By Charles W. Sorensen
Do you know the No. 1 problem on universities and colleges throughout the country? No surprise, it's the use and abuse of alcohol.
The data are striking. In 2001, the Harvard School of Public Health found that 44 percent of college students were binge drinkers. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism found that excessive drinking among students has led to about 1,400 deaths each year due to alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes; about 500,000 injuries each year; more than 600,000 physical assaults each year; more than 70,000 sexual assaults or date rapes annually; more than 400,000 incidences of unprotected sex each year; and a quarter of all students either missing class, falling behind on schoolwork, doing poorly on exams and papers, and receiving lower grades.
I have been UW-Stout chancellor for more than two decades, and in that time virtually every sexual assault was preceded by excessive drinking. It also is a leading cause of our students being dismissed from school, not attending classes and failing courses.
Then why, I ask, do some tavern owners in Menomonie promote this behavior by offering drink specials? I spent time recently reviewing these specials and, quite frankly, I was shocked and offended. For example, we canceled classes Tuesday to advise students. One bar exploited this by promoting an "Advisement Day Eve" party aimed directly at our students. For $7, a student could buy a mug of beer, with refills costing a mere 25 cents.
Throughout downtown there were similar deals: $4 for a "yard" of Miller Lite; $1 for a tap beer and $2 for rail drinks; and large vodka drinks for $3.
The American Medical Association says binge drinking is influenced by a number of social factors and marketing forces. Chief among these are a large number of bars in the area and, you guessed it, bars that promote drink specials, thereby encouraging binge drinking.
We are addressing this at UW-Stout. We are in the early stages of an innovative effort to reduce problems caused by excessive student drinking. Our Smart+Healthy campaign is attracting national attention for its attempts to persuade students that it is OK to either not drink or, if they are going to drink, to do it moderately.
I have great hopes that this program will continue to have a positive effect on student behavior. Our chances of succeeding, however, are being undercut by those tavern owners who encourage drinking to excess.
Now we need the downtown bar owners to join with us in dissuading students from bingeing by cutting out deals that do nothing but promote over-consumption.
Sorensen is chancellor of UW-Stout in Menomonie.
Eau Really
This isn't about drinking and driving or even binge drinking. It's about blaming the local business for bad behavior. If I sit home and get blind drunk, I'm not hurting anyone. If I sit in a bar and get blind drunk and have a ride or take a taxi, I'm not hurting anyone. It doesn't have anything to do with the drink specials that are offered by the local taverns. If I'm going to set out to get blind drunk, I'm going to accomplish that goal regardless. College is at time for learning not just from books and professors, it's also about learning from peers and learning about yourself through experimentation in a wide variety of areas. Preventing that is doing a disservice to the next generation.
wwalker
I disagree - cultural attitudes towards alcohol can and do change. Drinking and driving used to be acceptable, or at least tolerated. Binge drinking is habitual behavior that can be changed, but the more it's sanctioned by businesses and given a wink and a nod by public opinion, the longer it will take.
Eau Really
I have to disagree with this one. The college students are going to party on the eve of a day off regardless of the local tavern drink specials. That's what college students do. If they can't afford the regular drink prices, they will get their drink of choice and find a different venue to consume it. The local business owners aren't taking advantage of the students or encouraging them to drink, they are merely tapping into a market that already exists, which is what business owners do.
Good luck with your program, but I doubt it will have a big impact. I'm not saying it isn't worthwhile or won't have an impact on anyone, I just wouldn't expect it to have much effect on the masses.
Eau Really
I have to disagree with this one. The college students are going to party on the eve of a day off regardless of the local tavern drink specials. That's what college students do. If they can't afford the regular drink prices, they will get their drink of choice and find a different venue to consume it. The local business owners aren't taking advantage of the students or encouraging them to drink, they are merely tapping into a market that already exists, which is what business owners do.
Good luck with your program, but I doubt it will have a big impact. I'm not saying it isn't worthwhile or won't have an impact on anyone, I just wouldn't expect it to have much effect on the masses.