Avoiding Party Schools

<p>PS Scripps has mellow social scene; not party school. Women only.</p>

<p>It's one thing to not prefer to drink and it's another to have a moral opposition to it. The former will adjust fine to most social atmospheres. Just because you are at a party with drinking does not mean you have to drink. You can and probably will still have a lot of fun and it's a great way to meet people. </p>

<p>The latter ... well that's a different story...</p>

<p>I-D, You never answered my question about where the 45% allegation came from? Do you mean that Dean Roseman gave you this information?</p>

<p>The OPE report is worrisome. Since I have no access to information regarding the circumstances, I won't comment further except to say, again, bad things happen at good schools. Williams and other schools have had drinking related issues. Other schools have had drug related issues. Ultimately, it is not a contest. A visiting high school student almost died at Williams two years ago. Students at other colleges did die this year -- both from drinking related and drug related causes. These near tragedies and real tragedies are agonizing for the colleges involved. However, to imply that death threatening behavior is commonplace, accepted and even expected by the administration and the students at Williams is just plain wrong. </p>

<p>I think that binge drinking can be related to alcoholism that starts in high school and also just the opposite: no exposure to alcohol prior to college can lead to disastrous experimentation. I believe that substance abuse is a real problem in America today and it's a problem that I take very seriously. I don't laugh it off as a kids will be kids situation as I fully appreciate how deadly and life destroying it can be. At the same time, I do not accept that the Williams college experience is disproportionately plagued by binge drinking. </p>

<p>I also do not accept that "Full-fare customers and helmet sport recruits." are the students most liable to be alcohol abusers, at Williams or at any college. This kind of statement is insulting to students whose parents fall into the no need category and to athletes.</p>

<p>How do we protect our children from dangerous behavior once they're out from under our watchful eyes? Hopefully, we've instilled some good sense in their brains over the years and this incipient wisdom will activate when exposed to temptation. Kids do experiment -- with alcohol, with drugs, with sex. Frank discussions on all of these topics are absolutely required, early on and frequent. Once our kids are out of the nest we can only hope they find a protective environment that allows them to experiment safely if they choose to partake or to abstain without social pressure if this is their choice.</p>

<p>curmudgeon - thank you for the talking points. We have instituted a "college sound bite" program here in jmmom house at dinner time. (Sound bites is all S will tolerate in terms of parental discussion these days; and why not? he's already in possession of all knowledge in the universe). Each night we share a thought about college - what we would have done differently, etc. I do believe I can use your points in my sound bite fashion. I will report back on the rolleye quotient. ;)</p>

<p>jmmom,You're welcome. I'm sure the rolleye quotient will be very high, one to one in fact.LOL.</p>

<p>I have been following a thread on the Reed Livejournal
it is very interesting but sometimes too much information
an altercation occured last weekend during the fight for the owl ( a talisman of Olde Reede)
some behavior was supposedly explained by "he always gets like this when he is drunk"- but was immediately seized upon by other students as "if you know that is -how- he gets- then keep him away from booze/from the owl fight" it wasn't being bought as an excuse by others by any means.
It did sound like a mob however and that was really scary- it only takes just a few students ( or nonstudents) to shift the atmosphere to the negative- but harder for other students to break up fights- try and keep the peace- glad my daughter wasn't in it.......this year....</p>

<p>Just ancedotely---a friend of mine from law school went to undergrad at U of Chicago--he transferred after one year to William & Mary because there was <em>very</em> little partying (or, for him, even socializing) at U of Chic!</p>

<p>that may have changed jolynne
from posts by kids at my daughters high school they have the impression that UChicago is partaytown!

