Bismarck Tribune - North Dakota News - Officials hope to lessen college drinking problems

Officials hope to lessen college drinking problems

Jul 08, 2008 - 04:05:49 CDT

Associated Press

North Dakota campus officials are seeing encouraging signs in the battle to control drinking among college students, though they are not ready to declare victory.

"We are hopeful that we are moving in the right direction," said Karin Walton, director of the North Dakota Higher Education Consortium for Substance Abuse prevention.

Walton said the number of students at 11 state university campuses who said they abstained from drinking alcohol has gone from 31 percent of those surveyed in 1994 to 36 percent in 2006, the most recent year available.

The percentage of students who reported having at least five drinks in one sitting during a two-week period dropped from 55 percent in 2003 to 53 percent in 2006, the survey found. More than 3,700 students were surveyed each time.

Campuses around the state have set up groups to track student drinking and try to prevent alcohol-related deaths.

"What we want to do is decrease the factors that would place students in danger of injury, assault and death - any death we can help to eliminate," Walton said.

Cases that drew attention in North Dakota in recent years include:

In March 2004, authorities said former Minnesota State University Moorhead student Jason Reinhardt, of Fargo, died of acute alcohol poisoning after celebrating his 21st birthday by trying to down 21 drinks in an hour at a Moorhead bar. His death led to an effort in the North Dakota Legislature to stop so-called "power hour" drinking binges in bars.

In October 2003, authorities said alcohol caused the death of Dusten Gailey, a Wyoming student at the University of Mary who was found unconscious in his Bismarck dorm room. Burleigh County Sheriff's Deputy Nick Sevart said the official cause of death is listed as ethanol intoxication, referring to alcohol made from grain.

Alcohol was involved in another student death this year, though it was not the official cause. Authorities said a North Dakota State University student visiting friends in Wahpeton died in May of injuries suffered in a fall down some steps after he had been drinking.

Nationally, an Associated Press analysis of federal records found more than 150 college-age people, 18 to 23, drank themselves to death from 1999 through 2005, the most recent year for which figures are available.

Campus officials say the effort against alcohol abuse is ongoing.

"I think there's good news in those statistics but there's lots of work to do. We still have very high binge drinking rates as a state," said Laura Oster-Aaland, director of the orientation at NDSU and a co-chairman of state consortium on substance abuse prevention.

"I think the best practice that has emerged is that you've got to do everything. There's not one silver bullet," she said. "Now what we're realizing is that this takes time, resources, dedication."

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Comments

Traveler wrote on Jul 15, 2008 10:24 PM:

" The cultural attitude, especialy in this part of the country it seems, is that alcohol isn't really a drug and every occassion is an occassion for drinking.

Young people learn that from their parents or other adults. I'll guess many of the the 'campus officials' expressing concern wouldn't think of having a banquet or mixer without alcohol, or going to a college game without a few 'warmups'; maybe even a flask along for a little sip now and then. Until society changes its attitudes about drinking, young adults drinking isn't going to change. We could learn much from the attitude towards drinking in many other countries where binge drinking, DUI's, etc aren't near the problem they are here. "

verde wrote on Jul 15, 2008 5:36 PM:

" The change in this issue will have to come from society as a whole.
The fact is that people who party, that translates drinking until you're drunk to a ridiculous degree in all too many circles, is considered to be way too cool, and is used to fit in to a certain social circle. It is used by people who are not strong enough, smart enough, independent enough, to stand on their own two feet and forget about following the crowd.
People who are independent enough and have a full enough life on their own do not need to party to try and fit into a certain crowd, and until more people realize this, things will not change. Beer and hard liquor are an incredible waste of money, and cause a host of legal problems when people try to drive home from that party, not to mention the medical issues that can result from an accident.
Once people who party learn to participate in whatever they are doing without the crutch of liquor, they will learn they can have a more full life, and be better at whatever they are doing. They just have to learn to snub the adolescent peer pressure and be more mature. "

JustMe wrote on Jul 15, 2008 12:58 PM:

" Drinking and college go together, and helps you out in the long run.

A lion goes for the weakest buffalo, thus creating a stronger heard and more resilient. Alcohol only kills the weakest brain cells, thus making you smarter and more susceptible to learning.

As for gas and food vs. beer? Beer is cheaper, drink dont drive "

Bono wrote on Jul 14, 2008 9:28 PM:

" Racist Biker - as long as there is money for beer, who needs food and gas? "

mh wrote on Jul 13, 2008 10:22 PM:

" It strikes me as sort of funny how parents have 18 years to teach these little darlings something; but yet they think the colleges should do it for them in 4 years. "

Stella wrote on Jul 12, 2008 3:09 PM:

" What is your answer to this problem Deb? Or do you not consider it a problem? My kids are teens and younger, and no...cross my fingers...so far they haven't done most of things I used to do (as far as I know anyway, and I do know what to look for!). Now as far as when they are college age...time will tell I guess, but I'm certainly not going to pretend it's acceptable behavior. "

