Thursday, April 30, 2009
Editor's note: See our special section that corresponds with "A shot of reality" for more stories, videos and multimedia.
It’s Wednesday night in Oliver Hall and the deskies know that means it’s Dollar Night at The Hawk.
They know it means that at about 2 a.m., students will begin stumbling back to their rooms in a drunken haze, some with bottles of alcohol hidden in their clothes or bags. They know it means bathrooms splattered with vomit and dorm room doors taken off their hinges to be used as makeshift beer pong tables. They know it means another night of alcohol-fueled arguments, parties and blackouts.
Students gather around an unhinged door in McCollum Hall Saturday night to play beer pong. In residence halls, students often find ways to sneak alcohol into their rooms and bypass University policies about alcohol consumption on campus. Resident assistants also find it difficult to enforce the rules about drinking because they say students don't take the threat of punishment seriously.
They know it all and yet, under the University’s current system, they say there is little they can do to prevent it.
“I saw a lot of alcohol use and it was frustrating because there’s not always a lot you can really do about it,” said Rachel Ward, a former resident assistant at Oliver Hall.
Ward, a 2008 graduate from Ventura, Calif., said she remembered frequently having to call paramedics to deal with students who showed signs of alcohol poisoning.
“I remember that happening at least once a month, at least,” she said. “I think it not only says something about the system but it says something about the student body.”
Ward’s frustration is echoed by others, including Jay Wren, father of 19-year-old Jason Wren, who died of alcohol poisoning last month at the Sigma Alpha Epsilon house after a night of heavy drinking. They say the University needs better alcohol education, clear and enforceable drinking policies and more highly publicized treatment programs for students who need or want help.
Wren’s death has pressed KU officials to consider revising the school’s policies on releasing students’ records to parents, but there has been no public discussion by administrators about making changes to alcohol policy, enforcement or treatment options.
Alcohol Education
If Wren had been a student at a school such as Texas Tech University, the University of Colorado or the University of Missouri, he would have participated in an alcohol education program as an incoming freshman.
AlcoholEdu and other freshmen alcohol education programs have been adopted at five of the Big 12 universities. The programs are designed to promote safe drinking behavior and to increase knowledge about college alcohol consumption.
AlcoholEdu is split into two sections. Before attending the university students complete the first section, which teaches them about the ways alcohol influences their behaviors and bodies and informs them about how to recognize and respond to alcohol-related emergencies.
Jan Childress, associate vice president of student affairs at Texas Tech, said the AlcoholEdu program was the most basic way to ensure all students came to the university with a fundamental understanding of alcohol-related issues and safety concerns.
Jay Wren said his son might still be alive had Jason’s friends been better educated about the signs of alcohol poisoning. He said students needed more effective education to recognize dangerous situations.
“Maybe if they were aware, someone would have called for help that evening instead of the next afternoon when it was too late,” Wren said in a comment on The University Daily Kansan Web site April 9.
During a panel discussion about alcohol at the University on April 9, panelist Marlesa Roney, vice provost for student success, said the University was considering conducting a pilot study of a program similar to AlcoholEdu in wake of Jason Wren’s death.
The University is technically a dry campus, but the chancellor can grant permission for alcohol use at special events.
Students caught violating the no-alcohol policy in residence halls are punished through a sanctions system. For each alcohol violation, a corresponding punishment is applied.
• For the first violation, students are required to take a three-and-a-half hour online alcohol education course called “Under the Influence.” The course costs $40 and consists of seven lessons to help students understand the consequences of alcohol misuse and provides information and tools to help change unhealthy behaviors.
• The second violation requires a $60 one-on-one meeting with a counselor at Watkins Memorial Health Center. The course, called “Choices,” uses a journal to guide students through questions regarding their personal drinking habits, opinions and attitudes. These questions are then further discussed with a health educator.
Jenny McKee, health educator at Watkins and counselor for the Choices program, said she couldn’t require students to seek psychological care, but she could notify them of available resources.
