Scott Moses, a sophomore in business, lost a friend last May to an accident in which drugs and alcohol played a role.
His friend was returning home late at night from a party and was in a high-speed crash on the freeway. Little else is known because she and her vehicle were demolished.
“It really made me think about how often (alcohol-related deaths) might happen to people,” Moses said.
He personally refrains from drinking and partying, but was still affected by the irresponsibility of others.
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the Core Institute: American Campuses 2003, 68 college students are assaulted by a peer who has been drinking and eight others are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault every hour.
These studies also predict that about four students die every day for alcohol-related causes while nearly 21,000 others are injured.
According to the institute, one out of four students admit to receiving lower grades in their college classes as a result of their drinking habits.
According to the report, “one night of heavy drinking can impair one’s ability to think abstractly for up to 30 days, hampering (his or her) ability to understand complex concepts or think through a basic math problem.”
Although the U’s dry campus reduces the amount of alcohol-related incidents that occur to students here, as U Police Detective Mike McPharlin said, “for those few who have been victimized in any way where alcohol was a contributing factor, numbers don’t matter.”
There are ways to minimize alcohol-related incidents in the college scene, McPharlin said.
Aside from abstinence, which “for some is unreasonable,” drinking responsibly with people you know and trust is important, as is drinking to relax and not to get drunk, he said.
Acquaintance rape, assault, DUI and intoxication are some of the citations that U police have issued involving alcohol, he said.
Nicole Jones, a senior in English, said that the most common problem she sees with college students is drinking and driving.
Jones said she sees students ignoring safety precautions and getting “too drunk.”
Jones said she’s careful to take cabs when out having a good time.
“It gets expensive, but at least you know you’re being responsible,” she said.
Detective McPharlin said incidents with alcohol can be reduced by learning responsible drinking habits.
“Drinking is an adult privilege and being 21 doesn’t necessarily make you an adult,” he said.”If you think the purpose of drinking alcohol is to get drunk, you’re probably not ready for it and should avoid it.”