The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, April 15, 2002, Page 2, Image 2
Binge drinking prevalent at colleges
BY GREG SUKIENNIK
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BOSTON — More college stu
dents are living in substance-free
residence halls, and fewer recall
drinking to excess while in high
school. Yet binge drinking on col
lege campuses is still as common
as it was in the early 1990s, a new
Harvard study shows.
The survey by the Harvard
Schoolfof Public Health found 44
percent of college students admit
ted binge drinking within the pre
vious two weeks — the same per
centage found in a 1993 study.
“It’s part of the American col
lege culture,” Nicholas Pasquale,
20, a second-year student at Boston
University, said Sunday. “I don’t
know of any college where a large
part of the student body isn’t
drinking on weekends.”
The survey also found, howev
er, that universities had made ef
forts over the past decade to
change that culture.
About 65 percent more college stu
dents said they were living in sub
stance-free residence halls and be
ing exposed to alcohol awareness ed
ucation. Also, fewer students said
they were members of fraternities
and sororities, where reported binge
drinking rates have been the high
est. A growing number of students
said they abstain from drinking al
together —19.3 percent, up from 16.4
percent eight years ago.
Kelilah Miller, 19, a Boston
University first-year student, said
she doesn’t hang around with peo
ple who drink and questioned how
much of a public health issue
binge drinking is.
“What’s society’s responsibility
to protect people from them
selves?” she asked.
The Harvard survey questioned
10,000 students at 119 four-year col
leges, and defined binge drinking
as four or more drinks iaa row for
women, or five or more for men.
Out of the traditional college
students who drink —18- to 23
year-olds not living with their par
ents — seven out of 10 said they
had met that definition of binge
drinking in the past 30 days.
“That’s a staggering number,”
said Henry Wechsler, director of
College Alcohol Studies at
Harvard School of Public Health
and lead investigator on the study.
“Before, we didn’t see positive
trends at the same time as the con
tinuation of the binge rate,”
Wechsler said Friday. “We didn’t
see this kind of illogical presence
of trends that should lead to lower
rates and a continuing high rate.”
“This, to us, indicates very
strong forces are continuing to
support this level of drinking on
campus,” he said. “Those factors
need to addressed in policies that
colleges take.”
The University of Vermont in
Burlington, one of 10 colleges tak
ing part in an American Medical
Association-led initiative to curb
binge drinking, found when it
joined the program in 1997 that 65
percent of all students admitted
binge drinking, said Andrew
Flewelling, director of the univer
sity’s program. That number is
now at 64 percent.
“Until the environmental fac
tors are tackled, you can’t expect
any change,” Flewelling said from
Atlanta, where representatives of
the 10 schools met Friday.
“Alcohol is similar (to tobacco) in
the way it is so firmly entrenched
in our society.”
Another school in the AMA
program, Georgia Tech, said its
binge-drinking rate decreased to
34 percent from 43 percent in 1999.
The Atlanta school succeeded
by making its policies clearer and
easier to enforce and involving
students in forming and imple
menting those policies, said dean
of students Gail DiSabatino.
The school also started inform
ing parents when students racked
up repeated citations.
“All the data that has come
“It’s part of the
American college
culture. I don’t know of
any college where a
large part of the student
body isn’t drinking on
weekends.”
NICHOLAS PASQUALE
SECOND-YEAR BOSTON UNIVERSITY STUDENT
back has shown us students are
aware of the policies,” DiSabatino
said.
In the survey, students were
characterized as binge drinkers
if they had the specified num
ber of drinks within the two
weeks prior to the survey.
Those who had done so three or
more times in the 30 days prior
to completing the survey were
characterized as frequent binge
drinkers.
Of the students surveyed, 22.8
percent characterized themselves
as frequent binge drinkers, up
from 19.7 percent in 1993.
The researchers also noted an
increase in binge drinking at
women’s colleges, from 24 per
cent in 1993 to 32 percent in 2001.
“Even though this is a small
group, and one that still drinks
less as a group, this is a real
change,” Wechsler said.
POLICE REPORT
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>4x 41
Each number on
the map stands
fora crime
corresponding
with numbered
descriptions in
the list below.
DAY CRIMES
(6a.m.-6 p.m.)
□ Violent
O Nonviolent
NIGHT CRIMES
(6p.m.-6a.m.)
■ Violent
• Nonviolent
CRIMES AT
UNKNOWN
HOURS
[3 Violent
O Nonviolent
Friday, April 5
® MALICIOUS INJURY TO
REAL PROPERTY, 1300
WHEAT ST. The complainant
said someone caused damage
to the two center columns in
the interior courtyard of East
Quad. Estimated damage:
$10,000. Reporting officer: N.