“My job is to provide them with information,” McKee said. “Some students come in and it’s like talking to a brick wall for 90 minutes.”
• A third violation requires an appearance before the Student Housing Judicial Board that is composed of housing complex directors and resident assistants. Cody Charles, complex director for Lewis and Templin halls, said the judicial system worked hard to get students to change their behavior by discussing its underlying causes. He said finances, issues at home and school-related stress were often associated with drinking.
“I think it’s about creating rapport with the student,” Charles said. “You have to dig deeper and figure out what’s going on. We do have students who drink every day and are probably alcoholics.”
Wren was expelled from Oliver Hall after repeated violations but other less severe actions to punish students include moving them to another floor or another hall.
Some RAs who are supposed to enforce the policies say the system is too lenient and does not do enough to effectively address alcohol abuse on the KU campus.
Residence Halls
Video
See how much students actually know about the University's alcohol policies.
Blake Baraban, Topeka junior, was required to complete all three steps in the sanctions process during his freshman year in Oliver Hall.
“It was like from the early-‘’90’s or late ‘’80’s,” Baraban said of the video he had to watch. “It was definitely out of date. There was a workbook you had to fill out and it was like a joke too. There was like a smiley face that said ‘sober’ and there was a sad face that said ‘depressed and drunk.’”
Baraban was cited for violating housing policy 15 times. He said three of those write-ups were for violating alcohol policy, while several others would have been alcohol infringements if he hadn’t found a loophole in the system. To avoid getting written up for having alcohol in the residence halls, he and his friends would not open their bedroom doors when an RA came to check on them.
If an RA suspects alcohol use but is refused access to a student’s room to verify the violation, the most the RA can do is write the student up for being “uncooperative with staff” along with a “suspicion of alcohol.”
“I guess I learned the system,” Baraban said. “A lot of people do that, though. A lot of people know not to let RAs look in your drink or don’t let them in your dorm – things like that.”
Diana Robertson, director of the Department of Student Housing, said that the sanctions system at the University worked for most students, but that there was no data to show whether they changed students’ drinking behaviors.
“You’re not going to have 10 alcohol violations and still be living with us,” Robertson said. “We want to make sure we’re getting it right and doing the best thing to make people learn.”
Ward, former Oliver Hall RA, said she thought the sanctions system used in the residence halls wasn’t persuasive enough to support the authority of RAs and didn’t change students’ attitudes about drinking.
“Sanctions don’t do anything except make them angry,” Ward said. “It doesn’t change their opinion if they don’t care. They just get mad at you because you’re the one who caught them. A lot of the sanctions are far too easy in my opinion.”
Ward said most RAs eventually stopped trying to strictly enforce alcohol policy.
“You just give up because nothing you do or say is going to change their mind,” she said. “It’s very common practice to look the other way. The unspoken rule is, ‘If I don’t see it or hear it, it’s not happening.’”
But Jay Vaglio, an RA at Lewis Hall, said he thought the sanctions system was relatively effective in controlling the drinking situation, although he said it was not going to prevent underage or abusive drinking in the residence halls.
“I think it’s kind of putting a Band-Aid on a large wound instead of getting surgery on that wound,” Vaglio said. “It’s kind of like covering up the problem instead of fixing it.”
Policies Elsewhere
The University has one of the most lenient alcohol policies compared with other universities in the Big 12.
View Alcohol Policies in the Big 12 in a larger map
At Nebraska, students are required to have a psychological evaluation focusing on substance abuse after three policy violations. Keith Zaborowski, associate director of residence halls at Nebraska, said he rarely saw students receive three violations.
He said that in the residence halls, community service officers patrolled the hallways at night and called campus police to deal with students violating alcohol policy. In those cases, students were charged with violating city law and often received a ticket for “Minor In Possession” in addition to university sanctions.
At Oklahoma, students are automatically suspended for a minimum of one semester after accumulating three alcohol violations. The school notifies parents following the first violation.