Deb wrote on Jul 12, 2008 12:25 PM:

" Stella - the unfortunate truth is that not only will your kids do what you did when you drank and did drugs - they will most likely do more and worse. It's just the way it goes. It's easier for you not to know that - but I think that you suspect it. "

Stella wrote on Jul 12, 2008 10:56 AM:

" I believe part of the problem is that parents do laugh and joke about their own early years and make it seem like drinking/pot smoking was so much fun. Even some of the comments posted here seem to do just that. This gives students the idea that since their parents had good or laughable memories there is really nothing wrong with it. I know with regards to my own kids, I cringe when I think about them doing half the stuff I used to. I only hope they are more responsible. When I mention things I did while drinking I make sure I say get the point across to them that if I could turn back time I would have been a lot smarter. Drinking, I tell them, is for people who can't handle social situations while being themselves. "

Deb wrote on Jul 11, 2008 11:37 AM:

" if you didn't see the beer, then it was clearly hidden as well as my weed. "

MamaMia wrote on Jul 11, 2008 9:29 AM:

" Gee Deb, I was in your dorm room many times. Didn't see any beer. But you guys did have a nice, well stocked liquor cabinet. "

Facts wrote on Jul 10, 2008 9:50 PM:

" If officials hope to lessen college drinking problems then they should severely punish those who get caught and make examples of them so others in the future will be very much afraid of the consequences like kicked out of college. Drinking to get drunk is not cool or fun, its plain stupidity!!! Wise up college folks before you end up killing a loved one! Try to live with that on your brain for the rest of your life! You end up maturing the hard way! "

Subversive Sioux wrote on Jul 10, 2008 9:28 PM:

" News Flash from Fox News:

Are our teens are having sex, drinking and sometimes engaging in debaucherous extremes of both, all under the guise of getting a bachelor's degree.

Can America survive? WILL America survive? "

Deb wrote on Jul 10, 2008 4:38 PM:

" GOR: LOL!

I didn't follow one of her sets of advice tho - I just threw the cans in the garbage. "

Grumpy Old Republican wrote on Jul 10, 2008 3:50 PM:

" Deb, we went to different colleges, but we may have had the same RA! ????

GO SIOUX!! "

Deb wrote on Jul 10, 2008 3:29 PM:

" My RA in college said that if we drink beer, recycle the cans and if we do drugs, find a good hiding spot.

GO GOPHERS!!! "

stella wrote on Jul 10, 2008 11:32 AM:

" Bottom line is that these are adults and will do whatever they want. The time of supervising and coaching from their parents/teachers is over. It's up to them to be smart enough to deal with peer pressure. It's sad to see young adults go overboard, but I don't think there's really much that can be done that isn't already being done. "

Racist Biker wrote on Jul 10, 2008 11:04 AM:

" Dorm Evicted: You said " Drinking is down purely for economic reasons. Most college kids can't afford gas and food. " Here's my question when were college kids able to afford gas food and beer before?? I remember not having any money then and that was before the economy went south. Come to think of it I STILL don't have any money. I remember stories from my dad of drinking in the dorms. How his RA didn't care as long as they had a beer for him. I guess some things will never change. "

Rebecca wrote on Jul 10, 2008 9:14 AM:

" As long as "Animal House" is a classic college movie, "kids" will do stupid things in college. Yet, they are adults and I think anyone saying that parents expect that there will be "adult supervision" at college are probably parents who didn't teach their children how to be responsible; if that is the case, by college it is too late to do anything about it, adult supervision or not. Besides, only 150 college age kids died drinking in 6 years? Like kev said, more people die driving to work each day.
It is just silly. "

seven gone wrote on Jul 10, 2008 12:56 AM:

" exactly "hm", it's amazing how many people that go to or are near colleges that can think like the campus officials who are seeing such "encouraging" signs. i suspect many of them have been seeing these signs for about forty or fifty years now.

or maybe they're celebrating that the kids are moving from boring alcohol to nicer recreational drugs. "

kev wrote on Jul 10, 2008 12:28 AM:

" So what if couple people drink themselves to death every year. It's still far more dangerous to drive to work and besides, just think of how many more lives we bring into this world because we've had few too many drinks. "

hm wrote on Jul 9, 2008 1:40 AM:

" Sorry to inform you, but I recently graduated from college and nothing is going to stop the drinking. College students don't care what police or anyone else says. They are going to do it anyway, I know I did. "

Nodak wrote on Jul 8, 2008 5:06 PM:

" Most people that go to college are 18 and over. They are considered adults enough to go to big boy/girl jail, serve in the army, smoke, and vote for the president. Those are all choices they can make at that age. College opens up choices for career, but it also opens up a new world different from High School living with their parents. That includes drinking even though they are not of age. College is and always will be a test of life away from parents. Many of these young adults will make good choices and a lot of bad ones. Most of these adults will finish college and some will not. Values set forth by family will help them through most of it. But the majority will come down to the young person and the understanding of how much is too much. You cannot baby sit these people anymore, and they have to learn things on there own. "

