Diversity: The Anti-Drug (Buhahahahaha) - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Ustwo · 10-31-2003, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Study: Diversity May Curb Binge Drinking

POSTED: 5:00 p.m. EST October 30, 2003

BOSTON -- Drinking rates among higher-risk drinkers on American college campuses -- those who are white, male and underage -- are significantly lower on college campuses with larger proportions of minority, female and older students. Researchers with the Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study reported these findings in a study appearing in the November 2003 issue of the American Journal of Public Health. The study is the first to examine the role of college student demographics and diversity in moderating binge drinking among high-risk students.

Most significantly, however, the findings show that greater diversity on campuses may serve as a risk-protective factor, even for those who were binge drinkers in high school. The study found that incoming white freshmen who did not binge drink in high school were less likely to start binge drinking as college students if their universities had higher proportions of African-American, Latino, Asian or older students. Incoming white freshmen who were binge drinking in high school were less likely to continue drinking in this way when attending schools with higher percentages of minority or older students.

"This study has shown that having a diverse student body on college campuses is an important factor in lowering binge-drinking rates," said Henry Wechsler, principal investigator of the study and director of College Alcohol Studies at the Harvard School of Public Health. "In making decisions about admissions, colleges should recognize the many benefits of greater diversity on campus, including a possible decrease in problem drinking."

The study analyzed data from 52,312 college students at 114 predominantly white colleges from the 1993, 1997, 1999 and 2001 College Alcohol Study surveys. College student binge drinking, as defined by Wechsler and other public health researchers, is the consumption of five or more drinks in a row at least once in the past two weeks for men, and four or more drinks in a row for women. Research has shown that this style of binge drinking is associated with lower grades, vandalism, and physical and sexual violence. Students who do not binge drink experience many "secondhand effects" from the binge-drinking behavior of other students, including physical assault or unwanted sexual advances, vandalized property and interruptions of sleep or study.

Researchers examined whether an increased presence of students from groups in which alcohol is less heavily consumed had a moderating effect on those students who binge drink. Previous studies conducted by the College Alcohol Study have shown that binge-drinking rates vary greatly among certain student subgroups. For example, African-American and Asian, female and older students have lower rates of binge drinking than do white, male and younger students. Moderating effects of minority and older students on the drinking habits of high-risk students were observed at schools with small, medium and large enrollments. The moderating effect of having more female students was significant for the small and medium-size schools, but not for the large schools.

"The results may shed light on why fraternities, sororities and freshman dorms have particularly high binge-drinking rates and account for a disproportionate share of alcohol problems on campuses," Wechsler said. "These social and living arrangements tend to group higher-risk drinkers together, with little chance of their intermingling with those who drink less heavily."

"Although various interventions have been attempted to lower the level of binge drinking, to our knowledge, colleges have not yet examined housing and admissions policies, and student demographics to that end," according to the study.

The findings suggest practical solutions for predominantly white colleges, including: creating a campus environment that would attract a diverse student body; increasing the numbers of minorities on campus; encouraging more women and older students to live on campus, and in fraternity and sorority houses; and decreasing the heavy concentration on campus of likely high-risk drinkers who are overwhelmingly young, male and white.

God they are getting desperate.

maximusveritas · 10-31-2003, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ustwo
God they are getting desperate.

wow, thanks for that enlightening comment.What a way to get the discussion rolling.

While diversity may have an effect on binge drinking, I don't think that in itself justifies making student bodies more diverse through the admissions process. Colleges have an obligation to teach students, not to stop them from binge drinking. If students want to act like idiots and kill themselves, that's their problem.

Food Eater Lad · 10-31-2003, 04:19 PM

Yeah right, when I went to school in New Mexico, there were no drunk Indians or Latinos.....

Food Eater Lad · 10-31-2003, 04:23 PM

I would like to see a non biased study on ethnicity with things like grade point averages by race, and graduation rates by race. I mean what ADULTS do at parties is their own buisness. What good would diversity do when blacks and NAtive americans have a higher college drop out rate, and fail at a higher rate than the ( GASP) binge drinking whites. So lets get a higher percentage of non whites to curb down the binge drinking, while lowering the GPA average, and graduation rates. Wow I want to attend that school.

Ustwo · 10-31-2003, 05:49 PM

I see this silly study as nothing but an attempt to force racial quotas aka 'diversity' on schools and to justify racially biased acceptance policies.

One more thing for the Lawyers to site in the next court battle.

JumpinJesus · 10-31-2003, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Food Eater Lad
I would like to see a non biased study on ethnicity with things like grade point averages by race, and graduation rates by race. I mean what ADULTS do at parties is their own buisness. What good would diversity do when blacks and NAtive americans have a higher college drop out rate, and fail at a higher rate than the ( GASP) binge drinking whites. So lets get a higher percentage of non whites to curb down the binge drinking, while lowering the GPA average, and graduation rates. Wow I want to attend that school.