Oklahoma implemented a more severe alcohol policy after freshman Blake Hammontree died of alcohol poisoning inside the Sigma Chi fraternity house in 2004. Following his death, the fraternity was expelled from campus, five students were charged with furnishing alcohol at the party where Hammontree died, and school president David Boren instituted a more stringent alcohol policy.
Oklahoma was honored nationally as a success story in 2006 for its new alcohol policy by the Underage Drinking Enforcement Training Center.
At Kansas, however, Roney, vice provost of student success, said Wren’s death did not create any greater sense of urgency to address alcohol policy than before.
Marlesa Roney, KU vice provost for student success, listens to a question during a panel discussion on drinking culture sponsored by the Drug Policy Forum of Kansas at the Hawk's Nest on April 9th. The panel was called in response to the death of Jason Wren. The panel addressed issues including the University's drinking culture, privacy policies and marijuana as a safe alternative to drinking.
“I think the parental notification piece is the one we’re dusting off again,” Roney said, referring to the University’s privacy policies. “Normally after any incident on campus we step back and review our processes and our policies, so it’s kind of a normal part of what we do.”
The University created the Alcohol Priority Group, which first met in November 2007, to “identify measurable actions by which alcohol consumption could be reduced within the KU and Lawrence communities.” The group eventually made 36 final recommendations for change. Almost a year later, Roney said the University had begun work on seven of those, including implementing an alcohol screening program for incoming freshmen and allowing housing staff access to student dorm rooms.
Another result of those recommendations is the Community Alcohol Coalition, a group similar to the Priority Group, which plans to review the University’s current practices compared with those at other universities and to recommend models that can be implemented here. Its first meeting was Tuesday.
Treatment Options
The University offers a few treatment options to students with alcohol concerns and dependencies, but students must take the time to search out their treatment.
“There has to be a willingness to change or learn,” McKee, Watkins Wellness Center educator, said. “When they’re ready for a behavior change hopefully they know where to go.”
Counseling and Psychological Services, or CAPS, is available to students but does not have a specific alcohol or substance abuse counseling program. CAPS does offer students the opportunity to meet with an alcohol substance abuse counselor from the Douglas County Citizens Committee on Alcoholism, who is on campus two afternoons each week. Students also have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with a graduate student intern or a professional for counseling on any topic. Counselors can then provide referrals to other sources of treatment.
John Wade, outreach coordinator and licensed counseling psychologist for CAPS, said that although the center was trying to become more visible as an alcohol resource, he couldn’t say whether many students were aware of the service.
“My sense is that students who are persistent, who are willing to ask a few questions, are probably able to find resources,” Wade said. “Being able to increase awareness of our services is a constant challenge we have.”
Ray Rodriguez, health promotion coordinator at Iowa State, said one of his goals since being hired two years ago was to enhance the health center’s Web site. He said programs and marketing strategies were essential to getting information to students about health resources.
“It’s got to be easy to find your way around and it’s got to have honest information,” Rodriguez said.
Wade said many clients he worked with had voluntarily sought treatment.
Rachel, a KU junior, went to CAPS at the University for counseling after making a desperate phone call to her parents one night.
“The night I totally crashed was the first night I actually admitted that I couldn’t sleep unless I had a drink or some form of a sleeping pill,” she said. “I had been blacking out on weekends and had just been really upset about it. I’d laugh about it with my friends but I don’t think they realized I was really humiliated about the way I was acting.”
Rachel, who asked that her last name be withheld, went through counseling in high school while battling depression. She said she loved her therapist at home, but didn’t know where to turn when she came to school and realized she needed help with her alcohol problem.
Rachel’s mom, Annette, called CAPS for Rachel, but because Rachel is an adult, she had to schedule the appointment herself.
“When you’re in that state the last thing you want to do is look for somebody,” Rachel said. “You want it to be there right away. You just want to talk to someone.”
Rachel said she thought it was initially difficult to get students to seek help. If they did find their way to a resource like CAPS, she said, it was important to make sure students had a good first experience.
