Editor’s Note: This is the follow-up in-depth to the Alcohol Proof six-part series focusing on individuals affected by the drinking culture in State College. This article takes a look at why drinking has become so prevalent.

Penn State has it all -- a large greek system, a rich tradition of sports, a Northeast location and loyal alumni.

All these things help make up Penn State's unique culture. But Robert Turrisi, a professor of bio-behaviorial health, said these things also put Penn State at a high risk for student alcohol abuse.

"You check off the high-risk factors, and we have them," he said, citing recent research. "We have them all."

Drinking has become a staple of the social scene at Penn State and colleges across the country, leading to dangerous patterns of binge drinking, he said.

"[Students] are going to pay for that behavior and, unfortunately, probably the other people around [them], as we've experienced on this campus," Turrisi said.

And the cost to the Penn State community is mounting. But what makes cracking open a couple of cans of Natty Ice more appealing than participating in nonalcoholic activities?

The drinking culture at Penn State is considered normal and acceptable, Turrisi said, influencing students' behavior regardless of other options available to them.

"If individuals perceive going out and drinking as the most fun thing they can do, that's what they're going to do," he said.

Billy Fortin (senior-aerospace engineering), who goes out about three to four times a week, said students go out and drink to have fun and because it's part of the culture, but not necessarily because of perception.

"I don't know if it's the whole thing that the cool kids are doing it, so I want to do it," Fortin said.

He added that the reason many students drink is not because classes are easy. In fact, Fortin said he takes "some pretty tough classes" for his major, but he doesn't drink any less.

There have been ongoing efforts to combat dangerous drinking at Penn State, including LateNight Penn State, educational programs and increased enforcement on and off campus.

"We're not against alcohol. We've never been against alcohol. We're against dangerous drinking," Penn State spokesman Bill Mahon said about initiatives between the campus and borough. "We're out to stop a couple of deaths. That's the goal."

But the continued prevalence of the culture baffles community members working to stop it.

"If the best thing they can think to do is go drink their brains out, they need to get a life," State College Mayor Bill Welch said.

A Rising Trend

The type of alcohol being consumed today has changed compared with that of 20 years ago, State College Police Chief Tom King said. Now, more people are drinking hard liquor -- a trend that has become ingrained in our culture, King said, adding that advertisements for hard liquor are more prevalent now.

King said what's alarming today are the quantities of alcohol being consumed, how drunk people are getting and the number of alcohol overdoses being reported.

Last school year, the Mount Nittany Medical Center treated 353 overdoses, with an average blood-alcohol content (BAC) of 0.239 -- three times the legal limit.

In her experiences as a community health educator, Diana Ramos said she has seen an increasing trend of students drinking more to get a "high" faster and urgency to get intoxicated right away.

"Getting high for them means relaxing ... being social," Ramos said.

According to the Penn State Pulse survey, in 2006 84.4 percent of Penn State students said they drink.

The number of drinks the majority of students consume in a weekend is, across the board, between 1 to 20 drinks, according to the Pulse survey. About 44 percent said they drink between 1 to 10 drinks, and the average number of drinks consumed in a weekend is 9.59, according to the survey.

There's also a perception among college students who drink excessively that "everyone else is doing the same thing" and they believe they have to drink, when in reality those students are just seeing the same people at the same scene, Ramos said.

Also, prospective students may be drawn to Penn State's No. 2 party school rank, she added.

However, Fortin said while there's pressure to some extent to drink in a social setting, most of his peers don't push others to drink who prefer not to.

The trend goes far beyond Penn State, Turrisi said.

"It's not just colleges," he said. "It's also happening in high schools and middle schools. People aren't showing up at State College without any issues."

About 50 percent of drinkers at Penn State began drinking before college, he said. Typically freshman or sophomores have the most trouble with drinking, Turrisi said, in part because their brain and decision-making has not completely developed.

"When you're 21, you see the world through different eyes," he said. "It's not quite as exciting as when you're 18."

Liz Roosa Millar, director at the Center for Student Activities and Programming, agreed that drinking is part of the culture and tradition of Penn State.

"It's part of the collegiate experience," she said, adding that it's not unique to Penn State.

Peter Yersin, instructor in Penn State's school of hospitality management, said the drinking culture at Penn State is reinforced by the detachment students feel from their families. Peer pressure and stress levels also contribute, he said.

Yersin, who teaches HRIM 497D (Wine Appreciation), said the drinking culture at Penn State is normal for a large university in a small town.

"It's not like it's the University of Pennsylvania in downtown Philadelphia," he said. "The students here create their own population."

 

Taking Issue

Evelyn McKee, an active member of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said attitudes about alcohol need to change through education.

"We have this big misconception that [drinking] is just something that kids are going to do," she said. "That mindset needs to change."

The consequences of dangerous drinking can be ignored, McKee said, but a trip to the county courthouse in Bellefonte would be a reality check for students. The court is flooded with DUI cases, she said, estimating that they represent one-third of the cases heard.

Alcohol-related incidents represent about two-thirds of the total crime in the community, Welch said, and the borough doesn't have the money to combat it.

"We're trying to find more revenue from the folks that are selling the alcohol -- the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania -- to help fund increased enforcement and education," Welch said.

State College Borough Council has recently considered a per-drink tax on alcoholic beverages at restaurants and bars to offset these costs.

King said the alcohol tax would make people buying and drinking alcohol "pay their fair share." But Welch said it is unlikely the tax will be enacted.

The borough wants to step up programs like Source Investigation Program (SIP) to deter dangerous drinking, Welch said. In 2004, SIP was formed and funded by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board to target furnishers and hosts of underage drinking parties. Under the SIP program, police officers investigate beyond an individual alcohol offender to find the source of the incident, whether it is a bar, fraternity or party.

Leonard, who directs the program, said SIP has not received additional funding since it began, but the effort will continue as long as it is effective.

"Whether we get funding or not, this general philosophy is here to stay," he said.

The number of alcohol-related crimes each year has seen a "slow, steady increase" of 8 percent in the past four years, he said.

Efforts to curb alcohol abuse in the greek community, which Welch referred to as the "pillar of the alcohol system," have been successful in recent years, he said.

The fraternities have responded "very well" to the SIP program, Leonard said.

"When [SIP] first began, it was quite common for us to encounter a party with four-, five- or six-hundred people in attendance, with more than half of them underage," he said. "We've noticed that the size, frequency and scope of these parties has diminished."

Another borough initiative started in 1999, when the Tavern Association of State College voted to serve nothing stronger than beer to people until 26 hours after they turn 21. Leonard said the association consists of some, but not all, local bar owners, and the policy was adopted at their discretion. As a result, policies of individual bars vary.

The procedure was in response to a rash of alcohol overdoses resulting from students attempting to take 21 shots on their 21st birthdays, he said.

The borough works closely with Penn State to prevent alcohol abuse, Welch said, adding that the university puts more than one million dollars a year into alcohol-related programs.

Yersin said education about responsible consumption should be combined with appreciation of alcohol.

"I think that there's always going to be a culture of socialization that involves alcohol consumption," he said. "Our job is to make young people aware of the dangers while we're letting them know that it can be an educational and enjoyable experience."