Combating Alcohol Abuse on College Campuses

               There is agreement in the fact that colleges and universities are faced with an alcohol issue. Students binge drinking has become part of the college culture on many campuses. The way in which university leaders, community leaders, and students want to combat this issue varies greatly. Solutions cover the gamut with education, stricter enforcement, and lower drinking age.

                Many universities are trying to change the drinking culture on their campuses through education. Some are using programming in the residence halls or campus wide events to spark discussion about the true alcohol culture on campus.

“Indiana embarked on a long-term campaign to educate first-year students about some of the myths surrounding normal college drinking. Pitt opened a new student-activity center to provide a robust set of alternative social options.” (Busteed, 2010)

At one small college campus the president took up meeting individually with students that had to seek medical attention due to alcohol consumption. Higdon stated that “I believe our conversations have helped elevate the seriousness of the situation for them and for others” (Higdon, 2011). The goal of his article was to urge university staff and faculty members to start conversations about alcohol on campus and in the classroom in order to encourage students to take responsibilities for their actions. Another way that campuses are using education to deal with alcohol abuse is through AlcoholEdu. Many campuses and organizations are requiring participation in this online alcohol education. The hope is that education about alcohol use will prevent abusive use of the substance. Studies show that it seems to be having a positive impact (Outside the Classroom, 2010).

                 

            Stricter enforcement is another tactic that colleges and universities are embracing. At the University of Wisconsin at Stout six alcohol-connected deaths in two years spurred the chancellor to release a memo informing the students of a new approach to combating this problem.

“The university would increase the number of classes held on Fridays in order to discourage Thursday drinking; empower the dean of students to deal more harshly with underage drinking (and its abettors) as well as other alcohol-related offenses; and step up its efforts with local law enforcement to crack down on off-campus house parties, which he considers havens for underage students looking for access to booze.” (Kolowich, 2010)

Many students at the university were outraged by the statement, arguing that drinking was part of the university’s culture. One student also argued that this tactic would lead to people getting caught but not actually dealing with the problem. Apparently the reforms also included harsher punishments for those with higher blood-alcohol levels (Kolowich, 2010). Many universities, along with Stout, are coupling stricter enforcement along with alcohol education to battle the issue. “Frostburg State began extensive outreach with local police and landlords to help curb excessive off-campus partying” (Busteed, 2010) is just one example at how campuses are cracking down.

                Alcohol education and harsher rules are often coupled together in the fight against drinking culture on college campuses. 136 chancellors and presidents of colleges and universities have a different approach to dealing with the issue. They have signed the Amethyst Initiative supporting debate over the current drinking age Click here. Here’s part of their argument:

“Twenty-one is not working.

A culture of dangerous, clandestine “binge-drinking”—often conducted off-campus—has developed.

Alcohol education that mandates abstinence as the only legal option has not resulted in significant constructive behavioral change among our students.

Adults under 21 are deemed capable of voting, signing contracts, serving on juries and enlisting in the military, but are told they are not mature enough to have a beer.

By choosing to use fake IDs, students make ethical compromises that erode respect              for the law.”

This is met with much controversy. Most notable among opponents is MADD. They arguing that these university and college leaders are just avoiding the true responsibility of dealing with the problem.

Resources:

Busteed, B. (2010). High-rish drinking at college? Soon to be a thing of the past. The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Fain, P. (2008). Drinking-age campaign binges on big names, big media. The Chronicle of Higher Education.

http://www.theamethystinitiative.org/

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/04/13/drinking

Higdon, L. (2011). How to make students uncomfortable with drinking. The Chronicle of Higher Education.

http://www.outsidetheclassroom.com/Upload/PDF/AlcoholEdu_EfficacyResearchSummary_2011.pdf