"Drinking plays a significant role in impairing judgement and heightening aggression so it can be very dangerous in a sexual situation," says Shawna L. Shames '01, a member of the Coalition Against Sexual Violence. "Date rape is unfortunately very common and it is even more common with alcohol."

And cases of sexual assault serve as a major justification for administrative action aimed at curbing excessive drinking.

"The reason we worry so much about these matters is that the consequences, both for the perpetrator and for the victim, can so totally and tragically alter the lives of promising individuals," says Harry R. Lewis '68, dean of the College. "People are taking their lives in their hands by attempting to have sex when either they or their partner are drunk."

And the number of alcohol-related incidents that have resulted in College disciplinary action have more than tripled in the last three years.

In 1999, the Administrative Board took disciplinary action in 86 cases involving alcohol, compared with 25 cases in 1997.

Adventures In Babysitting

The most common secondhand effect experienced by students on campus is "babysitting," taking care of their peers who have had too much to drink.

Harvard students babysit much more than their peers across the country.