SecureU - Colleges Go on Offense Against Binge Drinking

Campus Security

Published: 10/03/07

Colleges Go on Offense Against Binge Drinking
From the article of the same title by Pauline Vu: Stateline.org: College administrators across the nation are launching multifaceted initiatives to curb binge drinking on campus, and in March 2007 the U.S. surgeon general echoed their concerns by lobbying colleges, communities, and governments to curtail underage drinking. To date, over 200 universities require incoming freshman to take AlcoholEdu, an online course designed to educate students about the impact of excessive drinking on the mind and body, before signing up for classes. And as a result of new research from the University of Missouri that found students enrolled in classes that meet on Friday mornings to be less likely to drink excessively on Thursday, many colleges are shifting classes to Friday. Another strategy is to place strict controls on alcohol marketing, such as prohibiting promotions on campus of drink specials. In addition, 248 colleges and universities have agreed to publicize sporting events without any ads for alcohol. As an incentive for students to abstain from binge drinking, some schools hold alcohol-free events, such as Wildcat WILD Nights at the University of Kentucky. Punishments are also growing more severe, with an increasing number of schools adopting a two-strike or three-strike policy that culminates in a semester-long suspension. Experts recommend that universities collaborate with local communities to decrease the number of cheap drink specials and to ensure that minors are not being served.

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