By Jonathan Tolman
BYU has forbidden any consumption of alcoholic beverages since its founding in 1875. But many universities across the nation are just now deciding to adopt drinking policies of their own.
In 1995, the University of Rhode Island was ranked among the top party schools in the nation, said Robert Carothers, president of the university.
'It was shaping the kind of students that came here,' Carothers said. 'It made it difficult to have the kind of university we wanted to have.'
To combat the problem, the administration instituted a policy against serving alcoholic beverages at any campus activity, including sororities and fraternities. Three violations of the policy results in suspension, Carothers said.
Since the establishment of this rule, the University of Rhode Island has seen dramatic results. The URI is one of the few schools in which the level of binge drinking has gone down.
'We''ve gone down 18 percent,' Carothers said. 'We started out pretty high.'
New programs and policies like those at the University of Rhode Island are helping decrease college drinking. However, a recent study, published by the Journal of American College Health shows that alcohol is still a major problem at many universities.
According to the study, 1,400 college students are killed each year in alcohol-related accidents. It also showed that alcohol contributes to 500,000 injuries and 70,000 cases of sexual assault or date rape among college students.
The study suggests one cause for these high numbers is the ineffectiveness of educational campaigns against college drinking.
Southern Methodist University has attempted to curb their problem of drinking by instituting a new 'social norm' campaign, said Jim Caswell, vice president of student affairs at SMU. SMU''s goal is to publicize the 60 percent of their student body that does not drink heavily, as opposed to the 40 percent that does, Caswell said.
SMU only enforces state drinking laws on campus, said Caswell.
'We do not allow alcohol on campus, except if you are 21,' Caswell said.
Gordon Lindsay, department chair of Health Science at BYU said the social norm strategy, being used at SMU, has found success at other institutions as well.
'It works because students get a more realistic understanding of what other people are actually doing,' Lindsay said.
Although several universities are using these new drinking campaigns, BYU''s and UVSC''s low drinking problem does not require new action.
UVSC Police Chief, Tracy Marrott said that alcohol-related arrests at UVSC are low.
'We only have between one and three arrests a semester,' said Marrott.
Marrott said that he is sure that there are students that use alcohol, but for the most part, it is kept off-campus and is not a problem.
Lindsay said there is a huge difference in terms of alcohol consumption at BYU when compared to other universities.
'It is a different culture here,' Lindsay said.
The Princeton Review ranked BYU as the most stone cold sober university in the nation, Lindsay said, which he believe is an accurate portrayal.
In order to decrease the rising numbers of alcohol-related accidents among college students, Lindsay said universities must educate as well as establish a policy.
'If you put those two things together you are going to be much more successful,' Lindsay said.