N.C. colleges fight drinking

UNC is not alone in its increased attention to excessive and underage alcohol consumption.

Universities across the state have implemented substance abuse programs to try to control underage drinking. Some also are taking extra measures to educate the Greek community and freshmen classes on the consequences of excessive alcohol consumption.

Underage drinking citations given by Chapel Hill police have more than doubled from last year as the department cracks down on alcohol violations. Attention has also been focused on the Greek community at UNC after the death of Delta Kappa Epsilon president Courtland Smith.

But other schools had already begun focusing on underage drinking.

Miles Komuves, coordinator of alcohol and drug education at Western Carolina University, said the school became concerned after looking at the amount of alcohol 18- to 24-year-olds were consuming nationwide.

WCU has implemented an online interactive program for freshmen called Alcohol-Wise. The course includes self-use assessments and statistics that compare the student’s alcohol use to that of other students.

“The reason we do this is because we would like to educate students before they get into trouble,” Komuves said. “We want to try to influence their perception of alcohol, their behavior, to just make sure they have that positive college experience from the start instead of trying to fix the problem later.”

WCU Student Body President Josh Cotton said the programs have changed student life.

“We’ve veered away from that party atmosphere that we were once known for in the early ’90s,” Cotton said.

Komuves said WCU is trying to expand its program to other groups at high risk for excessive alcohol consumption as well as the Greek community, which is 13 to 15 percent of the student body.

East Carolina University also has mandated an online program for freshmen, called College ALC.

Students are unable to register for their spring semester classes until they complete the program, said Bob Morphet, assistant director of the center for counseling and student development.

Administrators at UNC-Wilmington have recently paid closer attention to the Greek community in particular, said Rebecca Caldwell, director of substance abuse and violence prevention.

When the Greek population was compared to the general student population, Greeks consistently ranked higher in alcohol consumption, she said.

However, Greek students also are more likely to take precautionary measures such as making sure they have a designated driver before going out to a party and keeping tabs on friends, Caldwell said.

UNC-W Student Body President Mark Blackwell said underage students are becoming noticeably more conscious of the consequences of drinking because campus police have been cracking down.

“It’s an issue like everywhere else, but the party scene has toned down,” he said.

Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.