I read the article 4 times and still couldn't find the information to which you refer regarding higher drop out rates and lower GPAs among minority students. Perhaps we are reading different articles? Perhaps you inadvertently neglected to link to the sources of this startling information? Could you help out a bit here? I'm a bit confused as to the logic of your response and its intended purpose. I'm getting the idea (erroneously, perhaps) that you feel that since minority students are inferior to white students that increasing diversity on college campuses is a waste of time? Please correct me if I am in error.

Food Eater Lad · 10-31-2003, 07:26 PM

It is not in this article. Other studies show that black and Native American College students have a higher drop out rate and higher failure rate than white students. SO I was merly posing the question, what would you rather have? Diversity with a higher drop out rate, or lower drop out rate with more binge drinking. What makes your school look better?

As far as infering that minority students are inferoir, i never made that claim, you did.

JumpinJesus · 10-31-2003, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Food Eater Lad
It is not in this article. Other studies show that black and Native American College students have a higher drop out rate and higher failure rate than white students. SO I was merly posing the question, what would you rather have? Diversity with a higher drop out rate, or lower drop out rate with more binge drinking. What makes your school look better?

As far as infering that minority students are inferoir, i never made that claim, you did.

I see that enrollment at the George W. Bush School of I Never Said That is on the rise.

To save valuable time involved in the act of scrolling, allow me to, again, quote your post in its entirety.

Quote:

Originally posted by Food Eater Lad
I would like to see a non biased study on ethnicity with things like grade point averages by race, and graduation rates by race. I mean what ADULTS do at parties is their own buisness. What good would diversity do when blacks and NAtive americans have a higher college drop out rate, and fail at a higher rate than the ( GASP) binge drinking whites. So lets get a higher percentage of non whites to curb down the binge drinking, while lowering the GPA average, and graduation rates. Wow I want to attend that school.

What inference, pray tell, were you making by stating that increasing enrollment of minority students would lower the GPA of the student body while increasing the failure rate?

Again, could you also please post links to the studies that show minority students fail more and drop out more than white students at the college level? If you are going to state such things as facts, it's always a good thing to have the source to back the claim.

Food Eater Lad · 10-31-2003, 09:10 PM

What inference was this article making when it said that introducing minorites would lower binge drinking among whites?

If you dont like the fact that Native Americans and Blacks drop out at a higher rate than whites, dont blame me.

Food Eater Lad · 10-31-2003, 09:19 PM

http://www.usc.edu/dept/education/CUE/documents/104.pdf

Here is a break down by race.

Here is another

http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2000/2000022.pdf

Here is another for college as broken down by race.

Here is one for Native Americans
http://ericcass.uncg.edu/virtuallib/diversity/1050.html

Here is another

http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/AIE/Dropouts.html

Now I await to here how this is Bush's and or conservatives fault.

10-31-2003, 05:49 PM	#5 (permalink)
Ustwo Pissing in the cornflakes	I see this silly study as nothing but an attempt to force racial quotas aka 'diversity' on schools and to justify racially biased acceptance policies. One more thing for the Lawyers to site in the next court battle. __________________ Agents of the enemies who hold office in our own government, who attempt to eliminate our "freedoms" and our "right to know" are posting among us, I fear.....on this very forum. - host Obama - Know a Man by the friends he keeps.

10-31-2003, 09:10 PM	#9 (permalink)
Food Eater Lad Banned	What inference was this article making when it said that introducing minorites would lower binge drinking among whites? If you dont like the fact that Native Americans and Blacks drop out at a higher rate than whites, dont blame me. Last edited by Food Eater Lad; 10-31-2003 at 09:20 PM..

10-31-2003, 04:19 PM	#3 (permalink)
Food Eater Lad Banned	Yeah right, when I went to school in New Mexico, there were no drunk Indians or Latinos.....

10-31-2003, 04:23 PM	#4 (permalink)
Food Eater Lad Banned	I would like to see a non biased study on ethnicity with things like grade point averages by race, and graduation rates by race. I mean what ADULTS do at parties is their own buisness. What good would diversity do when blacks and NAtive americans have a higher college drop out rate, and fail at a higher rate than the ( GASP) binge drinking whites. So lets get a higher percentage of non whites to curb down the binge drinking, while lowering the GPA average, and graduation rates. Wow I want to attend that school.

10-31-2003, 07:26 PM	#7 (permalink)
Food Eater Lad Banned	It is not in this article. Other studies show that black and Native American College students have a higher drop out rate and higher failure rate than white students. SO I was merly posing the question, what would you rather have? Diversity with a higher drop out rate, or lower drop out rate with more binge drinking. What makes your school look better? As far as infering that minority students are inferoir, i never made that claim, you did.

10-31-2003, 09:19 PM	#10 (permalink)
Food Eater Lad Banned	http://www.usc.edu/dept/education/CUE/documents/104.pdf Here is a break down by race. Here is another http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2000/2000022.pdf Here is another for college as broken down by race. Here is one for Native Americans http://ericcass.uncg.edu/virtuallib/diversity/1050.html Here is another http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/AIE/Dropouts.html Now I await to here how this is Bush's and or conservatives fault.