College drinking has deadly effects

by Alejandra Molina
Assistant Editor

A recent study commissioned by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism showed that the consequences of college drinking are larger and more drastic than previously estimated.

The study, by the NIAA Task Force on College Drinking, found that college students, ages 18 through 24, who drink contribute to an estimated 1,400 student deaths annually. The study also stated that alcohol was involved in 500,000 injuries and 700,000 cases of sexual assault, during the same time period.

More than one-fourth of college students has driven in the past year while under the influence of alcohol, the study found.

While these results are sobering, some studies have shown that the proportion of non-drinkers has increased from 15 percent to 19 percent between 1993 and 1999.

The University of La Verne has seen few major alcohol-related problems in recent years.

"I have been dean since 1995 and I could probably tell you of two severe alcohol related incidents," said Loretta Rahmani, dean of student affairs. "There have been no alcohol related deaths here," she said.

Through the Alcohol and Other Drugs program (AOD), the consequences of alcohol drinking are addressed to ULV students.

"AOD shares the responsibility for addressing alcohol and other drugs education with the resident halls and through U-100 segments," Rahmani said. "The Fitness for Life curriculum and freshmen orientation also addresses these issues."

But while the numbers of students drinking is decreasing, there has been a marked increase in more extreme forms of college drinking, the NIAA study found. Forty percent of students binge drink, which is five or more drinks in a row for men and four or more drinks for women. This group of binge drinkers accounts for nearly 70 percent of all alcohol consumed by college students.

At La Verne,"we do have a party culture but it is not the same as in a wet campus," Rahmani said."We are a dry campus, but as you know, living in the residence halls isn't all that dry," she added.

As for sexual assaults as a result of alcohol drinking, ULV does not have any such reported cases, Rahmani said.

"I know that it happens but we have not had the reported cases," Rahmani said. "I know the statistics."

Five years ago, the University received a grant from FIPSE, Funds for the Improvement of Post Secondary Education, to implement an alcohol prevention program. The grant, however, was only in effect for three years though. "When funding was over we couldn't hold this position," Rahmani said.

NIAA's National Advisory Council formed the task force to conduct a comprehensive review of research on college drinking and effective methods of prevention. Most of the research papers are published in a supplement to the March 2002 issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol. The task force's report, "A Call to Action: Changing the Culture of Drinking at U.S. Colleges," has recommendations for administrators and researchers on how to address high-risk college drinking.