[quote]
The reputation that U of C kids have for studying all the time and never having fun is definitely undeserved. My hosts, and most of Dewey House dropped everything to party with a prospie on a Tuesday night. And according to them, it was a slow night. On Wednesday, one of the frats was having something known as “bar night.” It was much lamented that I wouldn’t be around then. And these were week nights—the weekend would be even more hopping. If it weren’t for the fact that it was the U. Chi., I would seriously question the school’s academics.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>"I also do not accept that "Full-fare customers and helmet sport recruits." are the students most liable to be alcohol abusers, at Williams or at any college. This kind of statement is insulting to students whose parents fall into the no need category and to athletes."</p>

<p>Momrath - If you want the numbers, I suggest you send an e-mail to the health supervisor at Williams and they will give you the numbers. Same at Amherst. (The numbers, by the way, are not in the highest range either, just right in the middle. Again, a little surprising, as Wechsler finds that simply being a residential college - only 13% of U.S. students attend a residential college - is associated with higher binge drinking rates.)</p>

<p>Wechsler had documented the relationship between drinking and two dozen risk factors at 100s of schools. Athletes do not necessarily fall into high drinking categories. (However, the National Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism - NIAAA - does link drinking with athletic participation <a href="http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/Reports/Panel01/ExecSum_01.aspx#ExecSum_01_a)%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/Reports/Panel01/ExecSum_01.aspx#ExecSum_01_a)&lt;/a>. Rather schools with high levels of intercollegiate participation do. This may be athletes out of season, or (more likely) spectators driving the numbers. Nor does "full-fare" customer status directly relate to binge drinking rates, except as it is a surrogate for higher family income.</p>

<p>A recent article from one of Wechslers' colleagues:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/cas/Documents/socdevel-article/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/cas/Documents/socdevel-article/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Here's a relatively complete biblio if you want to follow up:</p>

<p>Bachman JG, O'Malley PM, Johnston LD (1984), Drug use among young adults: the impacts of role status and social environment. J Pers Soc Psychol 47(3):629-645.</p>

<p>Bahr SJ, Marcos AC, Maughan SL (1995), Family, educational and peer influences on the alcohol use of female and male adolescents. J Stud Alcohol 56(4):457-469.</p>

<p>Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (1997), Youth risk behavior surveillance: National College Health Risk Behavior Survey-United States, 1995. MMWR 46(suppl 6):1-54.</p>

<p>Chaloupka FJ, Wechsler H (1996), Binge drinking in college: the impact of price, availability, and alcohol control policies. Contemporary Economic Policy 14:112-124.</p>

<p>Coleman JS (1988), Social capital in the creation of human capital. Amer J Sociol 94(suppl):95-120.</p>

<p>Douglas KA, Collins JL, Warren C et al. (1997), Results from the 1995 National College Health Risk Behavior Survey. J Am Coll Health 46(2):55-66.</p>

<p>Fombonne E (1998), Increased rates of psychosocial disorders in youth. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 248(1):14-21 [see comment].</p>

<p>Gledhill-Hoyt J, Lee H, Strote J, Wechsler H (2000), Increased use of marijuana and other illicit drugs at U.S. colleges in the 1990s: results of three national surveys. Addiction 95(11):1655-1667.</p>

<p>Grant BF (1997), Prevalence and correlates of alcohol use and DSM-IV alcohol dependence in the United States: results of the National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic Survey. J Stud Alcohol 58(5):464-473.</p>

<p>Hawkins JD, Catalano RF, Miller JY (1992), Risk and protective factors for alcohol and other drug problems in adolescence and early adulthood: implications for substance abuse prevention. Psychol Bull 112(1):64-105.</p>

<p>Hingson R, Heeren T, Zakocs RC et al. (2002), Magnitude of alcohol-related mortality and morbidity among U.S. college students ages 18-24. J Stud Alcohol 63(2):136-144.</p>

<p>Johnston LD, O'Malley PM, Bachman JG (1997), National survey results on drug use from the Monitoring the Future Study, 1975-1995. Volume II: College students and young adults. Publication No. 98-4140. Rockville, Md.: National Institute on Drug Use.</p>

<p>Kandel DB (1978), Convergences in prospective longitudinal surveys of drug use in normal populations. In: Longitudinal Research on Drug Use: Empirical Findings and Methodological Issues, Kandel DB, ed. Washington, D.C.: Hemisphere Publishing, pp3-38.</p>

<p>Kessler RC, Walters EE (1998), Epidemiology of DSM-III-R major depression and minor depression among adolescents and young adults in the National Comorbidity Survey. Depress Anxiety 7(1):3-14.</p>

<p>Knight JR, Wechsler H, Kuo M et al. (2002), Alcohol abuse and dependence among U.S. college students. J Stud Alcohol 63(3):263-270.</p>

