October 25, 2012
An article in the Oct. 22 issue of the Utica Observer-Dispatch addressed the concerns of the town of Clinton and the surrounding area with the recent behavior of Hamilton students both on and off the Hill due to alcohol abuse. While the Student Assembly has issued a public apology for the mass casualty situation caused by students on Saturday, Sept. 29 in the Oct. 18 issue of the Spectator, the problematic behavior of students downtown remained largely unacknowledged until this past Tuesday.
The article examines several types of unfavorable behavior, ranging from open containers to underage drinking to disregard for local law enforcement. Within the article, Kirkland Police Chief Dan English recalls several comments that Kirkland police officers have heard while trying to do their job on weekend nights, including “Get a life. This is a college town, deal with it!” and “Clinton wouldn’t be anything without Hamilton College!”
The students making these comments and committing these offenses, however, represent a vocal minority on the Hamilton campus. As Assistant Vice President of Communications Mike Debraggio explained in the article, these recent actions overshadow the long-standing benefits and positive attitude that students regular contribute to Clinton and the surrounding community. Indeed, students regularly give back to the area in terms of community service through several campus organizations such as the Levitt Center and HAVOC. In addition, Hamilton students also help set-up and participate in events such as the recent Fall Fest held in downtown Clinton.
Several projects are already in motion to address this behavior downtown. The Hamilton College Town-Gown fund has contributed money towards the purchase of new devices to detect counterfeit IDs used by underage students. Student Assembly recommended that the fund also provide Clinton Wine and Liquor as well as the Nice and Easy on Route 12B with these devices. On Nov. 5 the Village Board of Clinton will meet to discuss new measures to curtail the dangerous and disrespectful behavior. The measures to be discussed include the raising of fines for littering and/or open containers to a minimum of $100 and a maximum of $250 along with the option of up to 15 days in jail.
After several semesters under a hard alcohol ban, the Hamilton administration finally lifted it at the beginning of the year, recognizing that it was an ineffective measure in changing alcohol culture on campus, succeeding only in driving dangerous drinking underground. Instead, the administration shifted their focus to punishing dangerous and disruptive behaviors on campus, focusing more on violence and destruction rather than simply drinking.
While we applaud Clinton’s initial pursuit of negative student behavior over simply restriction of alcohol, we do think that these measures - if implemented - would be excessive. We recognize that violations of the open container and littering laws are illegal and disrespectful, but no open container violation should be punished with jail time. We commend the community’s approach to this problem, but where there are consequences, there should also be common sense.