JTAC News (Stephenville, Tex.), Ed. 1 Friday, October 11, 2013 Page: 4 of 23
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Underage drinking in the University setting
by Elizabeth Chilton
Staff Writer
The generally unspoken of
knowledge about underage drinking
on university campuses is widely
accepted as nothing more than a part
of life at college.
This mindset has had some
definitive impacts on the perceptions
we have of underage drinking. Vice
President of Student Life Rusty
Jergins had much to say about the
matter.
“I think University campuses across
the nation deal
with underage
drinking on a
continual basis.
I think it’s been
perceived as a rite
of passage through
the years,” Jergins
said. “I don’t
know if that’s
necessarily true,
or it shouldn’t be
- the attitude, but
I think... it’s been around for many,
many years. As a society, we associate
alcohol with social gatherings of
certain kinds - so when there are
large social gatherings, alcohol tends
to be present.”
This can be seen as a large factor
in the way Greek and other social
organizations are viewed within a
university setting, whether or not
the perception is warranted or not.
Assistant Dean of Students Dana
Moore explained common social
opinions about Greek and other social
organizations.
“It all has to do with societal
norms,” Moore said. “People just
assume Greeks are partiers. But
that’s not necessarily true, it’s just a
stereotype.”
Because social organizations
present situations where larger groups
of students are gathering, it is easier
for attention to be turned to them
when issues of underage drinking gain
attention. This is further supported by
the partier stereotype that surrounds
these organizations, and tends to
overshadow all of the efforts made by
universities and organizations alike
to promote alcohol awareness and
precautions.
“To be an organization on campus,
groups must be recognized by the
University. Organizations must,
regardless of their affiliations,
adhere to University guidelines to
be recognized,” Jergins said. “So the
University has guidelines in dealing
with the consumption of alcohol at
social events. We also have Alcohol
Edu. and the Tarleton Alternative
Transportation initiative, and alcohol
education had been around in Greek
life for many, many years. I think
that each of our organizations that
are Greek, on our campus, have
very strong
alcohol education
programs. With all
of our programs
and initiatives...
we’re looking to
the future of trying
to address the
issue of alcohol
consumption.”
Even with
alcohol awareness
initiatives and
education programs in place through
the university and individual social
organizations, the reputations of
Greek life organizations can be
tarnished when issues of underage
drinking occur.
“I don’t think we have a significant
amount of alcohol abuse, or misuse,
at sanctioned events,” Jergins said. “I
think where we are challenged is when
members of social organizations are
at an event, and it is automatically
assumed that the event is affiliated
with that group. It’s not sanctioned
as an event for that organization,
but because of stereotypes, it’s seen
as something they are officially
affiliated with.”
With all of the social perceptions
placed on social organizations,
and societal views about alcohol
consumption during college years,
it is difficult to believe that the issue
of underage drinking could ever be
permanently solved.
While this is an unfortunate truth,
Tarleton has taken measures to combat
the potential risks and consequences
by implementing education programs
and awareness initiatives through
several outlets, in the hopes that all of
Tarleton’s students may benefit.
It all has to do with
" societal norms. People
just assume Greeks are
partiers. But that's not
necessarily true, it's
just a stereotype."
-Dana Moore
Assistant Dean of Students
College’s high price
of intoxication
by Brittany Broussard
| 1,825 college students die each year from
Xalcohol-related unintentional injuries.
70% of students have had unplanned sexual
encounters resulted from drinking.
50% of campus rapes involve alcohol.
42% of college students report binge drinking.
31% of college students have missed class
because of being drunk.
25% of college students report academic
consequences because of their drinking.
1.2% of students attempt suicide
because of drinking.
2.1 million students have drove while
intoxicated.
Texas ranks 9th for most beer
consumed per capita
and 2nd in total consumption.
Information
http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health
www.creditdonkey.com
alcohol related sexual assult
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JTAC News (Stephenville, Tex.), Ed. 1 Friday, October 11, 2013, newspaper, October 11, 2013; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth614790/m1/4/: accessed May 12, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Tarleton State University.