University of Kansas - Jayhawker Yearbook (Lawrence, KS)

Page 103 text:

ASOBERI NG CCDNVERSATICN It's Wednesday night in Oliver Hall and the deskies know that means it's Dollar Night at The Hawk. They know it means that at about 2 a.m., students will begin stumbling back to their rooms in a drunken haze, some with bottles of alcohol hidden in their clothes or bags. They know it all and yet, under the University's current system, they say there is little they can do to prevent it. Rachel Ward, a former resident assistant at Oliver Hall, I think it not only says something about the system but it says something about the student body. l' Recent student deaths relating to alcohol abuse have promted a renewed discussion of how students and administrators deal with - or perhaps fail to deal with -- alcohol-related issues on campus. EDUCATION jay Wren, father of freshman jason Wren, who died in his fraternity house near campus in March, said his son might still be alive had jasonas friends been better educated about the signs ofalcohol poisoning. He said students needed more effective education to recognize dangerous situations. Maybe if they were aware, someone would have called for help that evening instead ofthe next afternoon when it was too late, Wren said in a comment on The University Daily Kansan Web site April 9. The University is technically a dry campus, but the chancellor can grant permission for alcohol use at special events. I think it's about creating rapport with the student, Charles said. You have to dig deeper and figure out what,s going on. We do have students who drink every day and are probably alcoholics? Wren was expelled from Oliver Hall after repeated violations but other less severe actions to punish students include moving them to another floor or another hall. Some RAS who are supposed to enforce the policies say the system is too lenient and does not do enough to effectively address alcohol abuse on the KU campus. Blake Baraban, Topeka junior, was required to complete all three steps in the sanctions process during his freshman year in Oliver Hall. It was like from the early- 90's or late 8O's, Bara- ban said of the video he had to watch. It was definitely out of date. There was a workbook you had to fill out and it was like a joke too. There was like a smiley face that said 'sober' and there was a sad face that said 'depressed and drunk. ' Rachel Ward, a former Oliver Hall resident assistant, said most RAS eventually stopped trying to strictly enforce alcohol policy. You just give up because nothing you do or say is going to change their mind, she said. 'flt's very common practice to look the other way. The unspoken rule is, 'Ifl don't see it or hear it, it's not happening. ' jay Vaglio, an RA at Lewis Hall, said he thought the sanctions system was relatively effective in controlling the drinking situation, although he said it was not going to prevent underage or abusive drinking in the residence halls. l think it's kind of putting a Band-Aid on a large wound instead of getting surgery on that wound, Vaglio said. A coMPLEx issue Roney said excessive and underage drinking were complex issues for universities to address. She said it was hard to specifically address the needs of each individual. lt is not a situation where one intervention works for every student, ', Roney said. If that was the case, we wouldn't have any problems at all. In a situation dealing with any type of substance abuse we're always looking for new programs that are looking to be effective. So we are always seeking information from colleagues. Many Big 12 administrators say it is especially dif- ficult to combat college drinking because it has become so entrenched in campus culture. Bronson Hilliard, director of media relations at the University of Colorado, said trying to stop alcohol consumption was a fruitless struggle. Instead, he said, the university created a policy that focused on reducing harm and educating students about personal and social responsibility. f'There's no way a university by itselfcan stop young people from drinkingj, Hilliard said. f'The best we can hope to do is educate them and start to create some more realistic understanding of what drinking really is. Matt Hecker, dean of students at Nebraska, said he knew that what happened to jason Vffren could happen to anyone on any college campus and that universities needed to be aware of what they could do to help provide students with resources to prevent unnecessary tragedies. We like to think that our programs are working, 5' Hecker said. When you don't see problems you like to think things are working. just like your car. lt's not until you wake up and your car won't start that you stop and think. just doing what weire doing isnlt enough. Adam McGonigle, Wichita junior and former student body president, said that if policy were to be changed, it would probably fall to the incoming chancel- lor and provost to make those decisions. It will certainly be a major challenge for the individ- uals stepping into leadership roles, McGonigle said. alt is a major obstacle for the University and, consequently, they will need to address it. Alcohol abuse is a major issue in our country and on college campuses specifically. This is too big of an issue to simply ignore. A SHOT OF REALITY fPART Illl I 96

