Dry campus policies came into being because of tragedies associated with excessive drinking. In a 2004 case, a University of Oklahoma student died from alcohol poisoning after a party at his fraternity. After the incident, the university enforced dry campus policies. A similar tragedy occurred when Byung Soo Kim from the University of Michigan, celebrating his 21st birthday by trying to drink 21 shots of whisky, died after the 20th shot. At Colgate University, drunk driving killed four students. Because of such incidents, parents and students began considering alcohol abuse when choosing a college, and universities took steps to reduce excessive drinking.
On a dry campus, students cannot consume or even possess alcohol, even if they are of legal age. This ban includes student dorms. If campus security staff find someone drinking, they can confiscate the alcohol and search the student's dorm room.
According to a study by Harvard University, one in three U.S. college campuses adopt dry campus policies, despite the fact that two-thirds of undergraduate students are of legal drinking age. Some private colleges enforce these policies because of religious affiliations. Other dry campuses include the University of Nebraska and Penn State University. Some states ban alcohol on all state grounds, including state college campuses.
Banning drinking on campus reduces drinking among the students, which can improve academic performance, discourage careless sexual activities and reduce adverse effects to surrounding residents. Dry campus policies also reduce the effects of alcohol abuse on sober students, who could be affected by assaults, sex crimes and a poor academic environment.
Dissent against dry campus policies often is expressed at public colleges, where students sometimes feel that the university is interfering with their freedom to do something that they are legally allowed to do. College students argue that they have the right to be treated as adults, and to make their own adult decisions. Drinking can be a way for college students to explore the world and learn about making responsible decisions. Banning drinking could also encourage students to drink and drive, as some students go off campus to drink, and drive back to their dorms.