Nineteen.
That’s where the University of Oregon ranks on the Princeton Review’s list of Top Twenty Party Schools of 2014. The UO has held a position on this list for the past two years.
But how much are college students really partying?
In a recent study conducted on more than 150,000 freshmen at 227 four-year colleges in the United States, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, found that freshmen college students of 2014 are partying less. Meaning, they are socializing and drinking less than students did a few decades ago.
The study found 33.5 percent of 2014 fall term freshmen college students reported that they “frequently” or “occasionally” drink beer, compared to the 74.2 percent of students who indicated they did the same in 1981.
Additionally, in 1987, 37.9 percent of incoming freshmen socialized at least 16 hours per week with friends, while 18.1 percent socialized for five hours or less. In fall of 2014, those figures were 18 and 38.8 percent respectively.
“I think that now students spend so much time on social media or watching Netflix that they end up having less time to socialize in person,” said freshman Bronwen Bowen Campbell. “I think students consider face-to-face socialization less valuable than they used to because you can easily contact anyone with social media and texting.”
Increased alcohol education could be attributed to this decrease, as well.
“There’s a lot more education on binge drinking and partying in both high school and college,” said Ruth Bichsel, director of the Substance Abuse Prevention Program at the UO. “Prevention strategies at universities and public schools are doing a much better job to educate students on drinking and its dangers. It’s been absolutely instrumental to bringing those numbers down.”
At the UO, incoming students are required to take an online alcohol abuse and sexual violence prevention class known as AlcoholEdu and Haven. Students cannot register for classes until they complete both programs.
“I think that universities are starting to realize the liability of allowing this culture to continue, based mainly on sexual assault and other liabilities that are bringing the problem to light,” said Bichsel. “Many schools are ‘cracking down’ on partying and excessive use of alcohol and drugs due to liability issues.”
While the UO still ranks on the Princeton Review’s list of top party schools in the nation, some students argue that the image of partying at the UO is disproportionate to the reality of drinking and partying on campus.
“I think that there’s certainly a party environment, but when we look at the statistics for our own university, it’s clear that most students do not ‘party’,” said freshman Alex Bellizzi. “I think the image of partying here on campus is much more inflated than it really is.”
“There’s an urgency to do something more worthwhile than just ‘party’,” said Bichsel. “When students socialize today they have a purpose and their time and money is more wisely spent. But there’s still work to do, clearly there’s still a problem with binge drinking and partying at the University of Oregon. We’ve got a long way to go.”
For students seeking support for alcohol and substance abuse, the UO provides a multitude of resources, including counseling support at the University Counseling and Testing Center.
