News

Three strikes and you're out
How effective is W&L's strike system?

by Caroline Davis

Photo by Caroline Davis

Ten student deaths in ten years--that was the state of Washington and Lee University in 2001 when the University chose to institute a three strike system.

The final straw came during Homecoming 2000. A male and a female student died due to an alcohol-related accident in which both students were heavily intoxicated. The President at the time, John W. Elrod, decided that the University needed to take action.

President Elrod created the Alcohol Task Force to help explore methods to change the culture of drinking here at Washington and Lee. In May 2001, the University adopted the strike system, officially the University Initiatives on Substance Abuse. In the spring of 2006, the University adopted an updated Initiatives program, the University Initiatives on Alcohol and Other Drugs. They placed the Student Judicial Council in charge of enforcing and outlining specific consequences for violations of the policies.

But the strike system is not welcomed by all. Now almost six years since its institution, W&L community members still have mixed feelings about effectiveness of the policies.

Senior student and Chair of the Student Judicial Council, Matt Krieg, cites that the strike system is an effective tool for the University. He says the SJC mainly deals directly with students who receive a second strike. Those experiencing a first strike face consequences that do not engage the SJC’s involvement.

When a student is caught violating the University’s alcohol or drug policies for the first time, that student receives his/her first strike. A first strike incorporates mandatory education, counseling, and a $100 fine. The student is placed on one year of social probation and his/her parents are notified.

A second strike is issued if a student violates the alcohol or drug policy within a year of a first strike. Once again, the student faces mandatory education and counseling, one year of probation, parental contact and a minimum $100 fine, maximum $200. In addition, a student may be suspended for an entire term or semester. At this point, the student's case is taken before the SJC to appeal the suspension. Krieg reports that since last spring term when he became Chair, the SJC has experienced 5 or 6 cases of second strikes.

The third and final strike is issued once again if a student violated the alcohol or drug policy within a year of receiving the first strike. At this point, students may be expelled from the University. They may also receive an additional fine of $200 to $350. If the student appeals the expulsion and is not dismissed from the University, he/she must also engage in mandatory counseling and education. Since the system was instituted, only one student has received a third strike and been forced to leave the University.

But not all students are in favor of the strike system.

Sophomore student Kyle Simon received a strike during his freshman year here at Washington and Lee. He says the system does not prevent students from engaging in drinking or using drugs. Simon said that students who receives a strike will often change their habits for a short period of time, and then revert back to their old activities.

Freshman Josh Gonzalez also received his first strike. Gonzalez agrees with Simon, insisting that students do not change their habits if they get their first strike. He claims that students will just work harder to not get caught.

Meanwhile, the majority of faculty and staff members believe that the system is beneficial.

Dean Dawn Watkins said the system is geared more toward educational goals rather than punitive, to help put students in check so that they avoid worse penalties down the road.

Director of Public Safety Mike Young says the 12 months of social probation causes students to think twice about their drinking habits. Young also emphasizes how the strike system "hits home." He adds that contacting the parents of those students who receive strikes is another effective measure in making students think about their actions.

Director of Health Promotions, Jan Kaufman, is involved in counseling the students who receive strikes. Kaufman says despite what students think about the system, the law is the law. “I think the initial intent of the strike system was to put an enforcement component into our policy and to hold students accountable," said Kaufman. "We do have University policy, we do have State of Virginia law, and whether we agree with either one is irrelevant, they are policy or law and students need to follow them."

With differing opinions from both students and faculty, the effectiveness of the strike system is hard to discern. But statistics from recent health assessments provide the hard facts.

Last Spring, the National College Health Assessment asked half of the
Photo by Caroline Davis
Washington and Lee University undergraduates to participate in a survey. The survey addresses a broad range of health, risk, and protective behaviors on campus, including alcohol and drug use.

Results from the survey showed a high percentage for binge drinking on the campus. Both men and women at W&L drank five or more alcoholic beverages, three or more times in the past two weeks, at rates that were double that of a reference group. The reference group consists of a certain amount of respondents from 71 other campuses across the United States. Despite these high numbers, the survey reports that our binge drinking numbers have either decreased or remained steady since the last survey in 2004. While the drinking is still at a high-risk, there appear to be some improvements in this area.

However, the figures from the Clery Act Report show a different story. The Clery Act is a crime statistics and awareness report that is issued each year by W&L’s Campus Security. In 2001 when the strike system was instituted, Campus Security reported only 52 liquor law violations. These violations include Lexington Police reports, On-Campus Security reports, and On-Campus Dormitory reports.

The 2005 Clery Act reported a total of 114 liquor law violations, a number more than double that of 2001 report.

So is the strike system an effective tool here at Washington and Lee? One can speculate, but community members provide only opinions and the numbers do not present clear answers. Statistics show both a decrease in binge drinking and an increase in liquor law violations since 2001.

The W&L community speaks out about the strike system