After her first appointment with CAPS, however, Rachel said she thought it had been a “waste of time.”
She said she wished she had been aware of the option to speak with a female psychologist. Instead she spoke with a male graduate student. She said it was uncomfortable crying in front of a student so close to her own age.
“The next step was to see him again,, but since I didn’t feel comfortable in my first appointment, I knew leaving that office that I wasn’t going to show up,” she said.
She was most frustrated when she received no advice and no plan for future treatment.
“I’m glad that wasn’t my first experience seeing a psychologist because I don’t think I’d want to go see one again,” she said.
Since leaving her first appointment with CAPS two months ago, Rachel has not returned to Watkins for any further treatment, nor has she received any inquiries about her failure to attend her follow-up appointment. She said she was no longer seeking professional psychological help, and she continues to drink.
A Complex Issue
Roney said excessive and underage drinking were complex issues for universities to address. She said it was hard to specifically address the needs of each individual.
“It is not a situation where one intervention works for every student,” Roney said. “If that was the case, we wouldn’t have any problems at all. In a situation dealing with any type of substance abuse we’re always looking for new programs that are looking to be effective. So we are always seeking information from colleagues.”
Many Big 12 administrators say it is especially difficult to combat college drinking because it has become so entrenched in campus culture.
Members of the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity "shotgun" beers during the pregame hours before the Jayhawks home opener against Northwestern State in early September 2006. Shotgunning, which involves piercing the bottom of a beer can and rapidly downing the contents from the opposite end, is a common practice at parties. Most fraternities at the University are allowed to follow their own policies about drinking and are not dry like the KU campus. Phi Delta Theta is the only dry fraternity at the University of Kansas.
Bronson Hilliard, director of media relations at the University of Colorado, said trying to stop alcohol consumption was a “fruitless struggle.” Instead, he said, the university created a policy that focused on reducing harm and educating students about personal and social responsibility.
“There’s no way a university by itself can stop young people from drinking,” Hilliard said. “The best we can hope to do is educate them and start to create some more realistic understanding of what drinking really is.”
Matt Hecker, dean of students at Nebraska, said he knew that what happened to Jason Wren could happen to anyone on any college campus and that universities needed to be aware of what they could do to help provide students with resources to prevent unnecessary tragedies.
“We like to think that our programs are working,” Hecker said. “When you don’t see problems you like to think things are working. Just like your car. It’s not until you wake up and your car won’t start that you stop and think. Just doing what we’re doing isn’t enough.”
Adam McGonigle, Wichita junior and former student body president, said that if policy were to be changed, it would probably fall to the incoming chancellor and provost to make those decisions.
“It will certainly be a major challenge for the individuals stepping into leadership roles,” McGonigle said. “It is a major obstacle for the University and, consequently, they will need to address it. Alcohol abuse is a major issue in our country and on college campuses specifically. This is too big of an issue to simply ignore.”
Editorial: KU needs stronger policies on alcohol
The Kansan supports establishing tighter controls on underage drinking.
A sobering reality
Two years after Jason Wren's death, what has changed?
University re-examines privacy policy
Following Jason Wren’s death, University considers allowing parents more access to student’s ...
Wren lawyer says police investigation may not ...
Greek organizations might also be changing alcohol policies as Wren family files ...
Alcohol policy adds amnesty, parent notification
The University’s revised alcohol policy also includes an online assessment for incoming ...
Memory of Jason Wren educates students about ...
The Sigma Alpha Epsilon pledge died of alcohol poisoning in 2009.
Father calls for change after son's death
Jay Wren says both fraternity environment and his son are partially to ...
Hartz: FERPA not the real problem in ...
Even if the policy changed, enforcing it would be nearly impossible.
Senate group reviews alcohol policies
Alcohol sub-committee will create survey to gauge how students think different policies ...
Alcohol related deaths could impact dorm privacy
Change to policy could eliminate need for search warrants in dorms.
