Could I blame the doctors at Duke University Medical Center? The doctors and nurses who fought to save his life? Who watched stunned and helpless, in one of the top medical centers in the country, as he slipped into death?

Could I blame his fraternity? The fraternity he loved? That he fought to get into?

Could I blame Duke University? Duke, his first choice! I still remember his genuine joy when he received his acceptance packet with "Class of 2001" on a gold sticker.

The deeper I went into my heart, the more clearly I saw the truth. If I could lay the blame where it truly belonged, American society was to blame for Raheem's death.

There is an underlying problem in American culture that needs to be brought to the surface. Abusive consumption of alcohol is neither harmless nor inevitable. Denial that there is a problem, whether on campus or in the larger society, isn't going to help. In order to address this problem properly, we must address both the personal responsibility of the individual and the responsibility of society and its institutions. America's national leaders in higher education need to shine a spotlight on the true nature of alcohol and its insidious and relentless negative effects on the safety of the students in their charge.

Alcohol abuse on Duke University's campus is no longer a secret. Let Duke University, both administrators and students, lead the way for the rest of the country. Let Duke University be the first high-profile university to take its head out of the sand and be a powerful proponent for a change in attitude about binge drinking.

Note: My son, Raheem Bath, would have been graduating this May, if he were still alive.

Catherine Bath
Narberth, Penn.

This letter originally appeared in the Friday, March 30, 2001 Chronicle, the independent daily newspaper at Duke University, and is republished here by permission of the Chronicle.