NATIONAL COLLEGIATE
ALCOHOL AWARENESS WEEK
OCT. 8-14
THE TWIG
NEWSPAPER OF THE STUDENTS OF MEREDITH COUEQE
VOLUME uqn. number 6 CXITOBER 8. 1984
Getting drunk four times a month instead of five
Pittsburgh, PA (CPSj - Most of the studmt
drinking abuse prevention programs on the
nation’s campuses aren’t wor1(ing well, a
University of Pittsburgh psychology pro
fessor contends.
A thorough review of the programs
presents “no evidence tliat anything that
has been done worths In changing atti
tudes, knowledge, or behavior,” asserts
Howard Blane, a professor of education
and psychology at Pitt.
Blane's criticism of existing campus
programs caused a major stir at the recent
convention of the American College
Health Assoclatlorf in Atlanta, if only be
cause so many campuses have begun a-
buse prevention programs in recent years.
Almost 80 percent of the nation's col-
legee now have some kind of program, a
Radford University suni«y recently found.
That represents'an increase of some
300 colleges betwe^ 1978 and 1982.
Blane, how»er, questions whether
the programs are doing any good. He says
they are often directed at the wrong peo-
(^e.
“For every 100 youngsters in college,
70 to 80 percent drink in ways that are not
hazardous,” he says. “You want to focus
on the other 20 to 30 percent. But all col*
lege programs focus on the student body
as a whole. Yet most students, rightly.
achusetts-Amherst.
After five years, research showed that
student problem drinkers got drunk an
“The student has to take responsibility
for the consequences of his
drinking.”
don't see themselves as problem drink
ers.”
Pr^lem drinkers often don’t see
themselves as problem drinkers either,
and aren't likely to benefit from programs
that say. ‘call the counseling center.' Re
search shows that stiKlents with sub
stance abuse disorders don't use counsel
ing centers very much,” Blane adds.
As proof he points to a federalV*
funded program at the University of Mass
average of four times a month instead of
five times.
Blane Is “focussing on iustoneiwt of
our evaluation,” counters Dr. David Kraft,
head of UMass's hedth services and of the
campus alcohol abuse prevention pr>
gram.
He argues the program helped make
other, more subtle, changes in student
drinking habits.
“Individual reported drinking behavior
didn’t decrease,” he concedes, “but In the
dorms, there were changes.”
The kinds of refreshments served at
donn parties changed, students confront*
ed drinking students more frequently over
dlsn.iptive behavior, avj traffic at the
counseling center Increased, he points
out.
“Blane Is right in criticizing this (edu
cational) approach if it stops there,” says
Peter Claydon, director of C^-Santa Bar
bara’s Alcohol and Drug Awareness Pro
gram.
An awareness, educational program
“can be like a drop In the ocean," he says.
“Ideally, If you give students infonna-
tlon, they would make responsible (drink
ing) decisions." Claydon says. “But there
are some students for whom this doesn't
worit.”
Blane's convention anack on campus
prevention programs was widely Interpre
ted 83 an attack on BACCUS, one of the
biggest of the awareness programs.
BACCUS, which st^s for Boost Al
cohol Consciousness Concerning the
Health of University Students, Is now on
[Contlnueti on Page 3]
Drink to me only with thine eyes
White other administrators try to limit
student drinking, at Moortieed State U.,
they’re actually encouraging freshmen to
frequent a campus bar.
It happens to be a boozeless bar, con
sidered a national first by MSU and the
National Association of C^pus Activities
(NACA). But new bars may signal the wave
of the future. The national drinking age be
comes 21 inl987, many states have adopt
ed the 21 drinking age already. »id con-
cem about college alcohol policies grows
each year. To students and student sen/lce
personnel at MSU, a non-alco^iollc bar was
an idea wttose time had come.
Minnesota law forbids alcohol on any
of its state university campuses regardless
of a student's age. That meant most rou
tine socializing moved off campus at
night. Freshmen are still stuck, how
ever: the drinking age In Minnesota is 19.
But "The Wooden Nickel" welcomes
all. At night, It becomes a t»r with an Aus
tralian theme (since it’s in the basement
“down under" the student union.)
Over 250 students, mostly freshmen,
looked the place over at a preview opening
this month. Jay Wentzell, a graduate as
sistant at the student union who manages
the Wooden Nickel, says he thinks the
twcoeless bar will continue to be popular
because the emphasis Isn't on food and
drink, but on programming.
There's dancing already and eventual
ly, there'll be live music. (Now there are
“record spins.” MSU's president has al
ready taken a turn as guest DJ.) On Fridays
there’ll be Trivial Pursuit games, and on
Saturdays students can catch up on soap
operas at MSU. Five hours of "Days" will
be shown on a large-screen television on
Satunjay nights.
While sampling the programming,
students can also try out non-alcoholic
drinks: a Coral See (something like a Shir
ley Temple made of 7Up and grenadine), a
Jackeroo (cola and grenadine), a Queen
Mary (a Bloody Mary sans vodka), a Ayd-
ney Sunset (orange juice and grenadine),
and finally a Dingo Drivw, (orange iuice
and tonic). Ersatz daiquiris, pIna coladas,
and non-alcoholic wine will appear on the
menu soon.
Wentzell says five nights of experi
mentation during the summer session
showed students like the bar's table ser
vice, since everywfiere else on census you
have to stand in line for food, and Its low
prices. All drinks, whether straight pop or
the mixed conooctions, are SO cents.
Dave Souba, ARA Servlcee food ser
vices director at MSU, says his company
may o(pand the food offerings, presently
limited to popcorn, if the boozeless bar
proves popular. Souba also reports the
company plans to study the success of
this exp^ment with an eye to repeating It
on other campuses In the future. A per
centage of ARA’s profits pays the facility's
rent; funds for the programming activities
come from student fees and the union’s
budget.
Tfterear entrance fo Meredith COIIege was dedicated Friday, Sept. 2S, 1984.
Congratulations
Anne Ruth Smith
Housekeeper
of-the-MonthI
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