Alcohol Crackdown at Stanford Renews Debate Over Role of Alcohol in Campus Sexual Assault

Stanford University announced a new alcohol policy earlier this week that will ban hard liquor at undergraduate parties because of the “dangers that arise from that misuse.” Some see this policy change as a response to the highly publicized sexual assault case against Stanford swimmer Brock Turner, who blamed his actions on the the school’s “party culture” and binge drinking. Advocates for sexual assault victims are concerned that blaming intoxication trivializes the crime and lets perpetrators off the hook. Stanford maintains that the new policy is formulated to address binge drinking and is not a response to the Brock Turner case. We’ll discuss the problem of alcohol on college campuses and its role in sexual assault.