U. Beza.
Tuesday, April 9
® AUTO BREAKING, 1300
BLOSSOM ST. The victim said
someone broke the rear
passenger window of his 1995
white Chevy Blazer. The
following items were missing:
a book of 50 CDs, a 300-watt
Kenwood amplifier, a
Rockford Fosgate 10-inch
subwoofer and a Cobra radar
detector. Estimated value:
$975. Reporting officer: T. Cox.
® LARCENY OF MONEY,
1423 WHALEY ST. The victim
said someone removed $20
( cash from a Fede^a} Express
envelope from the front desk
at Bates House. Reporting
officer: N. U. Beza.
Thursday, April 11
O ILLEGAL USE OF
TELEPHONE, 500 SUMTER ST.
The victim said Terry Fleming
has made several unwanted
phone calls to her residence. A
log sheet was issued and
explained. The victim does not
wish press charges. Reporting
officer: N. DeHaai.
O ASSAULT AND BATTERY,
601 SUMTER ST. The victim
said Jimmy J. Turner struck
him in the stomach and left
ear with his fist. First
Response and EMS reported
to the scene. The victim does
not wish to press charges.
Reporting officer: M. P.
Craska.
O ILLEGAL USE OF
TELELPHONE, 107 SOUTH
MARION ST. The victim said
someone named Frank has
been making numerous phone
calls to her. The victim has
advised the subject not to call
or make future contact.
Reporting officer: M. P. Craska.
® DAMAGE, 817
HENDERSON ST. The
complainant said he found
the southwest comer wall at
Gambrell Hall to have
moderate damage. Reporting
officer: S. Jones.
® LARCENY OF PURSE, 1106
PICKENS ST. The victim said
someone took her brown
leather purse from McMaster
College. The following items
were also taken: $30 cash, a
Social Security card, a South
Carolina driver’s license, five
checks and charge cards.
Estimated value: $50.
Reporting officer: J. R.
Merrill.
Week
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
said. “But we want to take a
more moderate approach here
because of the conservative na
ture of our community.”
Scott-Padilla said the dis
crimination non-heterosexuals
often experience includes name
calling, anonymous notes and
prank phone calls.
“More outrageous examples
are when people are really emo
tionally or physically harmed,”
Scott-Padilla said. “We’ve been
lucky here that no one has been
killed or anything like that. And
that’s part of this week—to pre
vent things like that from hap
pening.”
Education is the most impor
tant aspect of the week, accord
ing to Scott-Padilla. He said the
organizations have contacted ex
perts to speak at Wednesday’s
“My Best Friend’s Gay” forum.
The panel members vary from
professionals who work with
HIV/AIDS to sociologists.
He said audience members at
the forum will be able to write
questions on slips of paper and
have them read aloud for the
panel to answer.
“That way, people won’t be
Homophobia
Awareness Week
TUESDAY, APRIL 16
♦ 7 p.m. "Spirituality and
Sexuality” prayer service at
the PALM center on Pickens
Street, followed by a
candlelight vigil on the
Horseshoe.
♦ WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17
♦ 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Awareness
campaign and rally. At 12:30
p.m., speakers from different
organizations will tell how
homophobia has affected
them.
♦ 7:30 p.m. “My Best
Friend’s Gay" forum. A panel
will speak and answer
audience questions in
Gambrell room 152.
singled out,” Hall said. “We
want everyone to feel comfort
able about discussing issues and
get their questions answered.”
Crews said, “We want to let
the community know that we
are vibrant, active members of
the university community.”
Comments on this story?E-mail
gamecockudeskCa-hotmailcom
Showcase
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
“My goal today is to tell in
coming students about hotel,
restaurant and tourism and to
get them involved,” Smith
said. “When I first came to
Carolina, I did not know what
was available to me, so I’m try
ing to get out and make it
known what is available here
at USC.”
Ashley Bodie and Kira
Bemise will attend USC togeth
er in the fall. They decided to
come to Showcase Carolina af
ter a student ambassador called
Bemise and told her about it. At
the end of the day, Bemise felt
it was a day well spent.
“I thought it was really help
ful for me,” she said. “It’s been a
good day because we met a lot
of nice people and got lots of in
formation.”
tfaulik said she was pleased
with her visit and enjoyed tak
ing the tours and seeing the
dorms.
“I thought it was really
helpful for me. It’s
been a good day
because we met a lot
of nice people and got
lots of information.”
KIRA BEMISE
PROSPECTIVE USC STUDENT
Haulik’s parents were also
pleased with their time at
Showcase Carolina. Her father,
Tom, said it was a great oppor
tunity to talk to a variety of
people from campus. He said he
thinks the visit helped his
daughter feel more comfortable
on campus.
“We got a real balance of
where should you live, what
should you do and what the posi
tive aspects are of USC,” he said.
“It was real good exposure that
way. Much more so than if we
had just come on our own and
talked to some administrators.”
Comments on this story?E-mail
gamekockudesk&ihotmail.com
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