tested poorly or skipped class at least once a
month due to heavy drinking.
To try to curtail abuse, and cope with
changing laws, administrations have re
sponded with varying severity. After two
wild weekends at Southern Methodist last
fall, officials first banned fraternity parties
altogether, then reinstated the privilege
with tight restrictions. Many schools, in
cluding the University of Miami, no longer
allow open parties in their dorms. And at
South Carolina, an all-pervasive new code
of drinking regulations took effect in Febru
ary. It forbids underage students to attend
events where alcohol is available unless
sponsors guarantee that no one underage
will be served. It also bans anyone under 21
from having alcohol in the residence halls,
although beer is still legal in the state for
those 20 and over. No drinking is allowed in
public areas of campus. Not only must all
drinking parties with 10 or more people be
registered, but a member of the host organi
zation must attend a one-hour alcohol-edu
cation session. Dennis Pruitt, vice president
and dean of student affairs at Carolina,
concedes that “having the responsibility of
an event on campus now is a lot of trouble.
You have to limit service of the beverage,
determine the age of those served, have
food—there’s a lot of liability."
Still other schools are coping with a con
fusing patchwork of rules. At UCLA, stu
Vermont's 'Tipsy Taxi': Organized efforts to keep student drinkers off the road
dents under 21 violate school rules, as well
as the the law, when they drink in their
dorm rooms Penalization, however, de
pends on whether their door is shut. “We
have no authority to enforce what goes on
behind closed doors," says Guy Sanders,
assistant director of residential life at
UCLA. "But, given the fact that people
underage are breaking the law' if they are
drinking, if the door is open we would have
to enforce that,” Just as complex is the
status of the UCLA student pub, the Coop
erage-built five years ago but still waiting
to serve it's first drink. While the school
forbids drinking in public spaces, it has
backed efforts by the student food service to
obtain a liquor license. The move has been
thwarted by economics Prof. Edward Rada,
Arizona Stale workshop: Myth hustinf’
contains as much alcohol as 1 '/i ounces of
whisky or 4 to 5 ounces of w ine. Many peo
ple actually consume more alcohol when
they quaff beer, experts say, because they
drink more, sometimes on the ground that
it's nutritious. Beer does have slight nutri
KENT SIC VERS
tional value, compared to other alcoholic
beverages—along with controversial addi
tives in some brands—but it’s no food
substitute.
■ But 1 only drink on weekends. "If, when
you drink, you always get drunk," warns
Paula Roth of the National Council on Al
coholism, “it is possible to become a week
end alcoholic. Wfiat happens then is that
the binges get closer and closer together."
■ I'll modify my drinking when I get out in
the real world. It didn’t work that way for
Judy and may not for you. “The way col
lege students drink sets the tone for how
they will drink for years to come," says
Vassar psychologist Catherine Comins.
“Even students who don’t currently have
serious drinking problems may be develop
ing habits that Will later take a heavy toll.”
Myths aside, how do you tell if you or
your friends are in danger? One warning
sign is increased dependence. “You begin
to look forward to that first drink after
classes," says Roth. "And then you begin
to find ways to have a drink earlier in the
day. You start thinking that you need alco
hol to function in certain situations."
Soon, a student is tossing down a little hair
of the dog each morning to erase the pre
vious night’s hangover—and is getting up
later and later.
Other danger signals include losing
friends, becoming defensive about drink
ing and getting injured. “Things really got
out of hand when I got so drunk that I fell
down and dislocated my shoulder,” recalls
Joan (not her real name), a senior at Hous
ton who is now a member of Alcoholics
Anonymous. In addition, the body itself
sends up red flags. “It's dangerous if you
find that your tolerance of alcohol is in
creasing,” says Roth. The situation is even
more serious, says Dr. Markku Linnoila of
the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse
and Alcoholism, “if a person begins to
experience blackouts, acting in a manner
which appears to be normal to others but
having no recollection of it later."
Recognizing these warning signs is rela
tively easy; seeking assistance is another
matter entirely. At the University of Wis
consin, for instance, the housing office had
to switch to a system of “forced referrals” to
counseling, because voluntary programs
did not reach enough abusers. Says Robert
Mason, a psychologist at the University of
Georgia Health Service: “Students almost
have to hit rock bottom before they recog
nize they need some help."
JOHN CAREY with ERIK GODCHAUX
in Poughkeepsie, NY . KEITH A BLOW in Baltimore,
SUZANNE COMER in Athens. Ga.. and bureau reports
J