After 10 years, PACE needs reform

by Janell Wise

Friday, April 28, 2006 00:00

This week, the University of Wisconsin and other officials from around the city celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the Policy Alternatives Community Education project, which aims to "decrease high-risk drinking and its negative consequences" among undergraduates on the University of Wisconsin campus. Though the 10-year Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant that has funded the PACE project for the past 10 years has lapsed, it has been revealed the PACE project will continue on campus, courtesy of additional funds from the Chancellor's office.

This anniversary made me question whether PACE truly has anything to celebrate, as well as leaving myself questioning the administration's decision to continue funding the PACE program.

Throughout my four years on campus, I, like many students, have been a critic of PACE initiatives. I won't deny that excessive drinking is a problem at UW, and I actually concede that some of the overall goals and policies of PACE are noble, including educational programs and non-alcoholic events that promote more responsible drinking behavior among undergrads.

However, it is also undeniable that many of the extreme efforts employed by PACE are not only unrealistic and unproductive, but also that the group has effectively destroyed its reputation among many on campus by proving time and time again that it is woefully out of touch with the general student population.

To many students on campus, particularly those that drink, PACE is seen as a joke — a group incapable of creating an effective initiative to curb irresponsible drinking on campus. One can understand this widely held campus sentiment by simply examining the track record of the project's efforts to reduce binge-drinking on campus, which is littered with several misguided and failed initiatives. The "voluntary" drink-special ban, parental notification and keg registration initiatives come to mind as three of the more public PACE-supported attempts to stifle drinking on campus, attaching a negative stigma to the group and leading to extreme dislike and unpopularity among students by the campus community.

Though I recognize that PACE's ultimate intention isn't popularity, the organization could function more effectively if it had the support and participation of campus opinion leaders and the general student body. Frankly, what prevents PACE from achieving this support is the project's two biggest downfalls: unrealistic goals and initiatives as well as a complete lack of meaningful involvement and dialogue about binge drinking with students on campus.

If PACE wants support rather than scorn for their efforts, it needs to focus more intently on goals that encourage student responsibility while drinking and enacting policies that students perceive as realistic enough to follow. PACE can start with this by actually comprehending an undeniable fact about UW: students at Madison are going to drink. Drinking is a large part of college culture and also the culture of the state of Wisconsin, and no program is going to be able to change that fact. The project's efforts would seem less extreme and laughable if they focused more of their time on responsible drinking rather than making statements and taking actions that would be more consistent with the goal of completely eliminating drinking on campus.

PACE should also realize that if they want a more accurate idea of what students consider reasonable solutions and recommendations to curb high-risk drinking on campus, they should actually talk to students and involve them in meetings and discussions about student drinking behavior. The current lack of student access and understanding of PACE is vast, making it almost impossible for meaningful dialogue to take place with students and administrators about binge drinking.

I have firsthand knowledge of this disconnect between students and PACE. For example, one of my responsibilities as Union President was to serve as a student voice at PACE meetings. Though I was interested in giving my perspective on the project, as a student and a graduating senior, I was unable to attend a meeting all year. I found that the meetings were held at times and in locations that would make it extremely difficult for most students who attend classes and work to attend.

Perhaps with more student participation, PACE would be able to make suggestions and enact policies that would actually be embraced among the campus population. Existing in a delusional bubble regarding students and binge-drinking has gotten the group in the situation they are in now, and to continue to function in this mindset would guarantee the project's continued irrelevance.

Despite its poor reputation and track record, it seems as if the campus administration is dedicated to continuing the PACE program. Therefore, if PACE is to continue its efforts on campus, it is my hope that along with the renewal of funding to continue the project, PACE leaders will not merely continue functioning ineffectively, but instead examine and revamp the goals, objectives and tactics that they employ to reduce high risk drinking among undergraduates. If PACE doesn't change its current mindset and tactics, rather than affect real change in the drinking culture on campus, it will continue be considered an irrelevant and unnecessary organizations initiative in the minds of students.

Janell Wise (jwise@badgerherald.com) is a senior majoring in political science and journalism.