Colleges Not Doing Enough To Curb Student Alcohol Abuse: Report

It's no secret that college kids drink. Still, a recent study has found that few universities are doing much to combat excessive alcohol use.

According to USA Today, instead of attacking binge drinking through community programming, colleges are attempting to control the issue on a case-by-case basis.

Toben Nelson, an assistant professor of epidemiology and community health at the University of Minnesota, analyzed 351 college administrators' answers to an online questionnaire. When respondents were asked whether they had complied with the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism's 2002 recommendations on how to reduce student drinking, the results were surprising:

...Nelson and colleagues found that only one-third of college communities performed compliance checks for illegal alcohol sales, only 15% mandated server training, only 7% restricted the number of alcohol outlets, and only 2% raised alcohol prices.

The study also found that there was "very little action on the task force recommendations and very little implementation."

Another recent report highlights another aspect of binge drinking. According to the New York Times, University of Texas-Arlington assistant economics professor Jeffrey S. DeSimone found that binge drinking leads to a higher instance of promiscuous sex among high schoolers and thus, STD infection and pregnancy.

What do you think? What can colleges do to limit incidences of excessive drinking?

Comments

[Poncia]

04:10 PM on 08/01/2010

More responsibility shifting? More blame-shifting? Less accountability for one's own life, choices, or whatever else we cherish for being able to call ourselves free individuals?

I'm so tired of hearing that it's an institution's responsibility to do something about a brat's problems. Alcoholism is a problem, but hey, it does separate the wheat from the chaff.
Sounds cold, I know. But after years of working in rehab and hearing stories of people in my life outside of work, the one common denominator I have always been astounded by is the will-power found after letting people fall on their faces. It's the best and most difficult thing to do, but mollycoddling is utter nonsense.

[JStading]

08:31 PM on 07/31/2010

Almost without exception, every person I remember having a drinking problem in college came from the same type of strict family. I used to call them landmine children, they were fine as long as their parents' boots were pressing down on them, but the moment the tension let up, they didn't know how to handle the freedom they were given.

People will almost always go to the extremes when they are introduced to new opportunities, particularly when they find themselves in new, stressful environments. The way to correct this problem is to lower the drinking age and allow parents to introduce their children to responsible drinking when they feel the kid is ready to start. Our prohibitionist attitude leads only to one thing - excessive drinking, almost always of hard alcohol, by inexperienced and vulnerable college students.

[missouriwatcher]

02:18 PM on 07/31/2010

All the more reason for parents to do their parenting job while their children are still children.

[carester]

03:53 PM on 07/31/2010

Hi and agree :-)

[missouriwatcher]

04:16 PM on 07/31/2010

Hello, carester. Hope you are doing well. :-)

[derekc06]

11:03 AM on 07/31/2010

I'm calling elbow on that kid in the picture..

[knerd]

06:09 AM on 07/31/2010

Since most colleges and nations throughout history have been able to conclusively and totally stop all alcohol abuse as well as binge drinking, I wonder what the problem is?

[Woody Brown]

02:27 AM on 07/31/2010

Hey, raise the age of majority to 24...don't let 'em drink or go marching-off to war until after that.

[JStading]

08:33 PM on 07/31/2010

To quote Vonnegut - prohibition, it's better than no alcohol at all.

Stepping in and controlling people isn't the solution, it's the problem. You're denying people an opportunity to gain life experiences while they are under the view of their parents. You're essentially guaranteeing that many of these kids come into school vulnerable to alcohol because they don't know how to drink responsibly. Lower the drinking age and stop boot strapping the argument to military service.

[Woody Brown]

02:23 AM on 07/31/2010

College not doing enough?
How about parents never did enough?
These kids are just following in their father's footsteps.

It isn't the college's responsibility. These people are over 18. If the law doesn't want them drinking until 21, the it's the cops responsibility to enforce that.

Besides, who cares if they drink themselves the death...that death rate won't be any higher than sending them off to fight in Afghanistan.

