Police want Oxford bars to require 2 forms of ID for Miami students

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

Miami University’s president committed to “break through” the issue of underage binge drinking in an address to board members Feb. 17.

“Although most college students do not binge drink, the visible minority is costing us much more than in extensive campus and community time and resources. It’s costing young lives,” Dr. Gregory Crawford said.

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Crawford is reviewing all of the programs and initiatives at Miami “to see what’s working, what’s not and how we can break through,” he said.

Miami will also host an official from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism next month to assess the university’s programs.

MORE: Miami: Surge in drinking hospitalizations reflects student reporting

Here are other ways the university and Oxford community said they are responding to the issue:

Changes to student IDs

Oxford police say fake IDs are common and are getting harder to detect.

Many of the underage people hospitalized for binge drinking earlier this month were in possession of fake IDs, police told our news partner WCPO.

“A lot of times these are pretty effective, because just the average person can’t recognize or won’t be able to recognize what’s real and what’s not,” Oxford Police Sgt. Jon Varley said of the fake IDs.

New student ID cards will contain the date of birth for the student, and the bars will ask for that in addition to a state ID, police said.

Public meetings

On Feb. 24, a public event featuring Michael Curme, associate vice president and dean of students, will take place at Shriver Center, room 104. The event — called Building a Better Community by Confronting High-Risk Alcohol Consumption — will take place from 4 to 5 p.m. at 701 E. Spring St. and will feature a presentation by Curme, a Q&A session, and an interactive brainstorming session.

Miami recently held a virtual town hall for more than 200 parents on the topic of student alcohol abuse.

Crawford also participated in ride-alongs with the Miami University Police Department during its late-night and early-morning rounds, according to a press release from the university.

More training

The university and the city of Oxford are training uptown businesses and taxi drivers to recognize signs of alcohol poisoning.