Underage drinking overflowing campus
Unusual amounts of on-campus underage drinking among Utah State University freshmen is steadily increasing and university officials are taking steps to find a solution.
Recent statistics show that USU has already received 42 minor alcohol infractions on campus – 11 more than the university received the entire 2004-05 academic school year, Campus Judicial Officer Dallin Phillips said.
“We’re significantly over,” Phillips said. “We’re meeting to see what things we can do to educate more.”
Since the increase of infractions, campus police has tried to deal with each report as quickly and as aggressively as possible, Phillips said, which has slowed down the amount of reports significantly within the last couple of weeks.
According to USU’s Code of Policies and Procedures for Students, misconduct includes “possessing, consuming, selling, distributing, manufacturing and/or storing any alcoholic beverage on campus or at any off-campus university function or event.”
Phillips said there may be an increase in infractions because this is the first year the university has pursued individual offenders.
“The bulk of them by far are first-semester freshmen,” Phillips said. “A lot of them happen in the campus housing facilities.”
Whitney Milligan, assistant director for Housing and Residence Life, said the university is on the verge of evicting at least two freshmen living in on-campus housing for alcohol-related problems.
“From my prespective, we have a lot more freshmen on campus than other students,” Milligan said. “A lot of freshmen may be experiementing with [alcohol] more.”
When anyone applies for family or student on-campus housing, they are required to sign a contract that clearly outlines the university’s policies regarding alcohol, Milligan said. In addition, when single students check in, they sign a drug and alcohol form attached to the paper work for inventory.
“Often [if they are caught] they will still say they had no idea,” she said.
However, compared with other universities in Utah, such as the University of Utah, USU is average when it comes to number of minor alcohol infractions, Milligan said.
Mike McPharlin, University of Utah campus police detective said he has seen an increase in illegal alcohol consumption as well, but attributes that to better enforcement and better record-keeping.
“I believe in the past some of the numbers have been underreported,” McPharlin said. “The issue has become one that has garnered more interest, especially among those who are not of legal age.”
However, both universities handle violators in a similar manner by mandating them to participate in an alcohol awareness program.
“The majority of people that come into us don’t want help but they are being sanctioned,” said Jana Carling, Student Health and Wellness Center prevention specialist. “We’ve had quite a few people refered to us.”
If a student is abusing alcohol, he or she can participate in an education program that has an overall high success rate, Carling said. For those who are dependent or addicted to alcohol, they may also be referred to a counselor for more one-on-one help.
“I don’t see that it changes every single person every time because sometime some aren’t ready to change yet, but I do see it change a lot of people,” Carling said.
In any case, the Wellness Center recommends that students, if they choose to drink, do it responsibly at the right age and to never drink more than one drink per hour, with a maximum of three drinks in a day or in a sitting.
McPharlin cautioned that many students do not realize the consequences they may experience from drinking. He recently saw a case where a man became so intoxicated that he ended up getting robbed and he doesn’t remember any of it.
“He was awakened by the police because he was lying near the edge of the street,” he said.
Students with questions or comments about alcohol consumption on USU’s campus can contact the Wellness Center at 797-1660.
-mmackay@cc.usu.edu