Outside The Classroom and NASPA (Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education) announced that during the fall semester of 2008, first-year college students who used alcohol drank an estimated 10.2 hours per week, compared to studying only 8.4 hours per week. Students who drank represented 68.9% of the study sample, or 20,801 students altogether. Of these, 49.4% spent more time downing alcohol than they did studying. Key quote:
“I’m sure most Americans – and even most college students – will agree with me that having so many students drinking their way through college is an intolerable state of affairs. It’s time all of us who care about higher education refocus on our core mission of educating and preparing young adults to be our next generation of great minds, leaders, and contributors to society. ”
--Brandon Busteed, Founder and CEO of Outside the Classroom
Do you think people are making too big of a deal about college students and drinking?
In what ways do you think the drinking culture on campus hinders students from taking academics more seriously?
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1 comment:
I don't think that those with concerns about campus drinking are making too big a deal about it. It is a serious issue. Yet, the abuse of alcohol by collegians is a symptom of worldview that lives for the day: "Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die." When people lose a vision for eternity, trying to have them be moral and responsible rings hollow. In the end if we are but only dust, why not kick up a storm while you can? In this debate, we also must remember that there is a profound difference between the use of alcohol and the abuse of alcohol. There is little evidence that the Bible prohibits the use of alcohol as a general rule. However, there is a strong warning against drunkenness. How the evangelical church has missed this distinction really has clouded this debate. If the Church had a strong ethos against drunkenness but a benevolent yet cautious appreciation for alcohol, then the debate would at least be framed properly and squarely. How can one tell if the line has been crossed use vs. abuse? A few of pointers: A person acts contrary to his/her typical behavior morally; the person feels the effects of the alcohol the morning after; other mature people warn the individual that he/she is crossing the line.
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