It is not unusual to see a number of drunken UB students stumbling up Main Street on any weekend night. Binge drinking has always been a common part of the university party scene; the results of a recent study might offer insight into why binge drinking happens more at some schools than others.
According to a Harvard University study based on data from 52,312 college students at 114 predominantly white colleges from the 1993, 1997, 1999 and 2001 College Alcohol Study surveys, the more demographically diverse a college campus is, the lower the occurrence of binge drinking among students.
"If there are many young white males, to the exclusion of other racial, ethnic, and gender diversities, you're going to have fewer role models for lighter or non-drinking behavior," stated Henry Wechsler in an Oct. 31 publication on CNN.com
According to the study, headed by Henry Wechsler, Ph.D., alcohol intake in men is considered binge drinking when they have five or more drinks in rapid succession at least once in a two-week period; alcohol intake in women becomes binge drinking when they have at four drinks in a row over the same time period.
R. Lorraine Collins, Ph.D., senior research scientist, at the Research Institute on Addictions (RIA) of the department of psychology at UB said previous information about alcohol consumption might correspond with the study.
"The highest rates of drinking and binge drinking are found with males from European-American backgrounds," said Collins.
While UB is not the most diverse campus in the United States, statistics made available by the office of institutional analysis show a bit of mix. According to enrollment statistics for 2002 - the most recent numbers available - of the total 26,168 students enrolled at UB, 16,264 are white, 1,681 black, 812 Hispanic, 1,926 Asian, 112 Native American and 5,373 who identify themselves as other than the listed ethnicities.
Experts on drinking and social issues feel the majority of binge drinking occurs in specific races.
"White males are most likely to be binge drinkers; Blacks and Asians are much less likely," said Michael P. Farrell, chair of the sociology department at UB.
The study found that on average, the binge-drinking rate at a school with low racial diversity is a little over 54 percent, while at a school with more racial diversity, the percentage dropped to about 44 percent. In schools with a greater number of older students the binge-drinking rate was found that about 37 percent.
While the study concluded that these findings might help college admissions offices to direct their admissions and housing policies to lower the amount of students who binge drink, others believe the findings may not accurately represent all the possible variables.
"It may be some uncontrolled factors are accounting for what looks like the effects of diversity, for example schools vary in the percent living on campus, urban versus rural, private versus public, etc." said Farrell. "All these differences may be correlated as diversity and should be taken into account before we can say that diversity has anything to do with the matter."
The study states that within the groups less likely to binge drink, the subgroup of African American and Asian American women as well as older students were found to be the least likely to binge drink.
Richard Black, a junior business major, said when he goes out, it is not difficult to note which racial group participates in heavy drinking.
"You definitely see a lot of white guys drinking in bars, at house parties and at frat parties," he said.
Black offers what he believes to be a contribution to binge drinking.
"When you are at a party and there is a whole lot of liquor around most likely it is peer pressure that makes you not want to look like a punk, so you are just drinking for the sport of it," said Black.
Others believe factors contributing to binge drinking have more to do with the individual than their ethnicity.
"I don't think it has a lot to do with diversity," said Richard Roberts, a sophomore biology major. "I just think it has to do with who you choose to associate with, and what you will allow yourself to do when in the company of your peers."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
