Although SCSU is rumored to have been in Playboy's list of party schools, it never made the list.
Contrary to popular belief, Playboy only actually ran the list in 1987. So many students demanded a comeback of the party school list that Playboy included it in the November 2002 issue and even then SCSU didn't make honorable mention.
"We are an alcohol culture," said Nathan Church, vice president of student life and development. "Let's focus on responsibility, safety, and accountability."
Campus authorities are teaming up with St. Cloud officials to assert the effects of off-campus drinking on the community.
"Many of the crimes that we deal with are a direct result of excessive alcohol use," said St. Cloud Police Chief Dennis Ballantine. "It's like attacking the source."
'Drunk and stupid'
"Students aren't evil people and they aren't necessarily starting out to do dumb things," Ballantine said. "They drink to excess then they become what I call 'drunk and stupid' and that never leads to a good thing."
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and the Alcohol Task Force on College Drinking, excessive drinking affects college campuses, communities and students, whether they choose to drink, or not. Each year college students, ages 18-24 experience serious consequences in alcohol related incidences including death, injury, assault, sexual abuse, unsafe sex, health problems and suicide attempts, vandalism, and property damage.
"They tend to forget that they are blaring their music and throwing their beer cans around and doing the things you do when you're drunk and stupid," Ballantine said.
Private residents in areas around campus are concerned about their neighborhood continuing to be a good place to live. While drunken students laugh and yell as they stumble down the alley, parents are tucking their children into bed. The atmosphere affects the value of the homes neighborhood residents have invested in.
Ballantine and his officers met with SCSU administrators and Public Safety Department representatives to discuss preventative solutions.
Lessons from Iowa
Ballantine's previous job was in Ames, Iowa– home of Iowa State. There, he worked with city and university officials to tone down drinking.
"One of the things that I learned down there (in Ames)," he said, "is that you need to be very proactive in attacking large parties where excessive alcohol normally occurs, the downtown bar closing area, and things like that to try to get some control or set some limits early in the school year."
Over the seven years that Ballantine was there, his department had the most success with the Veisha Celebration.
For years it was the largest student-operated celebration in the country. Hundreds, if not thousands of people, would come from across the nation to join in planned events and a weekend of drinking. To reduce drinking, Iowa State declared Veisha a non-alcoholic event on and off campus, and filled the weekend with events worthy of attending sober.
"After that they put a fairly significant amount of money into trying to provide other activities," Ballantine said, "bringing big name groups in for concerts and that kind of thing. For the last seven years I was there it became back to what it originally was, a showcase for the university and a fun time without a lot of alcohol."
Bringing in big events and concerts can give students an alternative to drinking, Ballantine said.
"We want to try to find a way to change the atmosphere," he said.
Local strategy
SCPD will continue to have extra officers on patrol for high-party nights. In addition, Ballantine would like to see university conduct rules affect students who are involved with off-campus drinking "if that's legal or possible to do."
Parties that are held in apartments or rented houses often go without consequence. Ballantine would like property owners to be held more responsible for loud parties their tenants hold.
"If they don't work with us to make sure that their renters are being responsible," he said, "they bite the bullet and kick them out, or face the consequences with the police.
"My goal is not to destroy the social life of St. Cloud university students. But I don't like the idea of just inviting 75-100 of your closest friends on the last minute and bringing in kegs or cases of beer and just free-for-all, and that's the thing we want to control."
St. Cloud Police are also watching to see who is buying kegs and they have been trying to locate parties early before they get too large. In the past, action was only taken after parties got out of control.
"What happens with students is they open up the front doors and everybody brings in a six-pack of beer and you fill the house they're on the lawn yelling and screaming and pitching beer cans," Ballantine said. "Sadly, that's when sexual assaults occur and a lot of the other things that happen."
Church said, "Students who are inebriated don't understand the consequences; that's after the fact. We want to intervene early, talk to students and landlords about having loud parties and serving to those who shouldn't be drinking".
The other concern is bar closing time. When people spill into the streets there is an opportunity for fights.
"They do a reasonably good job of checking ID's," Ballantine said. "SCSU students are not stupid; they do things to try to get in."
He said he figured most underage students would rather go to a house party where there is less risk of getting caught.
'Party responsibly'
Ballantine urged students who are hosting a party to keep it at the size and level at which they can control it so they are not disturbing their neighbors.
"You don't want a visit from us and we don't want to be there," he said. "We'd rather see you have a good time and not be bothered by us. So, try to party responsibly.
"Try to remember, despite the fact that you're drinking, that you're in a neighborhood where there are families and there are kids and people with money invested in their property and they want to live in peace."
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Alcohol Task Force On College Drinking
Consequences of excessive and underage drinking in college students between the ages 18-24, each year.
Death: 1,400 students die each year from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including vehicle crashes.
Injury: 500,000 students are unintentionally injured under the influence of alcohol.
Assault: more than 600,000 students are assaulted by another student who has been drinking.
Sexual Abuse: more than 70,000 are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape.
Unsafe Sex: 400,000 students had unprotected sex and more than 100,000 students report having been too intoxicated to know if they consented to having sex.
Vandalism: about 11 percent of student drinkers report that they have damaged property while under the influence of alcohol
Property Damage: more than 25 percent of administrators from schools with relatively low drinking levels and over 50 percent from schools with high drinking levels say their campuses have a “moderate” or “major” problem with alcohol-related property damage.
Academic Problems: about 25 percent of students report academic consequences of their drinking including missing class, falling behind, doing poorly on exams or papers, and receiving lower grades overall. |
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