HISTORY OF COLLEGE DRINKING ON CAMPUS

The above image shows how alcohol on

campus results in negative consequences

College Students and Drinking

A Commentary by NIAAA Director Enoch Gordis, M.D.

It is clear that an overwhelming number of college students, many of whom are below the minimum drinking age, use alcohol and that the pattern of binge drinking is widespread among our college campuses. Binge drinking is of particular concern, not only because of its risks to the drinker but because of the problems it causes for those around the drinker. Research on the extent of the problem is detailed and persuasive. Unfortunately, comparatively little evidence exists about which interventions would be successful if applied widely and at an acceptable cost. Not only must future research inform us on effective interventions, but other questions must be answered that involve both science and social policy. For example, proscribing alcohol on campus may drive students onto the highway with risk of crashes. Risk of this complication might differ between urban and rural schools. Restrictions on advertising are not only of unknown impact but raise issues of rights of expression because many students are 21 or older. Even when these questions are answered, within any campus administration, faculty and alumni may differ on the degree to which schools are obligated to act as surrogate parents and on which measures are acceptable. We have much to learn.

History of College Drinking Fatalities~

Feb. 12, 1988 - James Callahan, an 18-year-old Rutgers University student, dies after consuming 24 ounces of hard liquor in less than an hour as part of a pledging ritual at the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, according to an April 26 article in The Record. A separate article reported on Aug. 28 that this incident prompted a five-year shutdown of his fraternity.

Oct. 18, 1988 - Joel A. Harris, an 18-year-old student at Morehouse College and one of 19 students pledging for Alpha Phi Alpha, collapses and dies after drinking and being beaten during pledging rituals, a July 24, 1990 article in the Los Angeles Times said.

Aug. 30, 1989 - Following several alcohol-related deaths in fraternities nationwide, Zeta Beta Theta and Theta Kappa Epsilon fraternities decide to end pledging, reported an article from USA Today on Aug. 30, 1996.

April 1994 - Terry Linn, a 21-year-old member of Delta Chi, dies attending "Hell Night" rite of passage party at Bloomsburg University as a result of alcohol poisoning, reported an article from The Daily Item in April. Linn's blood alcohol level was 0.40.

March 1995 - The Chi Sigma sorority of Bloomsburg University was suspended, pending investigation for possible hazing violations after a pledge sister had to be hospitalized for alcohol poisoning. The pledge had "chugged" about a half bottle of vodka through a funnel type device, according to an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education on May 12, 1995.

November 9, 1996 - Eight students at Frostburg State University are charged with manslaughter in the alcohol poisoning death of 20-year-old John Eric Stinner. The college first-year had consumed at least six beers and 12 shots of vodka in two hours at a party. His blood alcohol level was 0.34, three times the legal limit, said a Feb. 10 article in the Newark Star Ledger.

June 1997 - In Orland Park, Ill., one of high school cheerleader Elizabeth Wakulich's associates dared her to swallow a quart of liquor that was more than 53 percent alcohol. The 16-year-old Wakulich vomited, went into a coma and died later the same day. Her blood-alcohol level was almost four times the legal limit for driving.

Aug. 26, 1997 - Benjamin Wynne, a 20-year-old Louisiana State University student and Sigma Alpha Epsilon plegde, dies of acute alcohol poisoning as a result of a fraternity drinking binge at several parties. Wynne's blood alcohol level was measured at 0.588, six times the legal limit, according to an Aug. 30 article in the Advocate in Baton Rouge.

September 29, 1997 - Scott Krueger, a 18-year-old Massachusetts Institute of Technology first-year student, went into a coma and eventually died after suffering from serious alcohol poisoning at a fraternity party.

September 1997 - Adam Prentice, 21, a junior at the University of Massachusetts, was drinking during a homecoming celebration and died after crashing through a greenhouse roof.

September 1997 - Chad Denison, 20, a junior at the State College at Cortland, died after falling down a flight of stairs the morning after a beer party at an off-campus apartment.

September 1997 - Meaghan Duggan, 17, of North Andover, Mass., drank beer at a party, fell down a staircase, fractured her skull and died.

September 1997 - In Sylva, N.C., 15-year-old Timothy Charles Hensley fell unconscious and died after heavy drinking at a party in a public park. Medical investigators discovered his blood-alcohol level was almost five times the legal limit for drivers

October 1997 - Jonnathan Thomas, 19, his life was taken by a person who decided to empty a few kegs one night at a "Golden Sushi" party held on campus.November 1997 - Daniel Kinback, 18, a high school honor student passed out in a car after binge drinking with friends. Alone in the cold, he choked on his own vomit.

October, 1998 - Courtney Cantor, 18, a freshman had just pledged the Chi Omega sorority, who's promising life ended tragically when she fell from a sixth-floor window in her dormitory room to a loading dock at the University of Michigan's Mary Markley residence hall.

December, 12, 1998 - Allan Hewer, 24, died of alcohol poisoning. His blood alcohol level was .40
January, 1999 - Adriane Allen, 20, a Ferris State University student, died from massive head and internal injuries suffered due to a three-story fall.