10 other top colleges that banned hard alcohol

It’s unofficial mascot was a human-sized keg. It has its own brand of beer pong that’s akin to religion. It served as the inspiration for “Animal House.”

Yes, drinking is a big part of Dartmouth College’s public image. But the administration is trying to change the campus’ hard-partying reputation. Dartmouth president Philip J. Hanlon on Thursday announced that hard alcohol will be banned on campus.

The drastic move came in response to several alcohol-related incidents, including allegations of extreme fraternity hazing and sexual assault. Dartmouth’s decision to ban hard alcohol is wide-reaching but it is not unprecedented.

Here are ten other top colleges where students have to rely on beer and wine, at least officially:

Amherst College
Amherst, Mass.
Undergraduate enrollment: 1,785

Hard liquor is banned at public parties with the exception of some events for seniors hosted by the university.

Bates College
Lewiston, Maine
Undergraduate enrollment: 1,791

This liberal arts school has one of the strictest hard alcohol policies in the nation. Possessing and drinking hard liquor are banned on campus.

The campus of Bowdoin College (Robert F. Bukaty, File/AP Photo).

Bowdoin College
Brunswick, Maine
Undergraduate enrollment: 1,805

Hard alcohol (classified as above 10 percent alcohol by volume) is not allowed in on-campus residences.

Colby College
Waterville, Maine
Undergraduate enrollment: 1,820

In 2010, Colby followed these other two Maine liberal arts colleges in outlawing hard liquor at parties and in dorms.

Colgate University
Hamilton, N.Y.
Undergraduate enrollment: 2,927

Hard alcohol cannot be served at on-campus private events. That’s a more lenient policy than Dartmouth’s.

Notre Dame’s famous “Touchdown Jesus” mural (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images).

University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Ind.
Undergraduate enrollment: 8,477

Hard alcohol, above 14 percent alcohol by volume, is banned in undergraduate dorms.

Stanford University
Stanford, Calif.
Undergraduate enrollment: 7,018

Hard alcohol banned at most on-campus parties.

Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, Pa.
Undergraduate enrollment: 1,534

Possession and consumption of hard alcohol is banned at campus events.

Francis Field House at Washington University in St. Louis (James A. Finley/AP Photo).

Washington University in St. Louis
St. Louis, Mo.
Undergraduate enrollment: 7,336

Hard alcohol is banned at “open” parties on campus.

Williams College
Williamstown, Mass.
Undergraduate enrollment: 2,077

Hard liquor cannot be served at registered student events.

Banning hard liquor is an aggressive move to curb alcohol abuse on college campuses, but whether it’s an effective strategy is up for debate. Some argue that alcohol bans do not deter heavy drinking, but instead drive it off-campus where university officials can’t regulate parties or protect students.

“If students want to get dangerously drunk, they will find a way to do so,” the editorial board of The Dartmouth student newspaper wrote last week. “Rhetoric about eliminating the epidemic of binge drinking is neither realistic nor helpful. Binge drinking is a symptom of an unhealthy culture and at times indicative of underlying mental health issues, and Hanlon’s policy should reflect that.”

On the other hand, Some studies suggest that bans can reduce alcohol abuse even if they are not a silver bullet. Colleges that ban all alcohol on campus have a lower rate of student binge drinking, according to a 2001 study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health.

But students who do drink at those schools drank just as heavily as students where alcohol is permitted on campus.

Jordan Fabian is Fusion’s politics editor, writing about campaigns, Congress, immigration, and more. When he’s not working, you can find him at the ice rink or at home with his wife, Melissa.