<p>Kuo M, Wechsler H, Greenberg P, Lee H (2003), The marketing of alcohol to college students: the role of low prices and special promotions. Am J Prev Med 25(3):204-211.</p>

<p>Miller M, Hemenway D, Wechsler H (2002), Guns and gun threats at college. J Am Coll Health 51(2):57-65 [see comment].</p>

<p>Naimi TS, Brewer RD, Mokdad A et al. (2003), Binge drinking among U.S. adults. JAMA 289(1):70-75 [see comment].</p>

<p>National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) Task Force of the National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (2002), A call to action: changing the culture of drinking at U.S. colleges. Publication No.:02-5010. Bethesda, Md.: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Available at: <a href="http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/Reports%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/Reports&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>TaskForce/TaskForce_TOC.aspx. Accessed Jan. 5, 2004.</p>

<p>Nelson TF, Wechsler H (2001), Alcohol and college athletes. Med Sci Sports Exerc 33(1):43-47.</p>

<p>Nelson TF, Wechsler H (2003), School spirits: alcohol and collegiate sports fans. Addict Behav 28(1):1-11.</p>

<p>O'Malley PM, Johnston LD (2002), Epidemiology of alcohol and other drug use among American college students. J Stud Alcohol 14(suppl):23-39.</p>

<p>Perkins HW (2002), Surveying the damage: a review of research on consequences of alcohol misuse in college populations. J Stud Alcohol 14(suppl): 91-100.</p>

<p>Perkins HW, Wechsler H (1996), Variation in perceived college drinking norms and its impact on alcohol abuse: a nationwide study. J Drug Issues 26:961-974.</p>

<p>Putnam RD (1993), The prosperous community. Social capital and public life. Am Prospect 13:35-42.</p>

<p>Rigotti NA, Lee JE, Wechsler H (2000), U.S. college students' use of tobacco products: results of a national study. JAMA 284(6):699-705.</p>

<p>Schulenberg J, O'Malley PM, Bachman JG et al. (1996), Getting drunk and growing up: trajectories of frequent binge drinking in the transition to young adulthood. J Stud Alcohol 57(3):289-304.</p>

<p>Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, Division of State and Community Systems Development (1999), Preventing Problems Related to Alcohol Availability: Environmental Approaches, Reference Guide, Third in the PEPS Series. Publication No. (SMA) 99-3298. Rockville, Md.: Department of Health and Human Services. Available at: <a href="http://www.health.org/govpubs/PHD822/aar.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.health.org/govpubs/PHD822/aar.htm&lt;/a>. Accessed Jan. 9, 2004.</p>

<p>Toomey TL, Wagenaar AC (2002), Environmental policies to reduce college drinking: options and research findings. J Stud Alcohol 14(suppl):193-205.</p>

<p>Treno AJ, Gruenewald PJ, Johnson FW (2001), Alcohol availability and injury: the role of local outlet densities. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 25(10):1467-1471.</p>

<p>Wagenaar AC, Toomey TL (2002), Effects of minimum drinking age laws: review and analyses of the literature from 1960 to 2000. J Stud Alcohol 14(suppl):206-225.</p>

<p>Wechsler H, Davenport A, Dowdall G et al. (1994), Health and behavioral consequences of binge drinking in college: a national survey of students at 140 campuses. JAMA 272(21):1672-1677.</p>

<p>Wechsler H, Dowdall GW, Davenport A et al. (1995), Correlates of college student binge drinking. Am J Public Health 85(7):921-926.</p>

<p>Wechsler H, Kuh G, Davenport A (1996), Fraternities, sororities and binge drinking: results from a national study of American colleges. NASPA Journal 33(4):260-279.</p>

<p>Wechsler H, Lee JE, Hall J et al. (2002a), Secondhand effects of student alcohol use reported by neighbors of colleges: the role of alcohol outlets. Soc Sci Med 55(3):425-435.</p>

<p>Wechsler H, Lee JE, Kuo M (2002b), Trends in alcohol use, related problems and experience of prevention efforts among U.S. college students 1993-2001: results from the 2001 Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study. J Am Coll Health 50(5):203-217.</p>