University’s alcohol initiatives considered good start
Researchers say new initiatives must control alcohol consumption in entire Lawrence community ...
A staggering tragedy
Friends and family look for answers while struggling to cope with an ...
Student's memory honored among Greeks
Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Delta Gamma hosted an initiative for Jason Wren, ...
New alcohol policy fails to pass
The student rights standing committee voted no to allowing senior staff members ...
Editorial: Proposed policy infringes on privacy
Past semester’s alcohol related deaths spur proposal to inspect students rooms
Wren family files suit against SAE
Lawsuit alleges the fraternity provided alcohol to Jason Wren and broke fraternity, ...
Pot violations increasing on campus
Statistics show that marijuana use in the dorms has steadily increased over ...
Housing proposal aims to stop alcohol abuse
A Student Housing recommendation would allow staff to enter rooms under suspicion ...
Stricter rules for booze
LMH sees increase in alcohol-related visits
KU students make up a major portion of hospital's alcohol abuse admissions.
University policy regarding the flow of booze ...
The rules and regulations of serving alcohol on University grounds.
Student Senate passes alcohol resolution
Survey says students rely on University services, know little about community resources.
Jason Wren’s life commemorated
Students, friends, family gathered on the front lawn of Sigma Alpha Epsilon ...
AlcoholEdu survey results confirm problems
The University’s alcohol task force received its first glimpse of the statistics ...
Editorial: Excessive drinking hurts academic success
Be responsible when you go out.
Excessive and accepted
Lawrence, KU culture may contribute to students' high levels of alcohol consumption.
Student Senate reviewing alcohol policy
A subcommittee is considering changes that would let University employees enter dorm ...
Large percentage of students complete AlcoholEdu
The mandatory online exam has been completed by 94 percent of students ...
Protesters say pot is safer alternative
Campus alcohol abuse stirs nationwide debate, arguing marijuana use shouldn’t be penalized.
Nearly 1,000 attend Jason Wren’s funeral
Coroner has not yet released autopsy, which will determine Wren’s cause of ...
Deadline approaches for alcohol course
Only 63 percent of students required to complete the online course have ...
City passes stricter house party regulations
The new ordinance holds party hosts accountable for minors caught drinking.
A professor’s story about alcoholic past
Paul Sneed, professor of Portuguese language and Brazilian literature and culture, talks ...
Matney: Jason Wren Initiative reminds students to ...
It is KU students' responsibility to remember and learn from the tragic ...
Letter to the Editor: Habits form early
Binge drinking begins before freshman year of college.
Lawrence bars patrolled for underage drinking
The task force cited a total of 59 people for underage drinking ...
Editorial: Survey data may be skewed
Alcohol information could be incorrect because of the way it was gathered.
FIJI placed on two-year probation for hazing
A new report explains the investigation and why the fraternity has been ...
A sobering struggle
College students with alcoholism fight to overcome their addiction in an alcohol-infused ...
From left: Kimberlee Hinkle, Libby Johnson and Hannah ...
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Comments
A sobering conversation
Yesterday, 10am, Anschutz Library: two guys were laughingly sharing stories about the multiple times they've each driven while drunk. I've got a family that has to drive around this town. What's wrong with KU? You're all a bunch of drunks.
A sobering conversation
Don't drink and drive. Drink and walk. I don't even care how far it is.
A sobering conversation
hmm lets count the problems that add up to all that drinking and driving cabes and safe rides take for ever and are prohibtly expensive in the case of cabs $10 to go a mile and a half is insane i'd pay about 8 for that distance in chicago. SafeRides only take you home which sort or defeats the purpose of getting people to not drink and drive.
A sobering conversation
It's definitely hard to get people to change their minds and habits, but it seems obvious that it needs to happen. I know finding a ride is an inconvenience when you're at a party, but try and be responsible, drunk driving is sssooo horribly dangerous. I found it interesting that KU has some of the most lenient policies concerning alcohol violations. I don't think it would be a bad thing if we adopted some of harsher punishments, and I think parents should have the right to know if their dependents are partaking in illegal activities multiple times on campus. There have been two deaths this semester related to this issue...
