Report:Alcohol Views skewed

Spring 2003 study of 572 students shows less than 1percent drink daily

By John McHugh

University officials recently took a look at the drinking habits of Fresno State students and liked what they saw.

“ It is clear most students don’t drink or drink moderately,” Sam Gitchel, project director of social norms marketing for the university Health and Psychological Services department, said. “Fresno State in some ways is fortunate because, if you look at the alcohol problems here and compare it to national averages, this campus looks very good.”

The university’s alcohol awareness week in October followed the comprehensive report carried out by the University Health and Psychological Services department on Fresno State students in order to discover students’ attitudes, alcohol consumption and social trends on campus.

The study was conducted in spring 2003 and based upon the National College Health Assessment format. A total of 572 students responded out of a total of 1,500 approached. Results were analyzed with comparative findings from a similar 2001 survey and a 2002 national reference group of 28,258.

“ We worked with seven other CSUs to address alcohol misuse on campus,” said Dr. Paul Oliaro, dean of student affairs. “The social-norms program is designed really to reach students with positive messages about alcohol use and to try to change misconceptions.”

One of the major outcomes from the report was the discovery that students perceived drinking trends very differently from actual statistics.

“ Most students think that everybody else drinks more than they really do,” Gitchel said. Fresno State students thought that only 9 percent of the campus had 0-2 alcoholic drinks in a night. This is in comparison to the reported number of 60 percent who actually have 0-2 drinks.

The report shows that 39 percent of students perceived that other students on campus drink daily.

“ Most Fresno State students drink infrequently, they drink moderately or not at all,” Gitchel said. The actual number of students who drank daily, according to the report, was 0.5 percent.

Students also thought 64 percent of campus students had five or more drinks when they socialized, whereas the number was actually 24 percent.

“ We know that how much other people drink is a big influence,” Gitchel said. “What we’re doing is trying to get the accurate information out so people can make their own informed decisions.”

Although the report was conducted within a relatively small sample of 572 people, Oliaro said the results are reliable.

“ Fresno State’s survey has been pretty consistent over the two periods we conducted in 2001 and 2003,” he said.

The findings show 76 percent of Fresno State students have 0 to 4 drinks when they party. Though of the 572 students who responded to the survey, 51 percent do not drink at all or haven’t in the last 30 days. With such a small sample size, this may have led to a slight distortion of statistics.

Of the surveyed students who drank some alcohol within the last 30 days, 49 percent drank five or more drinks when they partied, which is above the total national statistic of 44 percent of students having five or more drinks a sitting.

“ It can be a problem. It is a problem,” said Roberto Vaca, assistant of social norms marketing and co-chair of the student subcommittee of the Alcohol Advising Council, about excessive drinking on campus. “Personally, from a student perspective, I’ve seen students drink excessively and I’ve also seen a majority of students drink moderately.”

One of Fresno State’s oldest fraternities, the Zeta Kappa chapter of Sigma Nu, was placed on suspension for 15 months last November. The social norms report found that 96 percent of fraternity members believe that alcohol is a central part of social life.

Sigma Nu was put on suspension following charges that the fraternity served alcohol to minors at a party last November and, although charges were later dropped due to insufficient evidence, a student was reportedly pressured into not reporting a sexual assault.

An incident at Bulldog Stadium on Sept. 5 has led to the debate of whether drinking on campus is a problem. A complaint was made at the Fresno State-Oregon State football game after fans in the student section reportedly began throwing cups of beer and half-empty plastic beer bottles at the Oregon State bench.

“ For the relatively small number of students who drink alcohol more excessively problems seem to cluster around them,” Gitchel said.

Campus police said there were at least five instances of public intoxication and three cases of minors with alcohol at the Oregon State game.

The reports at the time of the incident suggest that the majority of fans who were reportedly throwing beer at the opposing team and onto the field were students, of which more than half were likely under the influence.

“ The vast majorities are making safe and moderate choices,” Gitchel said. “The other way of looking at it is if you look at campus problems, a high proportion do involve alcohol.”

Fresno State campus police report a drop in alcohol-related arrests. Liquor-law violation arrests on campus have fallen from 70 in 2001to 62 in 2002, and alcohol disciplinary referrals have fallen from 48 in 2001 to 25 in 2002.

Fresno State has recently changed its policy regarding tailgating before football games. The number of tailgates allowed to have alcohol before Bulldog games has been limited. In addition, the university does not allow charcoal grills at authorized tailgates. This is in contrast to the open sale of beer and hot dogs at Bulldog Stadium.

The Health and Psychological Services campaign may never change students’ opinions toward drinking alcohol. But students now have the chance to assess their misconceptions concerning alcohol and make informed decisions on drinking alcohol in the future.