Issue date: 10/1/08 Section: Features

Media Credit: Jennifer Lemos [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: Patrick Storm Alcohol is readily available on campus, but Core survey shows that 17.4 percent of students actually have five-plus drinks per week. [Click to enlarge]

Sometimes it might feel like alcohol is everywhere on campus. Fliers for parties are strewn across the ground, students can grab a beer (or three) in between classes and there is constantly chatter in classes about bar hopping plans for the weekends. However, as much as it seems that alcohol has saturated every pore of college life, it might not be the case.

In fact, in a 2006 Core survey done at Sacramento State, 39.8 percent of students said they consumed an average of zero drinks per week.

"Our alcohol use statistics are lower than the national average, however, we still see a significant number of students who experience serious consequences of their alcohol use," said Cyndra Krogen, the health educator for Sac State.

Perhaps one of the most common misconceptions about college life is that fraternities and sororities are centered on booze and that partying is all that the Greek are capable of.

"My experience is that any group of people can have an influence on student or member alcohol use," said Krogen. "That doesn't mean that everyone who joins a Greek house feels the pressure to drink."

Candy Ezimora, a member of Gamma Phi Beta, said when she first joined she assumed that sororities were all about drinking and partying, but she realized there was more to a sorority than red, plastic cups full of Malibu rum and diet Pepsi.

"All my new sisters really respected the fact that I did not want to drink and did not try to pour alcohol down my throat, like I imagined sororities would," she said.

On Sactosaurus.com, one fraternity compiled a list of common myths about Greek life for students hesitant to join.

"If (drinking) is not your bag, then that's fine. No one holds it against you. Lots of people get turned off by an NBC movie of the week or some 20/20 story talking about Greeks and binge drinking," the website said.

At Sac State, students who are rushing for a sorority or fraternity must participate in a "dry rush." That means they must abstain from alcohol from the day they move into the dorms until the Thursday after the multi-sorority organization's recruitment starts, which is typically three weeks into the semester.

Most fraternity and sorority chapters on campus do not allow members who are younger than 21 to drink at their formals and parties, even after "dry rush" has ended. If brothers or sisters are caught breaking that rule, he or she can be punished or possibly even suspended.

This was the case for communication studies Anthony Black, a fraternity member at Sac State, who was punished after drinking during rush last semester. One of the other members in his fraternity told their adviser that Black was drinking.

"I was suspended for a semester, but it didn't really change anything. I would do it again, just differently," Black said.

Not everyone breaks the rules. Ezimora said not drinking has only influenced her sorority experience and she doesn't go out as often as her sorority sisters.

"I still maintain close bonds with the girls in my sorority which proves to me that alcohol is not necessary for a 'good' college or sorority experience," Ezimora said.

This is not to say that the Greeks don't partake in partying, however. Alcohol is still offered at many of their events throughout the semester to those legal to drink. One such party are fraternities' "10:01" parties, named because "Dry Rush" ends at 10 p.m. on the Thursday after recruitment.

As far as the rest of the campus, Sac State generally boasts an anti-drinking sentiment.

The campus policy regarding drinking states that if students are caught red-handed with alcohol in unlicensed areas, they can be placed on academic probation, suspended or even expelled. If students live in the residence halls and are caught with alcohol in their dorm they can be kicked out. The same rules apply to professors. If a member of faculty is caught with a cold one outside the restaurants, they can be required to enroll in a rehab program and possibly terminated.

As part of the Alcohol Education Program, the campus offers a "Wanna Party" brochure in the shape of the infamous red cup to educate students about alcohol poisoning, fines and how to drink responsibly. Also, on students' twenty-first birthdays, the Health Center mails out birthday cards with a blood alcohol concentration guide and tips on responsible partying.

While parties and socializing are absolutely present in college life, sometimes those parties can get out of control. Sac State offers several services that can help students who feel their drinking habits might be on the verge of a problem.

If students want to see for themselves if they are doing a little too much damage to the liver, they can go to Sac State's website and take the "E-Chug" self-assessment. Different from the typical "how much do you drink" surveys, the quiz offers creative ways of assessing alcohol abuse.

After asking a series of questions, "E-Chug" will translate the amount of alcohol test-takers drink into the amount of cheeseburgers that would be equal calorie-wise. So if a student drinks 17 drinks on an average weekend bender that would be the same as 23 cheeseburgers. Plus, it tells students just how long it would take to run off the calories. Knowing that a weekend of fun takes 15 hours to work off might just motivate students to cut back. The quiz also analyzes money spent on alcohol annually and the potential to become dependent on alcohol.

In addition, psychological counseling services in the Student Health Center are available and the peer health educators offer presentations about alcohol education to clubs and organizations. If a professor cannot make it to class, they will conduct presentations in place of the normal lesson plan so that the teacher doesn't need to cancel class.

For many students, college is all about fun times, crazy experiences and creating memories. Whether students choose to party their hardest or stay sober, drinking is the option and not the requirement.

Casey Kirk can be reached at ckirk@statehornet.com

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