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St. Cloud State University
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Study: drinking rampant
Nearly half the SCSU students surveyed binge drink two or three times in two weeks
By Nick Hanson
Published:
Thursday, May 1, 2003
Media Credit: Adam Masloski
John Nesiba, a Nebraska student in St. Cloud visiting friends, pukes outside a party near SCSU. Afterward he got up and shouted, �Our football team will kick all your a�es, but you would out drink us with like five of you.�
Although it may not come as a surprise, SCSU has had a questionable reputation when it comes to drinking.
In the past, SCSU has been labeled as a party school; a recent study seems to verify the claim.
A drinking survey conducted in November sampled a random representation of students based on major, sex, type of student and year in school.
Results revealed that about half of SCSU students frequently participate in binge drinking.
Binge drinking, four or more drinks per session for a female or five or more drinks for a male, occurs in nearly half of the student population; 44.7 percent of students reported engaging in binge drinking at least two to three times in the past two weeks.
During the binge, 28.2 percent said that they drink to get drunk either mostly or always. The trend is polar however, because 28.2 percent also indicated that they rarely or never drink to get drunk.
Junior Casey Kluver said that binge drinking is high in St. Cloud, but not a problem, especially compared to other schools around the nation.
"Whatever college you go to, it's going to be like that, there is obviously going to be drinking," he said. "We get a really bad rep., I think a lot of it is hype. We do party a lot, but so does every other college."
Most students also indicated that they drink until they catch a "buzz;" 56.9 percent of students reported that they drink until the point of "buzzing" once or twice a week.
And an alarming 75 percent claimed to drink until "buzzing" at least once per week.
Yet, the vast majority of students have never had to face a consequence for their drinking behavior. Most students - 70.8 percent - said they had never received a drinking related ticket.
"I know many people that have gotten away while DUI," said SCSU junior Trevor Hills. "I've been in the car with many people who have been drinking and driving and nothing bad ever happens, so I see no problem with it."
The correlation between drinking and unprotected sexual activities applies to one in four individuals; 25.1 percent of students said they have had unprotected sex with someone other than their significant other while intoxicated.
Sexual activity is a definite issue while intoxicated, said junior Bhaskar Sharma.
"It definitely does happen, when so many people get drunk, they have unprotected sex," he said. "It could lead to STDs."
School deterrence policies for drinking is poor, say 91 percent of SCSU students. Those students said that the school's drinking policies do not prevent them from drinking as much as they want.
Senior Chandra Schwab said that school policies, consequences and strictness on drinking won't stop students from drinking.
"It hasn't stopped me or anyone I know from drinking in the dorms," she said. "I think they would take it as a joke if someone said that."
Drinking also affects students academically. Fifty percent said they had missed a class because of drinking and 21.5 percent said they had done poorly on a test.
"People drink and then they can't wake up the next morning and go to classes; it can definitely affect grades," Sharma said. "People drink too much and party too often. It definitely affects your schooling and grades."
Binge drinking occurs most frequently with 18-23 year old students. Forty-three percent of 21-year-old students classified themselves as "a frequent binge drinker."
The majority of drinking in St. Cloud occurs at public gatherings or open venues. Fifty-four percent of students engage in drinking at a place owned by someone they do not know. Some of those places include: house parties, bars or a stranger's apartment.
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Honestly, I cannot believe that this is ... (5/5/03)
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