There's something missing here...

[DeltAlum]

Can you believe it? Here's an article on binge drinking from the Ohio University "Post," and it doesn't mention the Greek System even once.

Binge drinking still popular on college campuses, reports show
by Karlie Dunsky
For The Post

While students are drinking to excess less in high school and have better access to warnings against extreme drinking, a study by the Harvard School of Public Health shows almost half of college students continue to binge drink.

According to the study, the percentage of U.S. college students that binge drink remains 44 percent, the same as it has been for the last decade.

Last year 1,400 college students in the United States died in alcohol-related deaths. OU has had at least one alcohol-related death this year. Nathan Roberts, an Ohio University student, died in Columbus during winter break on his 21st birthday.

The problem hits home with OU administrators, who are working to combat statistics with educational campaigns.

“We know the number of students coming to OU already using alcohol is higher than the national average,” said Judy Piercy, director of OU judiciaries.

A nationwide study showed that, on average, 49 percent of students entering college have consumed beer in the past year. Seventy-five percent of incoming OU students said they had drank beer in the last year.

During Fall Quarter at OU, 60 percent of all judicial referrals filed were alcohol related — offenses that can result in probation, suspension or expulsion from the university. Ten percent of all judicial referrals dealt with intoxication.

OU’s Coalition Advocating Responsible Decisions this year re-launched the “Bring Your Own Judgment” campaign, which has been supported for the last three years by a $10,000 grant from Ohio Parents for Drug-Free Use. The campaign largely consists of posters and other items with facts about drinking and safe sex, such as a pyramid that explains the effects of increasing amounts of alcohol on people and the 13 steps to correctly put on and remove a condom.

Rather than put excessive drinking in terms of binge drinking, the organization prefers to view drinking in terms of high or low risk-taking. Low-risk drinking is considered one drink per hour, which is the rate the body can process alcohol. Drinking at a higher rate is considered high risk. A risk always is present to underage drinkers because they are breaking the law.

Several important factors keep students from realizing the risk in their drinking. Shots and large drinks are dangerous because students do not realize what they are drinking or how much alcohol they are consuming, said Charlene Kopchik, director of health education and wellness at Hudson Health Center.

And BYOJ also targets risks frequently related to alcohol, such as sexually transmitted diseases, sexual assaults and unplanned pregnancies.

“We’re hitting a variety of issues in one campaign,” Kopchik said.

But the effectiveness of the BYOJ campaign continues to be debated among students.

OU senior Jen Robb said while the facts on the BYOJ “java jackets” on cups in The Front Room are depressing first thing in the morning, the information is not effective in influencing her behavior.

But other students said the campaign is worthwhile.

“I think that people are impressionable,” said OU senior Leo DeLuca. “The campaign helps them to conform to the judgment of others. If you realize you drink five times a week when most people drink twice a week, it may make you realize there may be something wrong with you.”

OU’s Residence Life staff also started a campaign called “Just Say Know” to educate students on the effects of alcohol. The project includes posting weekly fliers with facts about alcohol around residence halls. These posters warn that binge drinkers are far more likely to do poorly in school, get into legal trouble and drive drunk.

“We want people to think about their alcohol use and its effects on the culture and the campus in general,” said Wendy Merb-Brown, associate director of Residence Life.

The effects of poor decision-making do not only affect victims, but everyone who cares for those people, Kopchik said.

“We can do so much, we can have university policies… but it comes down to each individual taking responsibility,” Kopchik said.