<p>Wechsler H, Lee JE, Kuo M, Lee H (2000), College binge drinking in the 1990s: a continuing problem. Results of the Harvard School of Public Health 1999 College Alcohol Study. J Am Coll Health 48(5):199-210.</p>

<p>Wechsler H, Lee JE, Nelson TF (2001), Drinking levels, alcohol problems, and secondhand effects in substance-free college residences: results of a national study. J Stud Alcohol 62(1):23-31.</p>

<p>Wechsler H, Lee JE, Nelson TF (2002c), Underage college students' drinking behavior, access to alcohol, and the influence of deterrence policies: findings from the Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study. J Am Coll Health 50(5):223-236.</p>

<p>Wechsler H, Lee JE, Nelson TF (2003), Drinking and driving among college students: the influence of alcohol control policies. Am J Prev Med 25(3):212-218.</p>

<p>Weitzman, ER, Folkman A, Folkman KL et al. (2003a), The relationship of alcohol outlet density to heavy and frequent drinking and drinking-related problems among college students at eight universities. Health Place 9(1):1-6.</p>

<p>Weitzman ER, Kawachi I (2000), Giving means receiving: the protective effect of social capital on binge drinking on college campuses. Am J Public Health 90(12):1936-1939.</p>

<p>Weitzman ER, Nelson TF, Wechsler H (2003b), Taking up binge drinking in college: the influence of personal, social and environmental factors. J Adolesc Health 32(1):26-35.</p>

<p>Weitzman ER, Wechsler H (2000), Alcohol abuse and related problems among children of problem drinkers: findings from a national survey of college alcohol use. J Nerv Ment Dis 188(3):148-154.</p>

