Looking back at the last week and a half, the Class of 2012 may have had the most boring introduction to college in the country.

After arriving at Vanderbilt, the first-year students have spent countless hours in programming in conjunction with the opening of the Commons. By expanding the VUcept program to encompass almost a whole week before older students descended on campus, the message from school officials involved with the Commons was clear: get these new freshmen acclimated before the party starts.

This mission works in tandem with another new student policy that has been in full effect so far this semester. Freshmen students are not allowed to enter fraternity houses or attend fraternity events when alcohol is present until this Friday, a policy Director of Greek Life Kristin Torrey said has been the norm since before she arrived here. Torrey informed the Hustler the “no freshman” rule is the result of the work among many concerned offices on campus, including the Dean of Students and the Commons.

The policy means well. After all, it probably benefits freshmen to have a full week of class without interruption from the potential distraction of fraternity activity. Of course, it may also be beneficial to eliminate many of the other distractions from this first week of school, but officials aren’t exactly barring freshmen from working out at the Rec. Clearly, the operative issue is alcohol.

The concern is freshmen will be sucked into a life of booze and debauchery before they’ve even started class. This is a legitimate concern, but what sort of message does this policy send to our new students about Greek Life, drinking and personal responsibility? Apparently, the message is fraternities are the prime places get drunk and freshmen cannot make the decision about having a responsible social life until after that first week of classes.

Nevertheless, the policy stands, and it emboldens the university’s stance on eliminating the problems with underage drinking. With the advent of the Commons, however, one member of the community found it his responsibility to address the problem head on.

Assistant Professor of Sociology Tony Brown, the faculty head of Hank Ingram House, took it upon himself to draft an alcohol abstinence pledge. He asked the nearly 300 first-year residents of his house to sign the pledge; not surprisingly, only about one-third of those students agreed to do so. The response from Brown was both unusual and revealing.

On the Hank Ingram House blog at the Common Place Web site, Brown posted a satiric letter last Friday written from the perspective of “John B. Firstyear” to his parents. The letter claims those who did not sign the pledge — nearly 200 first-year students — are “not yielding to pressure to be outstanding community citizens of Hank Ingram House.” In addition, these students were accused of trying “to fit in with the popular students at all costs,” not feeling comfortable “until (they’ve) had at least one beer or two or three or four,” and feeling “awkward in social situations” without an alcohol buzz. All this in response to a voluntary pledge.

Brown’s passive-aggressive response is irresponsible. By disparaging nearly two-thirds of his freshmen students, he has essentially alienated himself from a batch of new Vanderbilt community members. The concept of the faculty head of house is these professors can be a resource for first-year students who, in all likelihood, have numerous questions and concerns about all aspects of college life. It will not be a surprise if many Hank Ingram residents feel wary of their faculty head.

While Brown’s principled stance and desire to change the culture is admirable, his self-described sharp critique of what he perceives as a Vanderbilt culture hung up on binge drinking seems to undercut the voluntary spirit of the pledge. Should Brown use his position as a faculty head of house to speak out against underage drinking? Absolutely. But was it responsible to expect students to sign a voluntary pledge and then criticize and stereotype those who chose not do so? Probably not.

If curbing underage drinking is a goal for Vanderbilt, perhaps the focus should be more on personal responsibility and less on coercion tactics that fail to recognize the reality of college life.