Let 'em drink...who cares? Who's causin' all the uproar here? A recent study? Toben Nelson?

Hey Toben, mind yer own business...who are you, the university babysitter?

Go spend yer grant money on some real research.

[tomc444]

09:10 PM on 07/30/2010

Why are the colleges expected to police students who choose to abuse alcohol? I don't get it.
These students are at least 18. Thety should be responsible for their behavior. They're not victims, they're simply behaving badly.
If they need to be "policed" report the behavior to their parents or expel them.
Why would anyone enable this behavior by trying to pass responsibility off on the school?

[kyeshinka]

08:53 PM on 07/30/2010

We are probably the only country talking about this. That isn't really something to be proud of; other, smarter countries have dealt with this and solved this problem long ago.

[Craig Lane]

06:00 PM on 07/30/2010

Hey I know. DON'T DO A THING! You do not pay a college tuition for babysitting services. PEOPLE, TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOURSELVES AND YOUR CHILDREN!!! When, through the process of natural selection, a student drinks/drives/smokes/screws him-herself to death, that leaves an opening for another student to take their place. Sorry everybody, I am being a real jerk today.

[IconoclasticYouth]

03:11 PM on 07/30/2010

Colleges need to find something better for students to do.... at times like midnight, not 5 pm. The administrations run on their time, when the college student timeline is excruciatingly different. Also, college students are legal adults, they can make their own choices. Instead of doing these ridiculous if you drink you will die BS why doesn't they focus on teaching students on making good habits and moderate drinking instead of pretending like it doesn't exist?

[Halsey]

02:37 PM on 07/30/2010

What can colleges do? Institute and enfore a zero tolerance. I'm no prude and drank a LOT at high school keggars. Smoked weed, played with coke (in my 20's and 30's). I've left my vomit all over several states (from binge). Sadly, the now college age kids (yes still kids), with the just say NO to drugs (no I'm not pro-drug use) find a nice legal way to escape into oblivion; some, tragically to the point of alcohol poisoning and death. First, we grown-ups need to realize and accept that this world we've left the young seems doomed, so why shouldn't they party as if there's no tomorrow (this will be in two parts, I feel it already). Pot makes you mellow and not really in the mood to party; just put Matrix in the DVD and sofa sit. When was the last time a kid died from pot. (sure I wish kids didn't smoke it, but they ARE young and I'd rather have them toke up than do 10+ shots of Jagermeister or tequila. The "buzz" is fed and gets hungrier. on to part two.

[Halsey]

02:36 PM on 07/30/2010

Pt.2. A zero tolerance, inforced regardless of wealth and influence of the parent(s) (who probably also over imbibe (sp?), ergo will NOT admit an alcohol problem, must be ignored. Caught on campus or at a Greek house with alcohol..kicked out with extreme prejudice. The penalty may save a few lives. These kids see kardashian, mia, celeb rehab...and it all makes being a drunk acceptable. Making them view aa meetings a waste. Those are people trying to get or already are sober. Park them next to a street person who reeks of urine, shaking from DT's even better. No more kid gloves for alcohol. It is ruining young lives. I can't believe I'm writing this as I survived a LOT of drinking; but guess I was so desperate to get my B.A. from UCLA, drinking never entered my mind. This kids are scared, booze takes them away from that for a while and sadly, youth recover from a binge (if they live) within 24 hours.
Parents have a big responsibility, but if they fail, then colleges that accept the tuition MUST be almost (not 100%) like Jesuit nuns (I'm not catholic so grabbed that from thin air). Lives are at stake. If these kids were happy, they wouldn't get drunk over and over. the problem is huge.
Legalize pot, get stricter with booze and as a world, give these kids the thought that the world just might not end tomorrow (but no promises, since it might).