<p>Here's a biblio from NIAHH - it is a little older:</p>

<p>(1) Johnston, L.D.; O'Malley, P.M.; & Bachman, J.G. National Survey Results on Drug Use from the Monitoring the F uture Study, 1975-1994: College Students and Young Adults. Rockville, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse, in press. (2) Presley, C.A.; Meilman, P.W.; & Lyerla, R. Alcohol and Drugs on American College Campuses: Use, Consequences, and Perceptions of the Campus Environment. Vol. II: 1990-92. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, 1995. (3) Wechsler, H.; Davenport, A.; Dowdall, G.; Moeykens, B.; & Castillo, S. Health and behavioral consequences of binge drinking in college: A national survey of students at 140 campuses. Journal of the American Medical Association 272(21):1672-1677, 1994. (4) Wechsler, H.; Dowdall, G.W.; Davenport, A.; & Rimm, E.B. A gender-specific measure of binge drinking among college students. American Journal of Public Health 85(7):982-985, 1995. (5) Chen, K., & Kandel, D.B. The natural history of drug use from adolescence to the mid-thirties in a general population sample. American Journal of Public Health 85(1):41-47, 1995. (6) Bachman, J.G.; Wallace, J.M., Jr.; O'Malley, P.M.; Johnston, L.D.; Kurth, C.L.; & Neighbors, H.W. Racial/ethnic differences in smoking, drinking, and illicit drug use among American high school seniors, 1976-89. American Journal of Public Health 81(3):372-377, 1991. (7) Marlatt, G.A.; Baer, J.S.; & Larimer, M. Preventing alcohol abuse in college students: A harm-reduction approach. In: Boyd, G.M.; Howard, J.; & Zucker, R.A., eds. Alcohol Problems Among Adolescents: Current Directions in Prevention Research. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1995. pp. 147-172. (8) Crowley, J.E. Educational status and drinking patterns: How representative are college students? Journal of Studies on Alcohol 52(1):10-16, 1991. (9) Wechsler, H., & Isaac, N. 'Binge' drinkers at Massachusetts colleges: Prevalence, drinking style, time trends, and associated problems. Journal of the American Medical Association 267(21):2929-2931, 1992. (10) Hanson, D.J., & Engs, R.C. College students' drinking problems: A national study, 1982-1991. Psychological Reports 71(1):39-42, 1992. (11) Engs, R.C., & Hanson, D.J. Boozing and brawling on campus: A national study of violent problems associated with drinking over the past decade. Journal of Criminal Justice 22(2):171-180, 1994. (12) Koss, M.P., & Gaines, J.A. The prediction of sexual aggression by alcohol use, athletic participation, and fraternity affiliation. Journal of Interpersonal Violence 8(1):94-108, 1993. (13) Frintner, M.P., & Rubinson, L. Acquaintance rape: The influence of alcohol, fraternity membership, and sports team membership. Journal of Sex Education and Therapy 19(4):272-284, 1993. (14) Wechsler, H.; Moeykens, B.; Davenport, A.; Castillo, S.; & Hansen, J. The adverse impact of heavy episodic drinkers on other college students. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, in press. (15) Camatta, C.D., & Nagoshi, C.T. Stress, depression, irrational beliefs, and alcohol use and problems in a college student sample. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 19(1):142-146, 1995. (16) Deykin, E.Y.; Levy, J.C.; & Wells, V. Adolescent depression, alcohol and drug abuse. American Journal of Public Health 77(2):178-182, 1987. (17) Kushner, M.G., & Sher, K.J. Comorbidity of alcohol and anxiety disorders among college students: Effects of gender and family history of alcoholism. Addictive Behaviors 18(5):543-552, 1993. (18) MacDonald, R.; Fleming, M.F.; & Barry, K.L. Risk factors associated with alcohol abuse in college students. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse 17(4):439-449, 1991. (19) Harford, T.C.; Haack, M.R.; & Spiegler, D.L. Epidemiologic Bulletin No. 18: Positive family his tory for alcoholism. Alcohol Health & Research World 12(2):138-143, 1987/88. (20) Baer, J.S.; Kivlahan, D.R.; & Marlatt, G.A. High-risk drinking across the transition from high school to college. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 19(1):54-61, 1995. (21) Perkins, H.W., & Berkowitz, A.D. Collegiate COAs and alcohol abuse: Problem drinking in relation to assessments of parent and grandparent alcoholism. Journal of Counseling & Development 69(3):237-240, 1991. (22) Engs, R.C. Family background of alcohol abuse and its relationship to alcohol consumption among college students: An unexpected finding. Journal of Studies on Alcohol 51(6):542-547, 1990. (23) Havey, J.M., & Dodd, D.K. Variables associated with alcohol abuse among self-identified collegiate COAs and their peers. Addictive Behaviors 18(5):567-575, 1993. (24) Baer, J.S.; Stacy, A.; & Larimer, M. Biases in the perception of drinking norms among college students. Journal of Studies on Alcohol 52(6):580-586, 1991. (25) Baer, J.S., & Carney, M.M. Biases in the perceptions of the consequences of alcohol use among college students. Journal of Studies on Alcohol 54(1):54-60, 1993. (26) Prentice, D.A., & Miller, D.T. Pluralistic ignorance and alcohol use on campus: Some consequences of misperceiving the social norm. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 64(2):243-256, 1993. (27) Wood, M.D.; Nagoshi, C.T.; & Dennis, D.A. Alcohol norms and expectations as predictors of alcohol use and problems in a college student sample. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse 18(4):461-476, 1992. (28) Smith, G.T., & Goldman, M.S. Alcohol expectancy theory and the identification of high-risk adolescents. Journal of Research on Adolescence 4(2):229-247, 1994. (29) Wechsler, H.; Isaac, N.E.; Grodstein, F.; & Sellers, D.E. Continuation and initiation of alcohol use from the first to the second year of college. Journal of Studies on Alcohol 55(1):41-45, 1994. (30) Wechsler, H.; Dowdall, G.W.; Davenport, A.; & Castillo, S. Correlates of college student binge drinking. American Journal of Public Health 85(7):921-926, 1995. (31) Johnson, H.L., & Johnson, P.B. Children's alcohol-related cognitions: Positive versus negative alcohol effects. Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education 40(2):1-12, 1995. (32) Baer, J.S. Effects of college residence on perceived norms for alcohol consumption: An examination of the first year in college. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors 8(1):43-50, 1994. (33) Nezlek, J.B.; Pilkington, C.J.; & Bilbro, K.G. Moderation in excess: Binge drinking and social interaction among college students. Journal of Studies on Alcohol 55(3):342-351, 1994. (34) Geller, E.S., & Kalsher, M.J. Environmental determinants of party drinking: Bartenders versus self-service. Environment and Behavior 22(1):74-90, 1990. (35) Geller, E.S.; Russ, N.W.; & Altomari, M.G. Naturalistic observations of beer drinking among college students. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis 19(4):391-396, 1986. (36) Flynn, C.A., & Brown, W.E. The effect of a mandatory alcohol education program on college student problem drinkers. Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education 37(1):15-24, 1991. (37) Gonzalez, G.M. Five-year changes in alcohol knowledge, consumption and problems among students exposed to a campus-wide alcohol awareness program and a rise in the legal drinking age. Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education 37(1):81-91, 1991. (38) Kivlahan, D.R.; Marlatt, G.A.; Fromme, K.; Coppel, D.B.; & Williams, E. Secondary prevention with college drinkers: Evaluation of an Alcohol Skills Training Program. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psych ology 58(6):805-810, 1990. (39) Darkes, J., & Goldman, M.S. Expectancy challenge and drinking reduction: Experimental evidence for a mediational process. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 61(2):344-353, 1993. </p>