A sobering conversation
Learn the facts about Alcohol Dependence. For evidence-based information on Alcohol Dependence (Alcoholism) and Alcohol Abuse, please visit us at AlcoholAnswers.org
There are comprehensive sections for the Alcohol Dependent and the Families and Friends along with information on evidence-based treatment modalities - including medicated-assisted treatment – Resources, an extensive Alcohol & Health section, and Discussion Communities for support and information at AddictionSurvivors.org
AlcoholAnswers.org
A sobering conversation
Exactly, I've walked my drunk ass from Quinton's all the way back to my apartment at Highpoint.
A sobering conversation
This problems seems to boil down to a lack of accountability for your drinking and your friends' drinking here. The culture is that it's important to get so drunk that you can't see straight and not so important to stay safe and keep your friends safe. People who come into this culture quickly see that nobody watches out for anyone, let alone themselves, so why should they watch out for themselves?
It doesn't have to be that way. I was a member of a social group at the university where I completed my undergrad studies, and while we were very heavy drinkers for the most part and even had a weekend dedicated to a drinking competition every year, we still watched out for each other. People were not allowed to make McD's runs or drive home without a sober driver doing it for them. If no ride was available from a house party, couches make a good bed. Did people still screw up? Sometimes, but we've never had a death and only a very small number of MIP's or drunk tank nights.
As for informing parents about a student's lapses in judgment, I firmly believe that they shouldn't be told except in two circumstances:
1) the student is a legal dependent (a rarity), or 2) both the student and the parents agree to it in writing with no coercion.
Most students at any university are 18 or older and are thus legally independent. Fiscal dependence does not equal legal dependence. Just ask the IRS.
I do agree that things need to change, but it needs to be with the students keeping track of themselves and each other rather than just telling their parents that they've misbehaved. Legally independent people shouldn't be treated like children; if they screw up, they're an adult, and they deserve to be punished like an adult.
A sobering conversation
COME ON UDK do your part. This article speaks about education but did you print the Gordie check information in your edition today?
http://gordie.org/Education/Gordie-Check...
GO HERE. PRINT THIS. STICK IT IN YOUR PURSE OR WALLET.
UDK??? I challenge you. Make a difference. Print this in your paper so all students can but and save. Better yet, include this in all future orientation packets from here on out. Someone please suggest to the university that they put a copy in all orientation information packets. It is time to do something.
A sobering conversation
http://gordie.org/Education/Gordie-Check.aspx
A sobering conversation
Want a SOBERING wake up call? I Just google the words
student died alcohol
20,000,000 hits
Sure some are repeats but just do it. Read all the different colleges and universities. Read how many include the word FRATERNITY and how many are HIGH SCHOOL age. READ and understand the scope of this epidemic. Anything that takes 1700 (what would the numbers be if it included ALL alcohol related deaths??) a year should be front page news everywhere. Swine flu is not that high in totals yet and it is all over the press,wires,TV and radio.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=student+died+alcohol
it is everywhere so when an how will it end?
A sobering conversation
The greek system at KU requires AlcoholEDU. I took it as a freshman as part of my sorority. It was required. Just a little FYI...
A sobering conversation
Is it working?
How about across the US?
A sobering conversation
jhawk08- if no one enforces what you learned in AlcoholEDU. then how do we explain all the alcohol infused parties the houses all have? Espcially since 50% of each houses membership is under the age of 21. Under 21? Drinking? illegal. Who is enforcing? University? No Police? No Parents? No National House organizations? No Self enforced? Definately not. So all are free to do what they want. God bless America, right? Especially those who have left us.
