Alcohol plus college students equals more arrests. This simple equation is becoming increasingly true.
Alcohol-related arrests on college campuses rose 24.3 percent in 1998, the biggest increase in seven years, according to a recent survey conducted by the Chronicle of Higher Education.
The study also contended that the number of liquor-law violations on the University of Oregon campus actually went down in the past year, but local police and school officials seem to disagree.
“To think that the number of alcohol related violations is declining is a joke,” said Edward Tsui, a Eugene police officer assigned to the campus division.
One reason it may seem like the number of alcohol-related violations on the University campus is going down is because most of the violations take place just outside the area that is considered “on campus.”
“When we look at the compiled statistics for the University and the surrounding areas, the results are shocking,” Tsui said.
Most of the hardcore crimes such as assault and rape take place right on the outskirts of campus, according to police statistics.
“For example 15th [Avenue] and Hilyard [Street] is not considered on campus, but it is an area where parties take place and an area we find saturated with freshmen and sophomores,” Tsui said.
The most common alcohol violations that actually occur on campus take place in residence halls.
“For the most part these are open container and minor in possession violations,” director of student judicial affairs Chris Loschiavo said. “All of these on campus issues get referred to student conduct.”
An on-campus arrest requires more than just having possession of alcohol. It usually requires a student to be belligerent and unwilling to cooperate with authorities.
“On-campus alcohol-related arrests usually begin with a [resident assistant] who notices the student,” Loschiavo said. “If the student gets out of hand they will call the Office of Public Safety, and if the student still does not comply they will then turn them over to a police officer.”
After the first time students typically learn from their experience.
“Sometimes there is no rhyme or reason to their behavior,” Loschiavo said. “It depends on their maturity level and where their focus is.”
In the last school year, the Eugene Police Department gave out around 1,100 MIP citations in the campus area, which includes campus and a five-mile radius surrounding it.
“Enforcement has gone up, but abuse is still a problem,” EPD Sgt. Rick Gilliam said. “The number of binge drinkers is also increasing.”
Along with enforcement going up, so is the dollar amount of an MIP citation, which tops off at the $250 mark.
“A large effort has gone into preventing alcohol abuse,” Gilliam said. “We are making sure that violations are consistent.”
Stricter enforcement can be seen by the way the police officers now handle large party situations.
“In the past we would just give verbal warnings,” Gilliam said. “But it just wasn’t working. The parties would just get louder and louder.”
Now, if there is a violation of the law, the perpetrator will more than likely get cited.
“Consistent enforcement is just one piece of the puzzle,” Gilliam said.
The Office of Student Life is trying to provide another piece in the puzzle to prevent alcohol abuse.
“Interventions and late night programming with coordinating activities, which serve as an alternative to alcohol, are all options which the Office of Student Life provides,” said Sheryl Eyster, Program Coordinator for New View 2000.
A large number of advertising and publicity campaigns targeted at curbing alcohol abuse for first-year students has also surfaced recently. The effort is part of a $250,000 federal grant that was issued by the U.S. Department of Education to assist in reducing alcohol abuse in first year students.
“We are primarily targeting freshman interest groups and Greek chapters in an effort to reduce the high risks of alcohol on campus,” Eyster said.
The impact of the grant’s contributions are still unknown at this point.
“We are still compiling data so we haven’t received any numbers to know how much this project has impacted alcohol abuse,” Eyster said.