Jump directly to the content
STUDENT NIGHTMARE

Top US university bans BOOZE from student parties in wake of Brock Turner sex attack case

Whisky, vodka and other spirits are a no go at top US teaching institution two months after Brock Turner sexual assault

STANFORD University has banned spirits at on-campus parties after student Brock Turner case was convicted of a sex attack and blamed alcohol for his actions.

Students will still be able to drink beer and wine at such events, but anything more than 20% alcohol by volume or 40 proof is off limits.

A ban has also been introduced on having full-size bottles of spirits in halls of residence at the US university.

Ralph Castro, director of the Office of Alcohol Policy and Education, in a Stanford news release: "Our focus is on the high risk of the rapid consumption of hard alcohol.

"Our intention is not a total prohibition of a substance, but rather a targeted approach that limits high-risk behaviour."

The policy has been brought in two months after Turner was sentenced, a former Stanford swimmer who was convicted on a charge of intent to commit rape.
Former Stanford student Brock Turner who was sentenced to six months in county jail for the sexual assault of an unconscious and intoxicated woman is shown in this Santa Clara County Sheriff's booking photo
4
Stanford University has banned hard liquor at on-campus parties in the wake of the Brock Turner case who was charged with intent to commit rapeCredit: Reuters
It gained attention and caused outrage across the US, after the victim issued a powerful statement about her ordeal and the judge's subsequent decision to give Turner a six month jail sentence.
Both of them had been drinking the night of January 18 2015 - and the victim was found near the Kappa Alpha fraternity house in a field near the campus, behind a bin.
Stanford University campus with Hoover Tower
4
Students will still be able to drink beer and wine at such events, but anything more than 20% alcohol by volume or 40 proof is off limitsCredit: Alamy
Former Stanford student Brock Turner in Santa Clara County Sheriff's booking photo
4
A ban has also been introduced on having bottles of spirits and whisky in dorm rooms at the US university, and common areas over 750 millilitres. The policy has been brought in two months after Turner was sentenced, a former Stanford swimmer who was convicted on a charge of intent to commit rapeCredit: Reuters
She was discovered curled up in the fetal position, her dress up around her waist and her underwear on the ground.
Turner's father Dan penned a letter to the judge, saying his son was being made to pay “a steep price ... for 20 minutes of action” and his life had been “been deeply altered forever”.
Stanford University campus with Hoover Tower
4
Ralph Castro, director of the Office of Alcohol Policy and Education, in a Stanford news release: "Our focus is on the high risk of the rapid consumption of hard alcohol. "Our intention is not a total prohibition of a substance, but rather a targeted approach that limits high-risk behaviour"Credit: Alamy

It caused a huge backlash on social media, with many thinking the sentence was too lenient for Brock Turner's crime, who blamed his behaviour partly on being introduced to the party culture at university.

However there was evidence during his upbringing in a small town in Ohio, he was no stranger to drugs, including marijuana, and had partied since high school.

A spokeswoman for the university  said the change in policy was to do with a general concern about alcohol rather than the Turner case: "Alcohol, and particularly hard alcohol, is implicated in a variety of problems that continue to be present in the Stanford community. These include alcohol poisoning, sexual assault and relationship violence, organisational conduct problems, and academic problems.

"We need new solutions -- solutions that reduce risk for students, that reduce the pressure on students to drink, and that meaningfully change our culture around alcohol."
Topics
YOU MIGHT LIKE
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
MORE FOR YOU