A sobering conversation
Unfortunately, there is a substantial disparity between legal adulthood and true adulthood. Indeed, the drinking age was raised to 21 because it was determined (and rightfully so) that the vast majority of youngsters under the age of 21 can not handle alcohol responsibly. Given this, it is entirely appropriate to treat people under the age of 21 as minors with respect to alcohol. Parents should be notified in the event that their not-of-age son or daughter violates the law and university policy on alcohol in residence halls. Also, fraternities and sororities that are officially sanctioned by the University should be more closely monitored and disciplined with respect to alcohol violations. When of-age Greeks provide alcohol to minors, they should face appropriate discipline. If college students want to be treated like adults, they need to grow up and demonstrate a level of responsibility consistent with adulthood. Binge drinking is not cool, and not to mention dangerous. The University needs to get with it as well, and stop turning a blind-eye to the rampant alcohol abuse among its students.
A sobering conversation
You can come up with all the logical solutions under the sun..............but when you are intoxicated, logic disappears! If you have problem with drinking, call for help. It's in the phone book, in the front! Get it! No? Start looking under A. They are after all the most successful organization in the world when it comes to alcoholism.
A sobering conversation
14,800,000 is not really 20,000,000 lets not get carried away. Pointless number anyway, that is still less than 0.002% of the pages indexed by Google.
This is the internet we are talking about and news stories on top of that. The media is a joke. What news station doesn't love covering stories about student death, especially when such a huge deal is made out of each and every one? The stories are huge because they are unusual, if they were common place people wouldn't care. 2 students in a year die? That's like .007% of KU students. Epidemic - that's laughable, maybe if stupidity was a plague.
To quote some of the absurd statistics being used as propaganda in the previous article's comments. "In 2008, Lawrence Memorial Hospital’s emergency room treated 1,526 patients for alcohol-related issues, 273 of which were college students. 365 were treated for alcohol poisoning."
So.. of 1,526 people that were TREATED 18% of them were college students IN a college town. 365 total for alcohol poisoning - using the overall ratio that's 65 students treated for alcohol poisoning in a year. Suppose it’s even double the ratio, which is still only 130 students. Not even half a percent of KU students.
There are 5 times more deaths from tobacco each year than alcohol. The difference is that the slow killer doesn't get the news coverage. Maybe we should start monitoring student intake of cigs if we are so concerned with preservation of life, oh wait doesn't the union sell those? I'd certainly rather my kid drink a beer than ride a motorcycle but there are still parents that legally permit that.
Seriously though, all this statistic quoting is idiotic. Anyone that has taken a college statistics course is aware that the numbers are almost always open to interpretation and frequently are completely worthless. Survey says that 47% of the time 47% of a small portion of students were dumb enough to both drink and drive and admit to it.
The solution to college drinking is raising children to not be stupid. You sit down and tell your kid what the risks are yourself and keep tabs on them yourself. You created them, they are your responsibility.
Drinking is a social norm because it is a shared value across our society. What do you think children are going to think when their parents drink in front of them? Like father, like son. There are more American adults that DO drink than DON'T. The "kids" are the problem though..
A sobering conversation
"Adam McGonigle, Wichita junior and FORMER student body president"
Thank God, the student body has finally lifted the yoke of oppression known as the reign of Albie.
A sobering conversation
What if the most important person in your life dies tonight? What if you can save them with a phone call? Dig Life www.shelbysrules.com>-
- Posted by belcasas on April 30, 2009 at 8:01 p.m.
- permalink
- suggest removal
My 17 year old niece Shelby Lyn Allen died of Alcohol poisoning on Dec. 20 2008. Our hearts are broken but we are determined to save lives Keep it simple, Drinking+Vomiting=Call 911 What you don't know can kill you. Drinking slows your gag reflexes, making it much more likely to choke to death, especially if you've just loaded up with burritos so you can drink more. not fair but true- Women are much more likely to die than men because of monthly hormonal fluxuations and higher body fat ratio, alcohol stays in the body longer. as little as 8 oz of alcohol (the size of a small juice glass) consumed over 2 hours can kill you. If a friend has been drinking and is vomiting, unresponsive or making snoring sounds get them to a doctor these are all signs of alcohol poisoning. Be a hero... if you're drinking, never leave a buddy behind. This is not about finger pointing or who is good or bad, we all make mistakes, live to learn from them and help your friends to live too.
link to ER finale on HULU the alcohol poisoning storyline was written as a tribute to Shelby and to save lives- http://www.hulu.com/watch/66072/er-and-in-the-end http://twitter.com/belcasas
A sobering conversation
numbers don't matter? really?