Grumpy Old Republican wrote on Jul 8, 2008 4:29 PM:

" Mark the calendar, kids... MamaMia and I are in total agreement on this one. The college-age people are going to drink like fish, binging every weekend and laughing off the hangovers in the future, as they do in the present, and as they (we) have done in the past. Folks can talk all they want, present the facts to these kids, even go so far as to pass laws and stiffen penalties. It's not going to stop the activities that have become ingrained as part of the "college experience" at all. We can start at home when they're young and teach them self-restraint all we want, but when they head out the door and get on campus, they're going to make their own choices. We only hope that we've done a good enough job so that their choices aren't deadly or life-devastating ones. Barking bureaucrats don't scare college kids. Never have, never will. "

warmachine wrote on Jul 8, 2008 3:48 PM:

" It ain't EVER gonna change....there will be quiet times, busy times and times when there are other "Problems" that will be in the lime light....and the drinking goes on. Prohibition didn't work, won't work and neither does constant whining about it. I have a simple philosophy: Fill what's empty. Empty what's full. Scratch where it itches and drink only single malt scotch. "Not a shred of evidence exists in favor of the idea that life is serious. If you're in a bad situation, don't worry it'll change. If you're in a good situation, don't worry it'll change." "

MamaMia wrote on Jul 8, 2008 2:55 PM:

" Sorry folks, but I'm a little jaded on this topic. I went to college, I've had kids in college and I've been on campuses recently. It ain't gonna change anytime soon. "

dorm evicted wrote on Jul 8, 2008 1:44 PM:

" Drinking is down purely for economic reasons. Most college kids can't afford gas and food. "

student wrote on Jul 8, 2008 12:44 PM:

" College is not about adult supervision, its about making your own choices. If your not smart enough to know your limits its nobody's fault but your own. "

warmachine wrote on Jul 8, 2008 11:15 AM:

" Yea, well, good luck with all that. (MamaMia) When consortiums' talk about improving alcohol abuse education, they are never talking about themselves. But I digress....... "

Jeff wrote on Jul 8, 2008 10:59 AM:

" Thank you for that well placed comment MamaMia. You believe there is a reasonable expectation for a responsible environment and some adult supervision??? At college?!? They have Resident Assistants for a reason and it is to curb drinking on campus. It is strange how those RAs were the same ones supplying minors with alcohol on numerous occasions. NDSU has a very conservative president in Dr. Chapman who has diminished drinking in greek life to a non-existent amount, as well as decreased the amount of alcohol consumption on campus significantly from my beginnings at the university to when I finished. I cannot speak for other universities as I did not attend them. It is unfortunate that the name of an institution has to be attached to a young person who misuses or abuses alcohol to a harmful result. There is no correlation between NDSU and a student dying of alcohol poisoning on a Friday night. However, it is my belief that for someone to consume alcohol underage is a choice, no matter the penalty, no matter the deterrence. $225 to 300+ for a minor in addition to community service is a laughing stock for taking a drink underage?? I would have to disagree as Minnesota was always significantly less. What the state of North Dakota needs to do is turn their eyes and attention to increasingly younger children and their idiot parents who are too concerned about curing the rest of the world while their own kids are running out the door with a case of beer and a bag of pot. Come on people, its getting sad. "

Annie wrote on Jul 8, 2008 10:08 AM:

" Lets treat our 19 year olds like adults and let them drink in a controlled atmosphere... They are allowed to vote for the president and fight for our country!!!! "

Dale A. Swenson wrote on Jul 8, 2008 9:32 AM:

" Alas! The frontier is rife with opportunity to overdo or binge on everything: starting with alcohol, including smoking, add extra-curricular, and mixing it with high Protestant Work Ethic values. Our children learn all this from us. So why can't each one of us turn a corner, rewire our attitude toward underage access to gateway drugs and make it a point to say so, daily, to everyone we visit? We need only be matter-of-fact. "These drugs do you no good/the drugs use is against the law and criminal/criminal behavior is tantamount to flirting with a life of poverty."
We can solve this social problem, if everyone chooses to talk about it each day. "

MamaMia wrote on Jul 8, 2008 8:17 AM:

" Yeah, well, good luck with all that. "

Halatbis wrote on Jul 8, 2008 7:39 AM:

" The colleges and universities are showing some concern for this problem, and it is long past time that they do. The permissive attitude of higher education leadership over decades toward drinking, drugs, and sexual experimentation has come home to roost. When the college/univ. gets sued for the death and destruction of a young person--and the money damages are assessed to the president and deans of the institution--that is when the craziness will stop. Parents send their chikdren to college expecting there will be a responsible environment and some adult supervision. That would seem to be a reasonable expectation. "

For a change wrote on Jul 8, 2008 4:56 AM:

" If you want to see a decline in alcohol related incidences, the change will have to start from the top on the hill in Bismarck. Unfortunately too many of our legislators are against tougher laws against drinking. They have made North Dakota the laughing stock when it comes to punishing drinking offenses. "

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