Challenges and strategies
(Posted April 24, 2002)
Here is how UW-Madison Chancellor John D. Wiley frames the issue of high-risk drinking on campus. As provost and now as chancellor, Wiley is leading the effort to bring changes in attitude and policy that will help curb binge drinking among university students:
High-risk drinking is the No. 1 health issue facing college-aged students today. UW-Madison is no exception.
Like many other schools, we're struggling with the problem and what to do about it.
Here's why we're concerned: High-risk drinking causes numerous negative second-hand effects that result in sexual assault, violence, and vandalism, among other problems.
Over the past several months, alcohol use has been in the news, both about new research and local efforts to better control its use.
In the recent debates -- whether the topic was the Harvard College Alcohol Study or talk about limiting drink specials, I was disappointed to see the reactions of some members of our community, including students, student media and tavern owners.
Attitude adjustment needed
We're encouraged that the issues are being discussed, but some try to trivialize this problem, while others want to ignore it entirely.
Consider these few examples:
Student-produced op-eds and editorials: "UW-Madison's insistence on pushing increased regulation smacks of political expedience and, even worse, left-wing ideological opportunism." (Badger Herald editor Alex Conant, writing in the Wisconsin State Journal, April 15, 2002)
Or a local tavern owner (Dick Lyshek, owner of Bullfeathers in the Badger Herald, April 13, 2002): "Over the last few years there has been a continuous feverish fretting by university officials over the dangers of 'binge-drinking.' The term and definition itself are simply the creation of ivory-tower intellectuals trying to create a controversy and draw attention to their publishings."
He continues: "The deep discounts on weeknights are not a call to 'binge-drink.' Rather, they are an attempt to make it affordable for students to go out to a tavern and relax with a few drinks after a day of work or studying."
These attitudes aren't a new phenomenon. Another local newspaper (Cap Times, July 3, 2000) sarcastically suggested that UW-Madison has "...achieved championship status in the intoxication invitational," and has launched a "behavior modification patrol" to address the problem.
The university is well aware that the problem of high-risk drinking exists among our students and we are even more painfully aware of the impact the high-risk drinker's behavior has on others.
Yet, certain segments of the community seem opposed to every step we take to try to improve.
It's ironic to read front-page stories in student newspapers detailing bar time fights and vandalism while editorial pages rail against university efforts to control high-risk drinking.
These problems are linked.
I challenge students, the media, community members and tavern owners to recognize the problem and work with the university, the RWJ Project and the city to support solutions, not just respond with negativity.
We believe that individuals who engage in high-risk drinking must be held accountable for their actions. But we must consider our collective, community responsibility to address the problem and change the environment in which the high-risk drinker thrives.
Looking at the evidence
Statistics and other evidence show us the severity of the problem.
Students who binge drink hurt themselves.
From July 2001 through March 2002, 87 students were transported to detox, one with a staggering blood alcohol level of .45.
Although we've been lucky to only have one recent drinking-related fatality at UW-Madison, a new study by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) says that up to 1,400 student deaths per year can be linked to alcohol. Recently, schools such as Minnesota, Ohio State and Maryland have seen riots and injuries as a result of alcohol-fueled "celebrations."
Even worse, students who binge drink also hurt others. According to 2001 figures from Harvard University's College Alcohol Study, as a result of drinking:
26 percent of UW-Madison respondents experienced instances of property damage
30 percent had a serious argument or quarrel with someone who had been drinking
19 percent were "hit, pushed or assaulted" by someone who had been drinking
69 percent had studying and or sleep interrupted
35 percent experienced an unwanted sexual advance.
When the university has surveyed undergraduates we have found that alcohol is a factor in sexual assaults and data shows that freshmen and sophomores were the most frequent victims. Seventy-four percent of female respondents indicated that they were under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the assault.
We need to be more aggressive in addressing this issue.
