The New York Times: "According to a 2002 study by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, approximately 1,400 college students 18 to 24 die annually as a result of alcohol abuse." Most are a result of "traffic accidents" but some "300 are from unintentional injuries … including alcohol poisoning." ("Drinking Deaths Draw Attention to Old Campus Problem," Mindy Sink, Nov. 9 2004).
College officials are struggling with the problem. Overlooked in the article, and by almost everyone, is the problem or recruitment and retention. Colleges around the country are struggling to maintain their high enrollments. They've modeled themselves on constant growth, and as everyone should know by now, America's demographics have dramatically changed. There are just fewer and fewer young people every year.
Traditionally colleges have been a mechanism for prolonging adolecents. Alocohol consumption, specifically to the point of making a fool of oneself, has been a part of this for at least 800 years in western culture.
Few colleges and universities around the country are going to make a serious attempt to alter this behavior when it means that their chief attraction as a place to "party hearty for four more years" might be tarnished. What university president wants to face having his budget reduced because students who might have chosen his college to attend have chosen to go to another college where no one will try to alter their behavior.
Don't wait for the alcohol industry to try to restrict this behavior. We live in a capitalist society. The marker of success is the bottom line at the end of each quarter. Just ask our Prez.
The Feds have made major progress in keeping America secure: The house and the senate have agreed to keep the intelligence budget secret. Evidently America's most important military-industrial secret is how much money we actually spend on security. Key to this is the knowledge that the people we are keeping this secret from is you and me, the American Taxpayer. I'm sure we all feel much safer in our war against terrorism, knowing this.
College officials are struggling with the problem. Overlooked in the article, and by almost everyone, is the problem or recruitment and retention. Colleges around the country are struggling to maintain their high enrollments. They've modeled themselves on constant growth, and as everyone should know by now, America's demographics have dramatically changed. There are just fewer and fewer young people every year.
Traditionally colleges have been a mechanism for prolonging adolecents. Alocohol consumption, specifically to the point of making a fool of oneself, has been a part of this for at least 800 years in western culture.
Few colleges and universities around the country are going to make a serious attempt to alter this behavior when it means that their chief attraction as a place to "party hearty for four more years" might be tarnished. What university president wants to face having his budget reduced because students who might have chosen his college to attend have chosen to go to another college where no one will try to alter their behavior.
Don't wait for the alcohol industry to try to restrict this behavior. We live in a capitalist society. The marker of success is the bottom line at the end of each quarter. Just ask our Prez.
The Feds have made major progress in keeping America secure: The house and the senate have agreed to keep the intelligence budget secret. Evidently America's most important military-industrial secret is how much money we actually spend on security. Key to this is the knowledge that the people we are keeping this secret from is you and me, the American Taxpayer. I'm sure we all feel much safer in our war against terrorism, knowing this.
posted by Jim | 8:27 AM
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