It seems alcohol is one problem
that plagues all college campuses.
Regardless of size, geographical location, or demographics, campus
administrators across the country cannot control the alcohol consumption of
their students. Some blame the local and
institutional law enforcement, while others blame federally incentivized laws
that require the drinking age to remain at 21 years. Whatever the cause of this alcohol epidemic,
if the alcohol culture of our students’ does not change future generations will
suffer.
In
Devon Jersild’s article, Alcohol in the
Vulnerable Lives of College Women, Jersild addresses the staggering
statistics facing today’s college women.
Studies show that women are more likely to suffer long term consequences
and more health issues from alcohol related substance abuse than their male
counterparts. Today’s women are more
likely to depend on alcohol than their mothers and according to studies,
working women are less likely to abstain from alcohol and more likely to drink
heavily than women who do not work.
Since many women begin drinking heavily during their college years,
there is concern for the development of women both socially and
emotionally. Women who abuse alcohol
slow in development and damage their vital organs more quickly than men. Jersild also suggests that women drink more
heavily in an effort to “keep up with the boys.” Rather than the genteel and well-behaved
persona that women of former generations upheld, today’s college women want to
be seen as equals with their male counterparts.
Brandon
Busteed reports that the number of college students consuming dangerous levels
of alcohol is down in recent years. He
attributes some of this to educational programs that teach students the
negative affects of alcohol such as AlcoholEdu.
Along with these educational measures, Busteed attributes some success
in curbing the alcohol culture to local authorities and institutional
administrators. He says that an effort
to reduce the amount of off campus partying has paid off in several college
towns. With landlords and police
cooperating with one another and working together, the number of underage
students who have access to alcohol can be limited and the number of alcohol
related incidents could be reduced.
Stephen
Guest writes from a parents’ perspective in his article The Importance of Enforcing Alcohol Rules, he and his wife lost a
daughter due to alcohol related accidents.
He blames the administration of higher education institutions and local
law enforcement officials. His daughter
was killed in a snowmobile accident in which the driver of the snowmobile was
intoxicated. Had local law enforcement
officials taken action when the party was reported, her life might have been
spared. He raises the question, “what are
our colleges doing to protect studetns?”
Guest and his wife are encouraging lawmakers to take a proactive stand
against underage drinking and to work to decrease the amount of binge drinking
on college campuses.
As administrators,
we should develop programs that will educate students on the dangers of binge
drinking. I’m not sure what the proper
course of action might be, but something needs to change to protect the
development of college students.
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