Addressing the problem
UW-Madison, through our six-year involvement with the RWJ Project, has been working to change the environment around alcohol by:
Building a campus-community coalition
Providing alternatives to drinking
Supporting keg registration
Participating at hearings of the Alcohol License Review Committee
We have many partners in our attempts to change the environment around alcohol, notably, the City of Madison, the Common Council, members of the ALRC, the Madison Police Department, the UW Police Department, and the UW-Madison Greek system.
The Greek system has done a lot to change the old image of alcohol use at fraternities and sororities. They're always looking for venues where they can hold responsible events, and I challenge the business community to begin meeting that demand.
High-risk drinking is a deeply entrenched problem and we've reached a point where we believe one of the most effective ways to address the problem is through policy change.
To that end, we support limiting drink specials after 8 p.m. Research -- and common sense - makes it very clear that reduced prices increase consumption and incidences of other negative occurrences, such as sexual assault and vandalism. Conversely, higher prices lead to lower consumption.
As an example, a recent study by the National Bureau of Economic Research also shows that for every 10 percent rise in the cost of beer, student alcohol-related crime and violence drops by 4 percent.
This is not a ban on drink specials, but an attempt to control problems created by high-risk drinking, which occur primarily after 8 p.m.
It also stands to reason that some students will move from bars to house parties. No single approach is going to solve this problem -- that's why we're also working for house party education and enforcement.
Viable alternatives
We continue to support viable alternatives to drinking. We often hear that students want live music provided in adult venues.
For example, an agreement with the Regent Street Retreat will increase the amount of all-ages entertainment in The Annex to two nights per week, thanks to owner Bruce Gerhartz.
Our partnership with the Regent Street Retreat is another successful example of our participation in ALRC license discussion. The university supported Mr. Gerhartz's petition for added capacity in exchange for his help in providing another night of non-alcohol focused entertainment.
And, our first parternship -- with Mike Brusca and Luther's Blues -- continues to increase in popularity.
In addition, the Wisconsin Union and RWJ Project sponsor and publicize off-campus entertainment events that fit specific guidelines with regard to alcohol.
In exchange for agreement with our conditions, we will help event promoters advertise and publicize events. This is another program that will help expand entertainment options for students.
We will also continue to make significant campus resources available for alternatives to drinking.
Drawing a clear picture
We also want to gather better information about high-risk drinking: Over the past few years, UW-Madison, like other educational institutions across the country, has used statistics from Harvard University's College Alcohol Study to help us identify and quantify campus alcohol use.
But, to get a much more accurate picture, we're going to move away from the abstract numbers and definitions of Harvard's study and focus on things that matter most to us.
I am going to convene a group to take a look at a variety of categories ... This new evaluation of alcohol use will help us better gauge the effects of high-risk drinking and determine the effectiveness of solutions.
We will begin to collect monthly data in a number of categories including, but not limited to alcohol-related arrests in the city and on campus, medical emergencies that involve alcohol, sexual assaults, numbers of students who are asked to leave residence halls because of alcohol-related violations, students who are suspended because of alcohol, vandalism costs, policing costs and residence hall disturbances and custodial costs.
We need to make a cultural shift to solve this issue and will seek the continued collaboration of the city and county, Madison and UW Police Departments; Madison hospitals, and other educational institutions including Edgewood College and Madison Area Technical College.
We will look to these organizations to share at and help us address the problem at hand.
Parental notification possible
We need to communicate more clearly with students and parents about the seriousness of high-risk drinking, campus resources available to help students, and available alcohol-free proramming.
One way we'll do this is through direct communication with every incoming freshman and their parents.
In addition, since 1998, the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act has allowed institutions to notify parents of students under 21 who are found responsible for violating institutional policies regarding drugs and alcohol.
In the past, we have decided not to notify parents although it was within our rights.
However, the severity of our problem is such that it may be time to reconsider that decision. A group of student services professionals, acting at my direction, is considering parental notification as well as more stringent disciplinary action for serious violations related to alcohol.