Current research finds that freshmen now spend more time drinking than studying, jeopardizing both the university educational mission and student purpose. Alcohol, described by the Richmond Times Dispatch as "nothing less than poison for the teen brain," is an addictive drug damaging to youth health. This problem likely will worsen without effective university environmental change.
Long identified with collegiate culture, excessive drinking has reached extreme levels. Though progress has been made in reducing consumption among non-students, collegians are headed in the opposite direction. Binge drinking, alcohol poisoning, and alcohol-related deaths among collegians have reached record levels.
Universities are under intense pressure to toughen alcohol policies in the face of growing national concerns about destructive student drinking. Adopting comprehensive environmental change strategies, including policies and regulations that are enforced, is essential to reduce alcohol's harm to students.
Reducing the drinking age is not a rational option. To the contrary, reckless collegiate drinking makes the strongest possible argument against lowering the minimum legal drinking age. This is not a problem of law, as some suggest, but one of developmental immaturity. Changing the law won't change the problem.
Nationally, many institutions are taking forceful action to combat student drinking, adopting innovative environmental strategies aimed directly at reducing consumption. Sporting events, for example, can send a conspicuous signal. Institutions like the University of Southern California, joining many others, banned all alcohol sales at sporting events. Ironically, UNC is now considering allowing alcohol sales at Kenan Stadium for some patrons.
Given its responsible history of prohibiting all alcohol sales, this UNC action, to say the least, is a head scratcher. First, there is the conflicting message sent to students. Second, research finds that "fans" are more likely than non-fans to binge drink. Surely luxury box fans can join with other less pampered spectators below in watching student events without requiring alcohol.
While universities are adopting environmental strategies to reduce student drinking, research finds that elimination of all alcohol at sports events is an important consideration for decreasing binge drinking and its harm. Even without formal adoption of this policy change, some UNC supporters are demanding, if alcohol sales are allowed, its sale to all legal age spectators, regardless of seating. An inconsistent UNC alcohol policy creates more trouble than its imagined gain.
At a time of enhanced university sensitivity about student drinking, making alcohol-related economic considerations paramount seems counter-productive to their greater responsibility to reduce harmful student consumption. Their first obligation is to students, not pampered fans.
University of Hartford President and NCAA leader Walter Harrison stated, "I would personally wonder how one justifies the sale of alcohol in an on-campus venue." Continuing to ban alcohol sales at UNC sporting events is not only consistent with its efforts to reduce student drinking, it is an important environmental strategy worthy of continued support.
Ronald E. Bogle is a retired Superior Court judge and works with the Coalition for Alcohol and Drug Free Teenagers.