<p>Grossman, M. and S. Markowitz. Alcohol Regulation and Violence on College Campuses. Paper presented at the Allied Social Science Association Annual Convention in Chicago, IL, January 3-5, 1998.</p>

<p>Haines, M. A Social Norms Approach to Preventing Binge Drinking at Colleges and Universities. Newton, MA: The Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention, Education Development Center, U.S. Department of Education. Pub. No. ED/OPE/96-18. 1996.</p>

<p>Hingson, R. College-age drinking problems. Public Health Reports 113:52-54. 1998.</p>

<p>Hingson, R., J. Berson, and K. Dowley. Interventions to reduce college student drinking and related health and social problems. In: Plant, M., E. Single, and T. Stockwell, eds. Alcohol: Minimising the Harm: What Works? London: Free Association Books, 1997. Pp. 145-170.</p>

<p>Marlatt, G.A., J. Baer, D. Kivlahan, L. Dimeff, M. Larimer, L. Quigley, J. Somers, and E. Williams. Screening and brief intervention for high-risk college student drinkers: Results from a 2-year follow-up assessment. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 66(4):604-615. 1998.</p>

<p>Presley, C., P. Meilman, J. Cashin, and J. Leichliter. Alcohol and Drugs on American College Campuses: Issues of Violence and Harassment: A Report to College Presidents. Southern Illinois University at Carbondale: Core Institute, 1997.</p>

<p>Wechsler, H., A. Davenport, G. Dowdall, B. Moeykens, and S. Castillo. Health and behavioral consequences of binge drinking in college: a national survey of students at 140 campuses. Journal of the American Medical Association 272(21):1672-1677. 1994.</p>

<p>Wechsler, H., G. Dowdall, A. Davenport, and S. Castillo. Correlates of college student binge drinking. American Journal of Public Health 85(7):921-926. 1995a.</p>

<p>Wechsler, H., G. Dowdall, A. Davenport, and W. DeJong. Binge Drinking on Campus: Results of a National Study. Newton, MA: The Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention, Education Development Center, U.S. Department of Education. Publication No. ED/OPE/95-8. 1995b.</p>

<p>Wechsler, H., G. Dowdall, G. Maenner, J. Gledhill-Hoyt, and H. Lee. Changes in binge drinking and related problems among American college students between 1993 and 1997: Results of the Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study. Journal of American College Health 47:57-68. 1998.</p>

<p>"It is also true that at every campus, you can avoid the drinking culture."</p>

<p>Unfortunately, it is not always true, not even at schools where the drinking culture is less prevalent. If your roommate and her friends are drunks and drug users, and you are constantly surrounded by them in your room, and every weekend someone is throwing up in the common bathroom, you will feel drowning in that drinking culture, even if you never take part in any of it.</p>

<p>Momrath:</p>

<p>For small self-contained liberal arts colleges, I think the arrests for liquor violations are probably the most directly comparable. Just from following the news accounts, you have to really be behaving like the town drunk to get yourself arrested. A typical example would be a student staggering drunk, boisterous, knocking over trash cans walking down Spring Street in Williamstown or in "the Ville" at Swathmore. By and large these kids deserve to be arrested and spend the night in the drunk tank because they are behaving like Neanderthals. </p>

