It’s been one year since Jake Stiles died.

Not a pleasant memory, rather one that most people would probably like to move on from.

But it’s at this time we want to evaluate how much progress the SMU community has made in understanding the root of its drug and alcohol problem and what can be done about it.

The biggest player in this will be the release of the report in a few weeks from the Task Force on Substance Abuse Prevention.

We have questioned the purpose of the task force, but the report they will produce is likely to be the final grand statement from the university regarding students and drugs.

That is why whatever the task force’s findings and recommendations are will be such a big deal.

We hope the push for medical amnesty is taken seriously, because it is one of the few common sense solutions that can actually be dictated by the university.

Other changes will have to come from the students themselves, and that’s where we remain concerned.

Over the summer we asked the incoming first years to be the change this campus needed to shake ourselves out of our apathy.

We asked the returning students to stop passively accepting the drug and alcohol culture and to hold their friends to a higher standard.

Neither has happened.

The number of people hospitalized with alcohol poisoning or other drug and alcohol related problems was at 18 by the end of September. That is not an improvement. That is ignoring what happened on this campus last year.

We aren’t asking people to stop drinking. That’s not going to happen and we don’t expect it to.

However, we are reiterating that people must be smart when using alcohol. Know your limits. Always make sure there is someone who is sober and makes sure that everyone is OK.

As we head toward the end of the semester, there are big parties celebrating the end of school before people head home for the break.

Make good choices. Be smart. Be the change in this campus’ culture.