Newspapers / The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.) / March 25, 1975, edition 1 / Page 9
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March 25. 1975 Alcohol Number One Campus Drug With a downturn in the use of drugs like LSD, ampheta mines and even marijuana, many young people across the nation have returned to another drug that was number one all along: alcohol. And what's more, many of them are getting farther into the liquid drug than they ever did with other drugs. The result is a serious and growing problem of young alcoholics. The Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW) released a report last summer showing that one out of every 20 college students is a problem drinker. Of all the students surveyed, the 18 to 21-year-old age bracket had the highest percentage of problem drinkers, followed by the 21 to 24-year-old group. "There is an alarming switch (among students) from drugs to alcohol - the parents' choice of drug," said Thomas Berquist of the National Clearinghouse for Alcoholic Information. "College stu dents think they're indestruc tible," he added. Cheating on College Cheated on an exam lately? There is a growing concern among college administrators that academic dishonesty is running rampant. They may be right. According to the Washington Post. "Cheating appears to be rising national ly, particularly in large public universities." And, although a 1964 survey found that schools which employ the honor system have the least amount of cheating, eleven years later colleges which do employ the honor code have found that upwards of 1-3 of each class cheat. An outbreak of cheating has attacked a number of campuses. A special committee to study the honor code has been set up to deal with increased cheating at UD-Davis. The law center at George town University in Washing ton, D.C. has gone so far as to revoke a law degree because of a cheating incident there and a F was given to another law student after a "cut and paste job of plagiarism on a seminar paper." The University of Florida's honor court is presently dealing with an organized cheating ring involving 200 students and every depart ment in the College of Business Administration. The new popularity of alcohol can be traced to a number of factors. Primarily, young people have found that drugs like marijuana and LSD carry legal dangers, are disapproved of by most of their families and are often harder to get than alcohol. There have been other reasons, too. Increasing pres sures and a deterioration in the quality of life have driven many to seek something that relaxes them and makes them feel good. Alcohol as a drug has also come back into vogue because it has a different effect than some other drugs. As one California fraternity man put it, "booze gets you rowdier than pot." Whatever the reasons, alcohol use has continued to grow. At a number of colleges, administrators have become aware of the need to help deal with the problem. At Indiana University, a 1973 survey of students found that almost 90 percent admitted to using alcohol as a recreational drug, and last fall Students have used all sorts of intricate methods to cheat. For instance, the University of Florida scandal unearthed students rummaging through garbage cans before the test date in hopes of finding surplus tests. Elsewhere the gamut has run from notes scribbled inside gum wrappers to hiring ringers to "ghost write" tests. Other weird methods have included a prearranged cough ing or sneezing code and helpful hints written on a student's blue jeans. "As long as grades remain the basis for measuring academic achievement, and as long as these grades depend on exam scores;- the motivation for cheating will remain high." The Guilfordian administrators in charge of dormitories noticed "what seemed to be an overwhelm ing increase in alcohol use. It just seemed to be the the mode of behavior to get yourself wrecked on booze." Last month, the university launched a task force on alcohol education to develop an educational package about the drug for use on campus. One of the first in the country, the group has found that most alcohol educational material is aimed at older drinkers. "Traditional behavior like the return to fraternity and sorority life is the mode for everyone across the country and...alcohol use is obviously very traditional," noted Dr. Karl Ollis. At San Jose City College in California, communuity work er Angela Walsh persuaded college officials to sponsor a seminar on alcoholism for half a credit. She pointed out that a big problem for alcoholics is social attitudes. Often those around the alcoholic ignore the problem or pretend that he is not responsible for his own Campuses More popular ideas have ranged from cheat sheets hidden under a watchband, between one's legs or inside a coffee cup to strategically placed books that can be handily flipped through with errant feet. The how-to's and preven tion of cheating have been finely scrutinized by many school officials. But in the process, according to some observers, they have lost sight of a more important question: why is there cheating? • a^^Hv Drinking not all fun and games actions. At colleges, there may actually be social pressure encouraging alcohol abuse. At most schools there are simply no facilities to help a young alcoholic. Rules against alcohol use on campus make school employees unapproach able for fear of disciplinary action and and infirmaries and health centers are often ill-equipped to handle more "As long as grades maintain the basis for measuring academic achieve ment and as long as these grades depend on exam scores, the motivation for cheating will remain high," said a faculty member at Eastern Menonite College. "Grading encourages cheating by wanting a certain grade out of desperation," agreed Bernard Nisenholtz, a professor at Indiana Univer sity at South Bend. "Grades are determined by the individual teacher. The grad ing policies of professors vary widely because of individual biases in teaching, learning and evaluating methods. The system of grading is so subjective that it doesn't mean anything," Nisenholtz went on to say. "Like it or not, grades do matter," commented Eward M. White, a professor at Cat State San Bernardino. "Re member the draft and that the lower rates for driving Page 7 than the simplest health problem. Administrators have barely begun to wake up to the problem. According to treatment experts, there are two stages in the development of alcoholism. The first is psychological: a preocupation with liquor, a personality change, gulping or double drinks and an increase in tolerance. insurance go to A and B students." Most psychologists and school officials have agreed that the roots of cheating are in the elementary school system. A 1970 study by Lerov Barney revealed that 70 per cent of all grade school children cheat. The study found that children cheat to hide their misunderstanding of the assignment, to prevent others from thinking they are stupid or to escape from trying to live up to unrealistic expectations.
The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.)
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March 25, 1975, edition 1
9
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