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BU students and administrators say alcohol abuse not widespread on campus, despite study findings
By Brian Fitzgerald
The issue of student drinking, which catapulted into the public spotlight
locally after an MIT freshman died of alcohol poisoning in 1997, has resurfaced
in the wake of a recently released study examining the hazards of alcohol
abuse in college.
The study, by Ralph Hingson, a School of Public Health professor, and
colleagues, reveals that drinking by college students contributes to an
estimated 1,400 student deaths a year, along with 500,000 injuries. It
recommends that colleges formulate prevention strategies, establish some
alcohol-free housing, enforce minimum drinking age laws, and consistently
discipline students who violate alcohol policy. (See BU Bridge, April
19.)
Several BU administrators and students say, however, that although alcohol
abuse is a problem for some on campus, the University already takes these
steps to address the destructiveness of high-risk drinking.
"BU has a very solid alcohol education program," says W. Norman
Johnson, vice president and dean of students. "We work with other
institutions, the community, the police, and the mayor's office to make
sure that students know the dangers of binge drinking. The University
also promotes activities that do not involve alcohol, such as the Wellness
Center Spring Break," which gives BU students an opportunity to enjoy
a substance-free vacation. This year, 29 students visited Reykjavík,
Iceland. "There is also a strong enforcement component here,"
says Johnson. "It's a full-court press."
Johnson adds that Joe Walsh, director of community relations at BU, accompanies
Boston and Brookline police on patrol on designated weekends to control
noise and other disruptions at student parties, especially at the beginning
of the school year.
BU's alcohol policy reflects -- and in the case of the volume of alcohol
allowed in residence halls, exceeds -- the requirements of Massachusetts
law, says Daryl DeLuca, director of the Office of Judicial Affairs. "It's
quite clear," he says. "If you're 21, you're allowed to consume,
possess, procure, and transport alcohol. If you're not 21, you're not
allowed to do this." The amount of alcoholic beverages residents
21 or older are permitted to bring into any residence facility is limited
to 72 ounces of beer and one liter of other alcoholic beverages.
BU's no-nonsense policy on counterfeit identification documents is also
spelled out from the start, says Erin Jang (COM'02). "BU makes a
big impression during orientation," she says, "when a police
officer dumps a bunch of confiscated fake IDs on the table and warns students
that they will be criminally prosecuted if they're caught with them."
"I think that BU is pretty strict about drinking in the residence
halls," says Marisa Hudy (CAS'04), adding that when students are
intoxicated, they certainly don't flaunt their inebriation in front of
residential staff. "Students who have been drinking try their best
to not let the security guards notice the condition they're in. And they
know that if they're too drunk to even swipe their ID card through the
slot, they're going to be in trouble." Indeed, if the security staff
notifies the campus police that a student is inebriated, officers will
respond with EMTs, who are likely to transport the student to the hospital.
If this happens, the student typically is put on University probation
and required to undergo a substance abuse assessment and potential counseling.
The transgressor also will be fined $250 by BU and might even lose University
housing.
Jane Dessing (CAS'03) says that she doesn't believe alcohol abuse and
related violence is widespread at BU and points out that because most
students don't have cars on campus, there are probably fewer alcohol-related
injuries and deaths than on rural campuses. According to Hingson, about
1,100 of the 1,400 student deaths referred to in the study were from car
accidents. "None of my friends have cars, so I don't think that we're
at much risk," says Dessing.
Sara Thomas (CFA'02) says that although Hingson's study presents some
daunting figures, including the fact that 40 percent of college students
binge drink (defined as five or more drinks in a row for men and four
for women), BU "is not known as much of a party school compared to
other places, partly because the alcohol policy is so strict. A lot depends
on who you hang around with. If you want to party every night, you could
definitely find a way."
In his job DeLuca sees every day the toll that alcohol abuse takes, including
April 18, when an underage student was found unconscious on a Commonwealth
Avenue sidewalk and taken to St. Elizabeth's Medical Center. "The
majority of cases I see -- whether it's physical assault, sexual assault,
medical assistance, vandalism, disorderly conduct, or keeping a disorderly
house -- all have one common denominator: a quantity of alcohol has been
consumed," says DeLuca, whose office handles more than 500 alcohol
violations a year. "Is alcohol a problem at colleges and universities
nationwide? Indeed it is, for some students.
But BU takes a firm stand on this and articulates its position on alcohol
use from the get-go, from freshman orientation, and continuing on while
they are enrolled as undergraduates."
26 April 2002
Boston University
Office of University Relations