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[EDITOR’S NOTE: The following story was written and submitted by students in Professor George Gladney’s News Writing & Reporting class—COJO 2100.]
In a recent campus survey about drinking behavior and attitudes of University of Wyoming undergraduates, slightly more than half said the drinking age in Wyoming should not be lowered to 18.
Roughly one out of four respondents who gave a reason said if a person is old enough to serve in the military, the person is old enough to drink legally. About one in five said university students will drink regardless, and 17 percent agreed with the statement that Europeans have the right idea—moderate drinking is OK with eating and simple relaxation with others; it’s nothing to make a big deal about.
The non-scientific straw poll relied on a random sample of 173 students. Students were surveyed in late November and responses were anonymous, although some students gave permission for their name to be used.
Other highlights of the survey included after the break:
• Approximately one out of four respondents rated UW as a “big party school,” but a larger number—roughly a third—said it is not much of a party school or had no idea.
• Twenty-two percent said drinking has negatively affected their academic performance.
• About one in five said drinking has led them to engage in unprotected sex.
• Close to one half said they first drank to excess before graduating from high school, but close to one in three said they’re non-drinkers or don’t drink during a typical school week.
• Forty-one percent of the respondents described themselves as occasional social drinkers, 19.7 percent as moderate drinkers, and only 5.2 percent as heavy drinkers.
Fully 17.3 percent said that in a typical school week they drink only one day, while 20.8 percent said two days and 12.1 percent said three. Not quite one in 10 said they drank four or more days. Only12.1 percent said they had ever been cited by police for an alcohol-related offense.
About one third of the respondents rated the campus police as highly or moderately effective concerning problems associated with drinking at UW, but a larger percent (42.2) said the same of the city police.
Asked whether fraternities are best known for community service and philanthropy or casual drinking, 59.5 percent of students agreed with the latter. Approximately 15 percent said fraternities are best known for community service and philanthropy, and 24 percent gave other reasons or had no opinion.
Several students cautioned not to be swayed by stereotypes, warning that many people have the wrong idea about fraternities. David Allan Collins, a freshman mechanical engineering major, said all Greek organizations “take alcohol-related problems very seriously, and they strongly advocate safe alcohol consumption practices, such as not drinking to excess and not drinking and driving.”
Collins added, “People must understand that for any Greek organization, academics and responsibility come first, and having fun comes second.”
Approximately one in three respondents said UW’s alcohol-related programs are moderately effective, while 23.7 percent said not effective and only 5.2 percent said highly effective. Fully 36.4 percent didn’t have an opinion
Fully 42.8 percent of the sample said they’ve never heard of AWARE (Alcohol Wellness Alternatives, Research & Education), UW’s new alcohol program. Another 27.7 percent rated AWARE as moderately effective, while 21.4 percent said it was not effective and 7.5 percent said it was highly effective.
Asked about the effectiveness of the SafeRide program, well more than half (57.2 percent) said they never use it. About one in four said they use it sometimes, 10.4 percent said often and only five students said always.
Seventy percent of respondents said SafeRide does not need improvement, but several respondents said hours and days of operation should be expanded and include summer. Several respondents said the vans should operate in the wee hours of the morning beyond 2 a.m.
One respondent added, “It would be nice if it took people around that don’t live on campus.”
Brittany Parsons, a journalism senior, said, “I think SafeRide needs to be better about safety and making people wear their seatbelts, and not allowing too many people in the van.”
Concerning the question of dropping Wyoming’s legal drinking age to 18, one student opposed the idea, saying a person’s brain is not fully developed before age 21 and damage might occur.
Maria Stoughton, a sophomore nursing major, said if parents fulfill their responsibility to teach their children about alcohol abuse and the danger of drinking and driving, students should already know how to drink responsibly when they go off to college.
Mike Morris, a junior chemistry major, said “behavioral patterns have shown that young people in Wyoming frequently abuse alcohol when it is available, and increasing that availability only exacerbates the problem.”
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