Tell that to a mother or a father, of just ONE of them. Glad you googled any. It is what the skeptics should do to learn more. When reading, always look for the main thesis. IT IS HAPPENING at every campus. Everywhere. Every month. Every day if you do the averages. 1700 divided by 365 days is 4.66 students a day. (not including non-students) That is a lot of loss and a lot of tears. Question statistics? Bodies are easy to count and hard to hide. Not too questionable a statistic. Why would we want to lose even one person in such a preventable way.
Odd that the media goes overboard and still the problem goes on.
A sobering conversation
I can't believe what I'm hearing some people stating! Because it's an inconvenience to wait for a ride, you drive drunk instead! Message me, and I'll give you my phone number so I can pick you up in the middle of the night or to let me know when NOT to drive! My dad's best friend died the night before his wedding (with his fiance) due to a drunk driver. The drunk driver survived. Despite the statistics making up a low percentage of the student population, it's still a number involving INNOCENT victims. I don't care if you drink, but do it responsibly. I'm still in college, and I really do not understand why people brag so heavily in getting drunk.
A sobering conversation
KU2008: Call the police for refusing a random search?! Since when was the government allowed to forcefully search someone's home, rented or not, without probable cause? Since when does being a landlord mean that you aren't required to comply with landlord/tenant law, which requires prior notice before entry except in cases of emergency?
A sobering conversation
Is it just me or do the headlines of all these articles sound like the titles of Lifetime movies...
A sobering conversation
ebenavid, I'm pretty sure KU2008 was referring to the residence halls which when you sign a contract, you are agreeing up front to let the "powers that be" search their premises whenever they want.
A sobering conversation
I feel sorry for you college kids today. When I went to KU from 80-85 we could drink 3.2 beer at 18, even on campus. If we could die at 18 in the military why could we not drink at 18? I had Keg parties in my room at Oliver Hall and Matt our RA would join us. (He even chipped in) You could have beer in your dorm fridge and grab a brew at the Union or walk down to the Hawk, The Wheel, The Crossing, or Johnny's and have a 3.2 brew too.
At the start of the school year KU (yes the University) would throw "Megga-Keggers" in front of Allen Field House and supply 200 kegs of free beer, hire bands and give a big fat welcome to all the students. Can you imagine that happening in todays nanny state with the radical anti-drinking campaigns dominating policy?
All in all 3.2 brew at 18 was a good policy. It gave those who wanted to drink and were going to drink anyway a gradual adjustment to the drug instead of swigging half a liter of vodka and acting like a fool at one's first big college party. It's almost impossible to get alcohol poisoning from 3.2 beer but a lot of kids die from it by drinking the hard stuff. And sure we wanted the hard stuff and sometimes got it but with the easy, legal option of buying weak beer, most times it wasn't worth the hassle getting the hard stuff. Yea those were the days lol, legal weak beer and $458 tuition.
Of course the Feds came along in the mid 80's and told Kansas and other states if they didn't change the drinking age to 21 they would withhold matching highway funds so the states caved in one by one. A pity. Now you can't drink anything and they call your mommy if you get caught.
What a joke. Right now I live in Rio de Janeiro Brazil where the legal drinking age is 18 but you can drink even younger but you know what? There are hardly any drunks here compared to the USA. College students here go out and have a few beers but rarely get very drunk. Maybe because drinking is not so taboo. Maybe because they've been allowed to drink an occasional beer or a little vino at 16 in front of their parents. Maybe because they've had access to it for so long it's not such a big deal. Maybe because people who are treated like adults learn to act like adults...
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