Newspapers / Montreat College Student Newspaper / Nov. 19, 2003, edition 1 / Page 6
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Sports Gardner Named AAC’s Top Freshman - ■Staff Reports On November 5, Freshman Shermon Gardner captured the titles of Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Freshman of the Year, and First Team All- AAC, both in men’s soccer. Gardner, who plays midfield and forward, ranked among the league’s top scorers this year with 14 goals. When coupled with his two assists, he led Montreat in total points with 30, also placing him among the top four in the AAC. For his position on the First Team All-AAC, he will join ten other top players in the Confer ence to play next semester. Gard- ? ner says there is a possibility the First Team will go against the professional team D.C. United in Washington, D.C. next February. Gardner came to Montreat from Brazil, Trinidad where' he was a member of the Trinidad and Tobago National All-Star Team and their National U20 Team. “I came to America last March ... on a tour and we played Montreat,” explains Gard ner, “Coach Armstrong talked to my coach, and 1 think he’s one of the main reasons I’m here.” Life in Montreat reminds Gardner of home, with the small town atmosphere and laid back pace. “I’ve always wanted to go to a small college,” he says. But it is not perfect here, Gardner admits, “Honestly, it’s kinda cold. I’m freezing!” , Besides the weather, he is enjoying his time here, and has confidence that the Montreat men’s soccer team will continue doing well, especially under Armstrong’s care. “I think we have yet to realize how big of a coach he is,” he says. “I’m delighted for Shermon,” says Armstrong. “This gives Montreat a foundation upon which we can build.” Gardner declares, “We are not limited because we are a small school... People get used to just participating instead of competing, and I’ve been trying to really compete. We shouldn’t just settle for being average.” Diverse College Campuses Yield Lower Binge Drinking Rates _ . . . high-risk drinkers who are ove -Courtesy of Collegiate Presswire Drinking rates among higher-risk 'drinkers on Ameri can college cam puses - those who are white, male and under- a g e - are significantly lower on college campuses with larger proportions of minority, female and older students. Research ers with the Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study (CAS) reported these findings in a study appearing in the November 2003 issue of the American Journal of Public Health. The study is the first to examine the role of college student demographics and diver sity in moderating binge drink ing among high-risk students. Most significantly, however, the findings show that greater diversity on campuses may serve as a risk-protective factor, even for those who were binge drink ers in high school. The study found that incoming white fresh men who did not binge drink in high school were less likely to start binge drinking as college students, if their universities had higher proportions of Afri can American, Latino, Asian or older students. And, incoming white freshmen who were binge drinking in high school were Page 6, Nov. 19,2003 The Whefsfone less likely to continue drink ing in this way when attending schools with higher percentages of minority or older students. “This study has shown that having a diverse student body on college campuses is an important factor in lowering binge-drink ing rates,” said Henry Wechsler, Ph.D., principal investigator of the study and director of College Alcohol Studies at the Hamrd School of Public Health. “In making decisions about admis sions, colleges should recognize the many benefits of greater diversity on campus, including a possible decrease in problem drinking.” / The study, “’Watering Down the Drinks; The Moderating Effect of College Demograph ics on Alcohol Use of High-Risk Groups,” was funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Founda tion (RWJF), based in Princ eton, New Jersey. Meichun Ku.o, Sc.D., also of the Harvard School of Public Health, is a co-author. The study analyzed data from 52,312 college students at 114 predominantly white colleges from the 1993, 1997, 1999 and 2001 College Alcohol Study surveys. College student binge drinking, as defined by Wechsler and other public health research ers, is the consumption of five or more drinks in a row at least once in the past two weeks for men, and four or m|re drinks in a row for women. Research has showi^s|that this style of binge drinking i|^sociated with* lower grades, vandalism, and physical and sexual vipleiibe. Students who do not binge drink "expefienbe many “secondhand effects” from the binge-drink ing behavior of other students including physical ’ assault or uiiwanted sexual - advances. large enrolments. The moderat ing effect of having more female students was significant for the small and medium schools, but not for the large schools. “The results may shed light on wl|y^fraterjiities, sororities and Seshrhrf dor^Scsih^ve particu larly high binge-(|tinking rates and account for a disproportion ate lhare of alcohol problems on campuses,” Dr. Wechsler said. “These social and living arrange ments tend to group higlier-risk drinkers together, with little. UnwalllCU ' auvaiivvo, - T . * i* vandalized property and inter-^ chance oftheff mtermingtogtv.th motions of sleep "or study, those who d^ less heavily, ^ - “Although various interven tions have been attempted to lower the level of binge drink- jpg, to our knowledge, colleges have not yet examined housing pnd iadmissioris policies, and studeht demographics to that end,” according to the study. The fikdings suggest practi cal sdlutiohs for predominantly white cllleg^, including: creat ing a carhpus environment would attract a diverse student body; increasing the numbers of minorities on campus; encour aging more women and older students to live on campus, and in fraternity and sorority houses; and decreasing the heavy con centration on campus of likely or Researchers examined whether an increased presence of students from groups in which alcohol is less heavily consumed had a moderating effect on those students who binge drink. Pre vious studies conducted by the College Alcohol Study have shown that binge-drinking rates vary greatly among certain stu dent subgroups. For example, African American and Asian, female and older students have lower rates of binge drinking than do white, male and younger Students. Moderating effects bf minority and older students on the drinking habits of high- risk students were observed at schools with small, medium and high-risk drinkers who are over whelmingly young, male and white. Further information on the Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study can be found at: http; //www.hsph.harvard.edu/cas. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, based in Princeton, N.J., is the nation's largest phi lanthropy devoted exclusively to' health and health care. It concentrates its grantmaking in four goal areas: to assure that all Americans have access to quality health care at reason able cost; to improve the quality of care and support for people with chronic health conditions; to promote healthy communities and lifestyles; and to reduce the personal, social and economic harm caused by substance abuse - tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs. To this end, the Foun dation supports scientifically valid, peer-reviewed research on the prevention and treat ment of illegal and underage substance use, and the effects of substance abuse on the public’s health and well-being. Source: Harvard School of Public HealthContact; Ellen Wilson or Arlyn Riskind301/652-1558
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