The sobering reality of college life
Some say drinking viewed as essential element of college social atmosphere
By Victoria Shelor, contributing writer
Posted on April 3, 2006

Some of the biggest anxieties freshmen face in starting college is finding a way to fit in. So is the only way of fitting in found at the bottom of a keg?

Drinking has become so ingrained in the college culture that its prevalence has increased in recent years, according to the 2004 Core Alcohol and Drug Survey conducted by the Office of Substance Abuse Research.

The survey says there is actually a misperception among students thinking their peers are drinking more than they really are. It also showed that 18.1 percent of JMU students have held a drink to have people stop bothering them about not drinking.

Thirty-seven percent believe their alcohol use had increased over the course of the year, while only 22.4 percent believe that the social atmosphere does not promote alcohol use.

Students perceive that drinking is synonymous with a successful social life and this is an enormous motivating factor to fit in, said Michael Way, director of Judicial Affairs.

Some freshmen face the difficulty of peer pressure when they choose not to drink. In fact, even if they choose not to participate in alcohol-related activities, students may find those under the influence of alcohol around them a distraction.

A recent complaint from Michael Thomas, a father whose daughter is a JMU freshman, said his daughter has had an uncomfortable first year experience at JMU, due to her suitemates’ constant drinking and partying.

She has complained to an resident adviser and hall director to no avail. She has been encouraged to confront her suitemates on her own about her discomfort, but her father says the student does not want to “make waves.”

Sophomore Maria Fort, an RA for Garber Hall, recalls a freshman vowing not to drink during his first semester at JMU.
“By second semester I guess he caved in to the peer pressure,” she said, “because now he drinks.”

Another freshman who does not drink chooses to not go out on weekends because he thinks he would feel left out and be looked at as “weird” for not drinking, said junior Steve O’Leary, an RA for the Tree Houses.

In actuality, there are an abundance of activities and programs that encourage student involvement as alternatives to drinking on weekends.

“That’s why we have events like ‘Late Night Breakfast,’” O’Leary said.

In addition, Fort said movies at Grafton-Stovall Theatre play late into Fridays and Saturday nights. She added that if students do not want to deal with or be associated with their drunken peers, the option of living in substance-free Bell Hall is available.

Way said student involvement is one of the best things freshmen can do to find their place at JMU.

“As you mature, you find the group of people who suit you best,” he said.

“Alcohol is one of the most serious issues on campus, but how can you stop it?”

He added that while the policy could be changed to suspend students on the first offense, that isn’t what JMU is about. “We are about trying to help people develop,” he said.

JMU has a three-strike policy in which students living on campus are issued an automatic strike if caught with alcohol or illegal drugs. 
“On the first offense a student is issued an educational sanction,” Way said, “In which they must attend a two-hour course called ‘By the Numbers’ to educate the student on the laws and how to stay out of trouble.”

“Our goal isn’t to be punitive. We want students to learn from their mistakes and learn how to manage their own behavior.”

After three strikes, a student is typically suspended for one semester because they have shown that they cannot be successful at that time. Way finds that upon return, suspended students all agree that their time off was the best thing for them in order to reflect and grow from the experience.

But habits of excessive drinking still linger in many college students’ minds. In 2004, JMU Police made 48 liquor law arrests on campus and in the same year, 503 liquor law violations were referred for disciplinary action.

In addition, 40 drunk in publics and six DUI charges were made on campus, according to the JMU Police Department’s online crime records.

Referral to the Counseling and Student Development Center and a Substance Abuse Assessment might be recommended to a student who may have a problem with alcohol or drugs, according to Linden’s judicial sanctioned programs.