Alcohol
on Campus
This series of four pieces examines alcohol abuse among college
students: what students say about how and why they drink, how colleges
in our region respond, and the latest research and theories on alcohol
abuse and prevention. It includes the voices of students and community
residents, police and doctors, as well as college administrators
and national experts.
The
series was produced as part of a year long project on youth substance
abuse, Under Our Influence, which was part of the
national Sound Partners radio project. Funding for
Sound Partners was provided by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation,
via The Benton Foundation.
Listen
to part 1 (4:56)
In 1997, Binaya Oja, a Clarkson University freshman, died after
a fraternity drinking party. It was only one of a series of similar
deaths across the nation, and the continuing reports made "binge
drinking" a familiar catch phrase. Research shows the rate
of binge drinkers on campuses remains fairly steady at 40 percent.
A much heralded Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol
Study called heavy drinking "by far the most serious public
health problem facing American colleges." We take a hard look
at alcohol on area campuses. Aired 2/15/99
Listen
to part 2 (7:31)
In Part 1 we heard stories of campus alcohol abuse and its consequences
in the St. Lawrence Valley. Alcohol abuse is an enduring campus
tradition—one that challenges students to take responsibility
for themselves, and colleges to keep students safe and legal. In
this segment, reporter John Roberts explores students say about
why they drink, and how area colleges respond to their drinking.
Aired 2/16/99
Listen
to part 3 (6:06)
Part 2 discussed what area colleges are doing to combat alcohol
abuse on campus. They've focused on the traditional strategies:
education, intervention, and enforcement. And there's little doubt
that these are necessary parts of the equation. But with the numbers
of college drinkers holding fairly steady and the number of alcohol-related
injuries on the rise, new thinking is emerging. In part 3 of our
series, John Roberts looks at the most recent research on college
alcohol abuse, and a new, non-traditional approach to prevention.
Aired 2/17/99
Listen
to part 4 (5:50)
Colleges are asked to walk a fine line: Is it the school's responsibility
to enforce a zero tolerance policy toward alcohol use? —or
should policies acknowledge student drinking and instead focus on
protecting their safety. In Part 3, we examined a non-traditional
approach. The strategy works to change students' perceptions of
drinking incidence by focusing on the fact that most students don't
drink heavily. It's brought down drinking levels at schools that
have adopted it—but what of the law, and zero tolerance approaches
to prevention? Aired 2/18/99
