By Janice Armo Kassman,Special to the Sun Journal

Stop the presses. There’s a college out there that’s willing to talk about alcohol.

With all the tragedies caused by excessive drinking at colleges nationwide, it’s no wonder schools are scared. After all, no college in its right mind would want to get a reputation for being lenient or for having a particularly strong drinking culture.

So that must be why there’s such a media frenzy around Colby’s new program allowing “of-age” students to buy a glass (or two) of wine or beer with dinner on selected Friday nights. Frankly, when I agreed to the students’ proposal for the program, I had no clue that it would make national headlines. After all, what is so odd about 21-year-olds drinking a glass of wine with dinner? To the contrary, isn’t that far more normal than the type of college drinking we typically hear about?

The fact that moderate drinking among “of-age” students makes headlines – that heavy drinking has become the expectation not the exception – shows what a serious problem we face in this culture. Instead of pretending there isn’t a problem, Colby is addressing it head on.

And instead of prescribing abstinence, we are treating our adult students like adults. Imagine that.

Those who have witnessed this “revolutionary” program realize that there’s really nothing remarkable about it. Students get their meals, show their IDs and carry their trays into a small room adjacent to the main dining hall. They’re met by wine and beer experts, on-hand to answer questions. Some visit the bartender, taste a sip if they choose, and order their preference. They sit down with their friends (not all of whom are drinking beer or wine), chat and laugh, and get ice cream for dessert. The fact that this kind of moderate drinking is considered unusual underscores the dangerous nature of college drinking in American culture.

Since this story broke, I’ve received countless e-mails and phone calls from parents and alumni, and even from people who have no connection to Colby, commending the college for its effort to combat the drinking culture. One administrator at another college wrote: “I am a strong believer that if we raise our expectations of students and treat them with respect, they will also rise to meet our expectations.” A parent of three college-age students thanked Colby for its “reasonable, tasteful and original approach.”

In the media, where journalists honorably try to present a balanced picture, some experts have criticized the program. They say things like “Putting [alcohol] in a dining hall may not be the right signal ” (Yale Daily News, March 4). OK, if allowing students to drink in moderation isn’t the right signal, then what is? I can’t think of a better signal to send than showing of-age students the advantage of moderate drinking over excessive drinking.

If students want to drink, they’re going to. To what degree does making alcohol a forbidden fruit contribute to the problem? The key is not to preach “just say no” but to teach students to use good judgment. After all, in Europe, where drinking ages are lower and alcohol isn’t taboo, the rate of binge drinking doesn’t come close to that in the United States. In fact, some international students have commented that these dinners are reminiscent of gatherings in their home countries.

An alumnus in Spain remarked: “Cheers to you (et al) for once again being brave enough to promote logic over conventional practice. I can attest that the logic is sound – the legal drinking age here is 16, and the Spaniards don’t have the same problems as Americans do in college.”

It would be naïve to think that this program could eliminate the problem of excessive drinking. But as part of a mosaic of initiatives – including dorm programs, an interactive online alcohol education program and “chem-free” social programming – a glass of wine with dinner offers a healthier approach to drinking.

We’re showing our students the middle ground.

Janice Armo Kassman is the vice president for student affairs at Colby College.

Copy the Story Link