Page 102 text:

relating to excessive drinking ingrained the so- University - and why. College Health As- representative sample of than 1 ,500 whether they had in a single setting weeks. KU students average, 21 percent percent of KU students admitted days, doubling of 23 percent. re or said they had, help create a culture in than people Fdesearchers say these its such o mingling amounts of of alcohol ads thec what and how be overwhelming. As in sometimes lead to I-Iospital's emergency for alcohol-related issues, 365 were treated for residents and students play a round of beer drinking game, outside a house on April 5 IA SHOT or REALITY IPART nj ESSIVE 6. ACCEPTED 25. House parties are an alternative to the bar scene and another way to enjoy Lawrence nightlife, especially for individuals not of legal drinking age. ' Drinking in Lawrence is an epidemic, said john ff Drees, the hospital's community education specialist. After working the overnight weekend shift as an ER nurse at the hospital, Drees said, he and other hospital staffers had adopted a dark sense of humor. He recalled a night when a fellow nurse started danc- ing a jig in the nurses' station while she exclaimed, I have a sober patient! I have a sober patient! He said the joking helped him deal with the situation. It's very human, you know, and it actually gets you kind of depressed because you're going, 'How much can this happen? ' Drees said. U McKee said most students don't understand the dangers of binge drinking. She said the standard definition of binge drinking is consecutive consumption of five drinks for men and four drinks for women. One drink is measured as a one-ounce shot, 12-ounce beer, or a 4.5-ounce glass of wine. McKee said one drink could raise the typical person's blood alcohol concentration by .02 percent. The legal limit is .08 percent. She said many students she counseled have easily exceeded that amount on a regular basis. That seems like pre-gaming to them, McKee said. That,s not what they think binge drinking is. A popular excuse for binge drinking is tailgating at home football games. The time-honored tradition attracts thousands of fans who barbecue and drink hours before kickoff. joseph Weeks, St. Paul, Minn., junior, said he often woke up with hangovers on game days. But he said he would force himselfto drink with his friends, even if he ABOUT S73 MILLION EACH YEAR, OR S200,000 EACH DAY, is SPENT ON ALCOHOL AT BARS, RESTAURANTS, GROCERY STORES AND LIQUOR STORES. Ai.coi-iouc BEVERAGE CONTROL wasn't in the mood. If it's a big game, l'll probably drink through the day and night, Weeks said. A 2007 University of Texas study showed that students consumed more alcohol during college sporting events than they did on Halloween and New Year's Eve, which are typi- cally heavy drinking days for college students. Capt. Schuyler Bailey, of the KU Public Safety Ofhce, said law enforcement regulated drinking on game days. On an otherwise dry campus, drinking is allowed in the areas surrounding Memorial Stadium from three hours before kickoff until the end of halftime. Tailgating is not synonymous with drinking, Bai- ley said. There is nothing that says that you have to have alcohol in order to tailgate. Drees, of Lawrence Memorial Hospital, pointed to drinking games - beer pong, card games, and power hours - as dangerous contributors to binge drinking at the University. The real question is: Why aren't we having more deaths? Drees said. Bailey said he had witnessed a shift in recent years of students drinking more heavily and going out with the sole intention of passing out. The Alcoholic Beverage Control estimates that in Douglas County, about S73 million each year, or S200,000 each day, is spent on alcohol at bars, restau- rants, grocery stores and liquor stores. That's enough to buy about 1,000 8-gigabyte iPhones, 33,000 jimmy jobn's sandwiches or 80,000 loads of laundry each day.

Page 104 text:

I I I I I I I I I I I V I I I I I I I TICN , I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I