<p>The disciplinary actions are a little more difficult to compare. For example, Williams' numbers are much higher now that they have attempted to enforce a ban on alcohol in freshmen dorms and begun doing security walkthroughs. These still typically involve drunk students calling attention to themselves, but these kinds of situations would be more likely to be handled at Swarthmore without an official disciplinary citation -- as was the custom at Williams until the drinking got out of hand. The high number of citations is indicative of a perceived drinking problem and a resulting effort at stricter enforcment.</p>

<p>As for athletes. Again at liberal arts colleges, some athletic teams serve as surrogate fraternities (since frats are banned)...or, in Swarthmore's case, they ARE the fraternities. It's not the athletics, per se, but rather the fraternity-like group dynamic of young men that leads to higher rates of binge drinking. You see the same kind of mechanism with frat-like hazing incidents among high school and college football teams. There is no question that the fraternities (and their male athlete members) are the core of the binge drinking element at Swarthmore. Whether you call these groups "fraternities" or whether they are simply self-segregated in a "fooball dorm" doesn't really change the dynamic much. In other words, frat boys are still frat boys even when there are no frats. This issue is what college administrators (such as Morty Shapiro and Al Bloom) are talking about when they express concern about "certain" sports teams being segregated outside the the overall campus culture. This (and related segmentation by other groups) is at the heart of Shapiro's push for housing reform.</p>

<p>I doubt that this athletic effect would show up in the national data because it is only at the small liberal arts colleges where the varsity athletes are such a high percentage of the student body and, therefore, have a significant effect on the overall binge drinking rates. It would be really interesting to compare Swarthmore's surveyed drinking rates from the 1998 COFHE study to this year's survey (four years post-football), although the small size of the school may make those kinds of comparisons statistically difficult.</p>

<p>Momrath - attached is the data for Carleton - they publish it on their website:</p>

<p><a href="http://webapps.acs.carleton.edu/campus/dos/communications/?story_id=44480%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://webapps.acs.carleton.edu/campus/dos/communications/?story_id=44480&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>I can assure you that Williams has the same data (they were part of the same study), but do not publish it on their website. So just ask 'em for it.</p>

<p>(The interesting thing about the Carleton data is that 60% of those who drank at all, binged - 5 or more drinks at a sitting - in the past 30 days. In other words, the majority of drinkers are NOT moderate drinkers. This is consistent with their other data: "Those who cite their primary reason for drinking is “to get drunk”: 52%.")</p>

<p>Thanks for an interesting discussion.</p>

<p>Many students choose a college partly because there are zero/few frats, numerous other activities, and are schools that the college books and conventional wisdom define as campuses where drinking does not "doiminate the social scene", to use the PR terminology. </p>

<p>Other kids may avoid these schools and choose ones where "partying" is more common. Schools like Lehigh seem to try and downplay the drinking culture to attract non-drinking students. Yet with it's location and all the frat houses in the middle of campus, up on a long hill tucked away from too much observation, well...you can recognize what a challenge it must be since these cultures tend to perpetuate themselves as the reputation draws more of the same.</p>

<p>So many schools, even top ones, have a hard drinking reputation so its easy to see how many young adults in need of a new peer group and acceptance may fall into the drinking trap in certian settings more readily than they would in others.</p>

<p>While its useful when schools post stats for arrests and medical intervention episodes I hope it doesn't reach the point where some will become lax so as not to end up on the lists of schools in the heavy D&A category. The last think we need is an RA hesitating to call an ambulance because it may reflect poorly on the school.</p>

<p>Thanks for the tsunami style bibliography. Now I've been deluged with reference material (I'm sure it's all fascinating and if I ever get through my Henry James project I'm going to start reading) but I still don't know where the 45% binge drinking figure came from. This figure has been used repeated in reference to Williams.</p>

<p>Is it documented fact or is it extrapolation? If it's fact please don't tell me to ask some one else, tell me where you got it. If it's speculation, say so.</p>

<p>so is there information that compares college students with students of the same age who aren't in college?
I suspect that in many cases it is the age rather than the institutional setting that inspires so many to abuse substances</p>

