Irresponsible alcohol use is an undeniably enormous problem on college campuses across the United States. According to the White House's Initiative on Education Excellence for Hispanic Americans, 43 percent of college students report drinking in a "high-risk manner" during their college years. Even more startling, 20 percent of these students admit to taking part in this behavior on a regular basis. The White House Initiative asserts that alcohol causes more problems on college campuses than any other substance.
High-risk drinking in college can result in startlingly grave damage to students' health. Most seriously, irresponsible alcohol use can result in death. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), unintentional alcohol-related injuries are responsible for the deaths of 1,700 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 every year. Hundreds of thousands more students suffer serious injuries, are assaulted and even attempt suicide because of alcohol use. Sexual health is also at risk because of irresponsible alcohol use; at least 97,000 students become victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or rape each year, and more than four times that number engage in unprotected sex, according to NIAAA.
Beyond the immediate health risks related to college alcohol use, students can find themselves held legally responsible for alcohol-related criminal charges. These crimes can range from underage drinking, assault and driving under the influence to property damage and vandalism. According to NIAAA, 25 to 50 percent of colleges report problems with alcohol-related property damage, and 5 percent of college students come to the attention of police or security officers.
Alcohol use can have a serious impact on academic success. College students who make irresponsible alcohol choices can lose track of the reason they came to school in the first place: to earn a degree. When alcohol use becomes a distraction from academic obligations, students can see their grades sink rapidly. The NIAAA asserts that 25 percent of students voluntarily report that their alcohol use has caused absences from class, poor performance on graded projects or exams and lower grades.
Because alcohol use is such a pronounced problem on college campuses across the country, many schools have established preventive programs to encourage students to make responsible decisions about alcohol. The White House Initiative has enacted a set of guidelines for colleges to prevent alcohol use from becoming a bigger problem. These suggestions include scheduling more classes on Fridays (to discourage Thursday night binge drinking), imposing more stringent academic standards, not accepting athletic sponsorship from alcohol-related businesses, monitoring fraternities and getting parents involved when a student's alcohol use spins out of control.