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College campuses known for culture of drinking

Herald-Times - 7/23/2017

July 23--Establishments that sell liquor love to be near college campuses.

"Alcohol outlets form a ring almost around college campuses because of the demand for alcohol," said Rosie King, college survey coordinator at the Indiana Prevention Resource Center.

King said there is a culture of drinking within our society, and it tends to be very prevalent on college campuses. She said addressing alcohol abuse issues such as binge and underage drinking on college campuses means changing that culture.

Binge drinking is the practice of consuming several drinks within one sitting and is most common among 18-34 year olds, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The number of drinks vary by gender -- for women, binge drinking is considered four or more beverages; for men, five or more.

"It is the binge drinking that will get you into trouble," Indiana University Police Department Lt. Craig Munroe said.

According to the department's 2015 annual security report, IUPD made nearly 350 liquor law arrests and reported more than 1,100 liquor law violations that were referred for disciplinary action on IU's Bloomington campus.

Munroe said students who binge drink tend to draw more attention to themselves, as opposed to those who take a more moderate approach to consuming alcohol. Calls for illegal consumption and public intoxication are among the most common the IU Police Department receives, Munroe said, especially in the fall semester.

At the start of a new school year, Munroe's department runs into a number of newer students who, despite having a low blood-alcohol level, are well intoxicated, some vomiting or passed out.

"For first-time drinkers, it does not take very much to get intoxicated," Munroe said.

Other active periods for IUPD are in October and April, which is when IU's Little 500 bicycle races -- once billed the "World's Greatest College Weekend" -- takes place.

King said there are a combination of factors that encourage excessive and underage drinking on college campuses. These include: a societal expectation to engage in the practice, ease of availability of alcohol and heavy alcohol promotions near college campuses.

However, the intensity of that pressure can vary depending on the college. For example, King said, pressure to drink may not be as strong at a religious college compared to a state-run, four-year college.

While students know the negative effects of excessive drinking -- vomiting, passing out, unintended injuries and even the possibility of death -- King said students don't always seem fazed by these consequences. King said research done by the Indiana Prevention Resource Center suggests a very low perception among college students of the risk associated with drinking and a general acceptance of the behavior.

"At that age, they are risk-takers," King said. "The consequences to them are not as important."

Leslie Fasone with the Office of the Vice Provost for Student Affairs and Dean of Students said she agrees there are some social motives that encourage college students to take up drinking. Others reasons she's heard from students include a desire to be sociable and a "work hard, play hard" mentality that, in reality, may not be feasible.

But the perception that there is a deep-rooted culture of drinking on campus may be very different from reality, Fasone said.

Data her office collected last year, she said, showed that 67 percent of first-year Indiana University students did not drink within the first two months. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the first six weeks of a freshman's first semester is considered the most vulnerable for drinking.

While data like that is positive, it does not mean excessive drinking in college is not a problem. At Indiana University, Fasone said, different groups work year-round on ways to promote alternatives to drinking and increase alcohol-use awareness among students.

One such group, for example, is Culture of Care, a student-led, staff-supported group that promotes the idea that students can still have fun without abusing alcohol. Culture of Care also encourages students to watch out for their fellow Hoosiers who may be struggling with alcohol-related issues, Fasone said.

"It's really important for students to hear it from students," Fasone said.

She said while alcohol and drug awareness is one of the core focus areas for the group, they also highlight mental health, sexual well-being and respect. On a college campus, she said, those issues tend to intertwine with each other such as alcohol use and sexual consent.

However, King said, shifting the culture of drinking on college campuses will take more than just university-led efforts to educate students and increase enforcement.

She said some states have considered implementing higher taxes on alcohol or communities and changing alcohol outlet density around campuses to help curb the availability of alcohol for students.

"It's a whole conversation the entire society needs to have," King said. "The campus and the community have a larger role to play in monitoring behavior. (Change) is not going to happen by telling the students 'you shouldn't do it or if you do it you will get really hurt.'"

Staying safe

Drink in moderation and stay with the group are the two biggest tips for students planning to go out drinking, IUPD's Munroe said.

Reports for alcohol-related offenses come from various sources, such as residential advisers or through regular patrols by IU police officers. Sometimes the tip-off is that a student may be acting disorderly, Munroe said.

During noted heavier months, Munroe said, it is not uncommon for his department to coordinate with other local and state law enforcement agencies to keep people safe.

But Fasone said she hopes to reach students before they have run-ins with law enforcement officials. She said workshops during new student orientation are used to teach students how they can keep themselves safe if they do drink or go to a party where others are drinking.

Fasone said some of the safety tips they relay in workshops are geared toward having students step up when they see someone is intoxicated. This could include engaging them in conversation as a way to slowly cut them off, checking up on each other or, if it becomes a medical emergency, not hesitating to call for help.

Munroe said in Indiana, there is a lifeline law that grants a caller immunity from arrest for certain alcohol-related offenses if the person is reporting a medical emergency.

"There is no reason in the world not to make the call," Munroe said.

State Sen. Jim Merritt, one of the sponsors of the law, said when six college student body presidents approached him about a need for a medical immunity emergency law, it was not an easy decision.

"In essence you are almost saying it's OK to drink alcohol," Merrit said.

However, over the next 30 days, he contemplated hard on the request and finally made the determination that saving a life was more important than acknowledging drinking occurred. His colleagues at the Statehouse seemed to share a similar mindset and voted to create the Lifeline Law, which went into effect in July 2012.

Since the law's implementation, Merritt said, there has been a continued effort to educate the public about the law. Some of the marketing tools include Big Red Liquor stores providing information about the law on bottles, advertising with campus newspapers and digital ads.

"I believe we are making a difference," Merritt said.

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