As key parts of student health and safety on campus, moderation in alcohol consumption and binge drinking reduction amongst students are important efforts within the Division.
High risk use of alcohol is a health risk in its own right and is closely linked to a number of other risks, including: sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. Benchmark data for assessing alcohol use and its effects on campus come from the National Collegiate Health Assessment, administered here and on many campuses in the spring.
The 2011 NCHA: High-Risk Drinking Summary is quite representative of our undergraduate students. According to the data, high-risk drinking rates amongst UI students have dropped 8%, to the lowest level in ten years.
To put this change in perspective, the drop in high risk drinking represents almost 1,200 fewer students engaging in high risk drinking in the two week period preceding the survey.
Because so many things have changed between 2009 and 2011, it is hard to tell exactly what led to this decrease. VP for Student Life, Tom Rocklin, believes that setting the minimum bar entry age to 21 after 10:00PM in Iowa City and university actions taken over the last few years contributed significantly.
“I am grateful for your help and support in our efforts to reduce high risk drinking among our students,” said Rocklin. “I am pleased with our progress, but dismayed that our high risk drinking rate remains as high as it does. We still have work to do.”