[maxben]

12:58 AM on 08/01/2010

Two things:
1. Why is it the job of the college to worry about such things? Are they meant to be replacement parents? I personally don't think so and find offensive the idea that a university would control my private life.
2. My University (one of the best in Canada, but I don't feel like mentioning it by name for various reasons) had no issue with letting us drink on campus and in our rooms if we wished. Yet, for some reason, we don't have the same issues as you guys do. Maybe its because our drinking age is 18 where I am, or maybe its a different drinking culture. Either way, there must be a reason that the American system, which is stricter, is worse than ours, which is lighter.

[Halsey]

02:23 PM on 08/01/2010

Maxben, I agree that colleges should not have to be surrogate parents. Sadly, in the USA many parents fail in the area of alcohol(abuse) awareness, so glad they may be that their kids aren't on meth. I believe that this commercialized right of passage at age 21 DOES add to the appeal. Thanks to clever agencies (for booze) there is far to much emphasis on ahhh..I'm legal. Europe (most of it) and probably Canada have it right. Let the 13 year old have wine with dinner; guess what, most kids would ask for a coke or lemonade instead; it's the romanticism of booze in our (USA) that creates this monster. I do wish colleges would not have to get involved, but they may be the stop-gap between binge/death and awareness.
If kids (say 18) could drink in their dorm rooms, fine; just ensure they give their car keys to the resident advisor. I don't know if other countries have this rite of passage with massive drinking. A Binger may not become an alcoholic; they just have to live through the binge thing. Look, I WAS a wild child and had alcohol poisoning on a couple occasions (but later in life); I know I could easily have died. I just, even if it ruins the weekend fun, don't want kids dying before they truly have the guts to say no. I dont' smoke pot anymore, I'd rather have them toking up than doing shooters)

[idcsys]

02:36 PM on 07/30/2010

At 18, you can get married, but you can get arrested during the champagne toast. You can enter a contract and purchase your first new car, but you can’t go celebrate with a beer. You can legally purchase your first home, but can’t celebrate with a bottle of wine. You can be shipped off to war, but can’t have a beer while saying goodbye to your friends. At 18, you will be tried as an adult after committing a crime. It seems we have a problem identifying what constitutes an adult.

Instead of making alcohol a forbidden fruit, it may make more sense to teach moderation to our teenagers and college children. Life is about consequences and if we teach our children that all our actions have some kind of consequence, maybe they can weigh the risks before making bad decisions.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 2008 Statistics indicate the 16 to 20 age group is much less likely to be involved in a fatal alcohol related accident, than the "true" adult groups.

16-20: 17%
21-24: 34%
25-34: 31%
35-44: 25%
45-54: 21%

http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811155.PDF

It is likely the younger drinkers are choosing not to drive, rather than reducing their consumption of alcohol. If true, it would represent mature thinking when compared to the “real” adults out there killing people.

[ConcernedAboutRFuture]

02:03 PM on 07/30/2010

Ok, let's just blame colleges where parents FAILED! That's right..... FAILED!

You failed your kids if you send the off to a college without having taught them the responsibility that comes with drinking. I was allowed to "try" alcohol at a young age... and guess what? I never binged. Why do it? I never understood that.

Ironically, I was always the designated driver, or the one holding someone's hair back because I knew my limits with alcohol. I didn't even drink on my 21st birthday, because it was not a necessary part of my fun. It was NOT the forbidden fruit.

If you are thinking of sending your kids away to college or prep school for that matter, take the time to teach them the repercussions of drinking...all drinking..... it's YOUR duty as a parent, not the school's.

[markopolio]

02:36 PM on 07/30/2010

Problem being, in half the states if you give your kids alcohol it's a crime.

[ConcernedAboutRFuture]

02:50 PM on 07/30/2010

Then perhaps you should not post that fact on your facebook, or consider that you're raising children in NOT the best environment. That's all I got.

[maxben]

12:59 AM on 08/01/2010

In Ontario up here in Canada it is illegal to buy or consume alcohol before 19, unless you are doing it in a private home and your parents gave you the alcohol.
Yay for common sense!