<p>Here's a link to Flordia State's binge drinking rate. 55% in the 2003 Harvard survey:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.tshc.fsu.edu/par/what_is_par/fsu_drinkingsituation.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.tshc.fsu.edu/par/what_is_par/fsu_drinkingsituation.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>And, one for Georgia Tech:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.gatech.edu/news-room/archive/news_releases/drinkingtrendz.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.gatech.edu/news-room/archive/news_releases/drinkingtrendz.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Their rate declined from 43% in the 1999 survey to 34% in the 2001 survey. That decline is so steep that I have some doubts as to its validity. But, if it is accurate, a lot of college administrators should be looking at what Ga Tech did.</p>

<p>Mini, thanks for posting the Carleton link; and kudos for Carleton for being so upfont.</p>

<p>When my D and I visited another parent on the tour asked about drinking (she referenced a Harvard study citing Carleton as having "one of the highest binge drinking rates in the country" and asked if it was true. The student guide said yes there was a lot of drinking but 1) that it was primarily an issue with Freshmen, and 2) the administration was cracking down.</p>

<p>Not even close to the highest in the country. Penn State administers the Harvard survey questions annually on their campus and publishes a report. The January 2003 study shows a binge drinking rate of 76% for men and 70% for women at Penn State! That might be the highest in the country.</p>

<p>Wanna hear something really scary. 75% of the binge drinkers had experienced an alcohol induced blackout (couldn't remember where they had been or what they had done).</p>

<p>I think a lot of people pooh pooh this stuff as just "normal" college drinking as they remembered it. But, there seems to be a ferociousness in the drinking scene these days that is both quantitatively and qualitatively different. For example, I don't remember a single instance in my freshman year of a "vomit mess" in the dorm. That's now a routine part of college life on many campuses, to the point where Carelton has a $25 fine per "vomit mess". </p>

<p>As I remember it, forget making a mess in the hall; drinking to the point of "praying to porcelein god" generally made you the butt of jokes for several days. It definitely wasn't considered a "cool" thing to do or the highlight of the social evening. More like, "man, you need to get a grip."</p>

<p>The issue of excessive drinking among college kids is such a conundrum. It has always seemed to me that the need to prove one's manhood, or someonehood, through competitive drinking is a sign of an inner vacuum. By contrast, anyone who goes off to college with a sense of idealism -- wanting to come out of college being able to make the world a better place -- is not, it seems to me, going to be wasting time and energy out partying. Anyone who goes off to college with any kind of strong religious or spiritual foundation is not going to want to defile their commitment to the source of goodness within. Anyone who goes off to college with an insatiable curiosity about the world beyond their limited horizons is not going to want to blunt their reason and perception and intellect with the aftereffects of alcohol. </p>

<p>Are we so vapid as a culture that so many of our youth are leaving home with no inner core of purpose to protect them from the "viciousness" (apt word) of the drinking scene on today's campuses?</p>

<p>Just to put things in perspective, however, I remember the devotion to drinking among my parents and their peers, who grew up pre- and post-Prohibition, during or soon after the age of Hemingway and Fitzgerald. I do think there is an association between wealth and excessive drinking if only because having money can leave one without anything to work for, and because drinking is obligatory in certain circles to maintain one's status and inclusion in the group, and (obviously) because having money gives one the wherewithal to sustain one's drinking habits. Desperation and despair and depression play into the equation when one discovers (shock!) that money can't buy happiness.</p>

<p>Then I think back to my own years at college and while I remember large, alcoholically sodden frat parties as a perennial presence on campus, I never set foot in one again after my one exploratory foray during Freshman Week. Most people I knew had too much work to go out drinking on the weekends. (There was a lot of pot all over the place, however.)</p>

<p>Now I see my daughter, a fiercely anti-alcohol athlete, happily settled at Smith, where there is plenty of drinking but where she has found an ever-widening circle of like-minded friends who find other things to do. Also, she is not afraid of going to things without a friend, so she goes to all kinds of lectures and poetry readings and concerts by herself. Self-reliance is the key. If all our kids had a little more of that, maybe we wouldn't have such a problem with the drinking.</p>

<p>Just a rambling response to all that has gone before...</p>