Longtime observers of Harvard athletics say the current system, with stricter rules and mandatory meetings, has curbed athletes' drinking.
"I can honestly say that in the late '70s [and] early '80s there was a problem, and the problem was that we didn't have the policy that we have now," says Carole Kleinfelder, who has coached women's lacrosse for more than two decades. House-sponsored happy hours and the 18-year-old drinking age made it difficult to crack down on drinking, she says.
Today, the women's lacrosse team, like many other teams, uses a "48-hour rule" honor code system where athletes promise not to drink two days before a game.
"It's really up to the individual and the team members," she says. "You can't be with them 24 hours a day."
While Kleinfelder says she is glad the days of school-sanctioned drinking are over, trust and team dynamics continue to be most effective in controlling team drinking.
"We all know that there is a point at which you can hide it, but your teammates will know," Kleinfelder says.
This positive peer pressure, Austin says, means athletes actually drink less than they might if the same students were not on sports teams.
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