research indicates that some students experience difficulty in negotiating the pressure to involve themselves in substance abuse.

According to the National Institutes of Health, most students believe that their peers hold more permissive attitudes about drinking than they actually do. Likewise, they believe that their peers drink more heavily than they actually do. Therefore some students tend to drink, or drink more than they want to, in order to fit in. Research shows that when students learn the real (lower) statistics, they feel less pressure to engage in such behaviors.

Dickinson’s Office of Student Life is investigating this process, called “social norming,” of making this information better understood in the student body.

In addition, our roles as mentors, advisers, friends and family members give us the powerful opportunity to model responsible attitudes toward alcohol. Early intervention, a key factor in the prevention of high-risk behavior, is the essential feature of Dickinson’s substance-abuse programming.

Instead of simply chastising students for problem drinking, required educational classes have been established, along with community-restitution programs, in order to provide information, guidance and reflection when drinking has led to problematic behaviors. At a crossroads in their lives, these students are taught that choices exist regarding their present and future relationship with alcohol.

The health and welfare of our students is a concern that intersects with every academic department and administrative office at Dickinson. While respecting the autonomy of young adulthood, it is equally important to recognize our mission of preparing young people for engaged lives of citizenship and leadership in the service of society. It is our belief that teachable moments occur on campus, off campus and at home, enabling all of us to contribute to our students’ smooth and safe journeys through their post-adolescent years.

Michael S. Malone
Acting Dean of Students