Four years ago SMU was rocked by the deaths of sophomore Jacob Stiles, freshman Jordan Crist and senior Meaghan Bosch due to drugs and alcohol.
Amidst the sadness, many loudly criticized SMU’s drug culture. It was this culture, they say, which contributed to the three deaths.
“Drugs are woven into the Greek system and the social fabric of the university,” Bosch’s father, Joseph Bosch, said.
Four years later, what has changed?
It’s true that SMU has become more involved in efforts to curb and prevent drug and alcohol abuse. The Task Force on Substance Abuse Prevention delivered 30 recommendations to President R. Gerald Turner; 21 of those were accepted. Now the Task Force is called the Commission on Substance Abuse Prevention and Education.
Student Senate passed resolutions regarding medical amnesty and good Samaritan policies. These resolutions were then put into University policy. Campus leaders became TIPS trained.
SMU’s student population has also changed. Gone are the students who choose between mutually exclusive options to either study or party. Today’s students are much more well-rounded. They’ve got the resumes to prove it.
What we’ve noticed is that all of these efforts haven’t put a dent in drug and alcohol use. SMU students used to choose between partying and studying.
Now they do both. The disconnect between the more academic-minded and the party-minded has all but dissolved. The notable increase in SAT scores and grades, while there is no visible decrease in partying proves this.
However, SMU’s efforts have created more responsible students.
Whereas students of the past didn’t always look out for their fellow partiers, today’s students do. Today’s students are also more open about their drug use. Many tell their parents of their activities.
This is certainly a change for the better, and we’ve got to hand it to SMU (as well as parents) for instilling a mentality of responsibility in students’ minds.
But SMU’s drug culture still remains. “Softer” drugs, such as marijuana, are no longer taboo to do or speak about. Rather, it is these that have become commonplace and common parlance.
Four years later, SMU has come a long way. There’s still much to do.
The University should continue to work to lessen the presence of drugs and alcohol (and subsequent abuse of those products). The University should continue to educate students about personal responsibility and emergency training.
Above all, SMU shouldn’t forget about Stiles, Crist and Bosch. Their deaths were tragic, and they spoke of a larger problem at this University. The dangers of substance abuse and a culture where drugs are the norm still remain even with a more responsibility-minded student population. These three students should forever remind SMU and its students that this issue has real and tragic consequences.
Four years later, we urge SMU to continue its efforts to change the campus drug culture.
