[stupac2]

I could see the policy reducing student health in another way -- consumption of alcohol involves a lot of calories. Could push up weight for many students, which is not great.

It depends a lot on what you're doing with the hard alcohol. Sure, vodka on its own has a lower calories/drunkenness ratio, but I doubt much of the hard alcohol consumption was straight shots. Most likely it's mixed with soda/juice, and replacing that with beer/wine might actually improve caloric consumption.

Regardless, unless things have changed since our time, I think the alcohol policy is not the most meaningful way Stanford influences student weight, the dining halls are certainly where the most potential for gain lies.

[stupac2]

I could see the policy reducing student health in another way -- consumption of alcohol involves a lot of calories. Could push up weight for many students, which is not great.

It depends a lot on what you're doing with the hard alcohol. Sure, vodka on its own has a lower calories/drunkenness ratio, but I doubt much of the hard alcohol consumption was straight shots. Most likely it's mixed with soda/juice, and replacing that with beer/wine might actually improve caloric consumption.

Regardless, unless things have changed since our time, I think the alcohol policy is not the most meaningful way Stanford influences student weight, the dining halls are certainly where the most potential for gain lies.