Universities urged to help prevent deaths from binge-drinking as Freshers’ Week begins

Universities need to do more to educate students about the dangers of initiations and excessive drinking to prevent any more tragic deaths from taking place in the future, new guidance suggests.

Universities UK (UUK), which represents vice-chancellors, has launched the new advice for institutions in collaboration with Newcastle University following the death of first-year student Ed Farmer after an initiation involving heavy drinking in 2016.

The sector should move away from a “zero-tolerance” punitive approach to alcohol-heavy initiations as bans can lead to institutions doing very little to tackle the issue, the paper says.

It also warns about the dangers of other risky behaviours and activities students may be exposed to such as coercion, humiliation or bullying.

It comes as hundreds of thousands of students arrive at university for the first time this month.

Institutions should organise more staff training on ceremonies, provide clear reporting systems and advertise support available to students, the report suggests.

In December 2016, Ed Farmer died in his first term at Newcastle University after attending an agricultural society initiation where rounds of 100 triple vodkas were ordered.

The coroner at the inquest last year said there was a risk of future deaths because students were “unaware of the risks of consuming large quantities of alcohol over a short period of time”.

In a foreword to the new report, his parents said: “If students were made aware of the dangers of drinking large volumes of spirits in short periods of time, and maybe aware of the signs of someone that is no longer just drunk but in a life-limiting state and use the example of Ed to give the message some relevance, then possibly just one student might be luckier on a night out than Ed.”

Last year, Jeremy Farmer, Ed’s father, criticised Newcastle University’s response to the tragedy and called for students involved in future initiation ceremonies to be expelled.

But the report says not all events labelled as initiations are “inherently bad” and it warns that an outright ban can create more risks for students.

“A blanket zero-tolerance approach can push activities into private spaces, such as off-campus accommodation, and so making them more dangerous,” the guidance says.

Instead, universities should adopt a clearer definition of what constitutes an initiation which focuses on prohibited behaviours, it adds.

Professor Chris Day, vice-chancellor and president at Newcastle University, said: “Three years ago we lost a bright, talented, much-loved student in one of the worst ways possible.

“I think there is no doubt that it was the situation Ed found himself in that night which led to him drinking an excessive quantity of alcohol over a very short period of time.

“This, together with a lack of knowledge from his fellow students about the dangers of drinking to excess, resulted in the most tragic of outcomes.

“We all wish we could rewind three years and change what happened that night. But we can’t go back and so instead we are looking forward and doing everything we can to minimise the chances of anything like this happening again.”

Universities minister Chris Skidmore said: “Today’s new guidance is a welcome step in promoting the safety and wellbeing of students, and warning them of the dangers of initiation activities and especially excessive alcohol consumption. It is a shame that such a tragic case brought this issue to light, but it is important that students will now have access to increased information and that universities can use their position to warn students of the dangers involved in such activities.

“Raising awareness on the potential impact of initiations and excessive alcohol on physical and mental health is vital so that the hundreds of thousands of students starting and returning to their studies this month feel their universities are prioritising their welfare and safety.”