http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=2065686

I noticed an upcoming event on campus about college students and binge drinking. The above link is a video interview with the parents of a 19 year old female college student who died after a night of binge drinking. Sam Spady was a homecoming queen and cheerleader with lots of friends and full of life. Her story shows that this type of sudden death due to binge drinking can happen to anyone.
Statistics show that 44% of college students engage in binge drinking.
86% of Fraternity members engage in binge drinking.
And nearly half (48%) of all of the alcohol consumed by students attending 4-year colleges is consumed by underage students.
The question is, what should universities do to lesson this problem? Should underage drinking warrant a tougher punishment? Should alcohol be banned from campus events such as tailgaiting?
This is clearly a controversial issue and I am not sure what should be done.

I saw that announcement on appalnet about the Sam Spady documentary, but I rarely pay attention to announcements on appalnet. I watched the news clip and honestly I didn't realize how dangerous binge drinking was. I think that college students especially really do have a "bullet-proof" mentality that we are invincible and nothing can touch us. Some of those statistics were alarming... 1700 deaths from binge drinking on campuses and 500,000 accidents a year, those numbers are alarming for something that is so preventable.
As far as what should be done, I'm just not sure. Harsher punishment does not always result in the outcomes that we would hope, sometimes it just means more people get busted more often. I think one of the most important things to do is make students aware of it. Really publicize information like the documentary or speakers on the subject, do more than just put it on appalnet. I think that it is also our responsibility once we know that we educate others. Sam's mom mentioned one school starting a good samaritan program where students not only looked out for themselves but for their friends as well. Students need to know what to do if someone has alcohol poisoning and know not to leave them alone and to make sure they get help.
I had a friend last year on my hall who had alcohol poisoning. Most people just thought it was funny and got a kick out of seeing her act crazy. She got sick but most people didn't realize how serious it was. Finally someone ended up calling the hospital because she really needed help. She didn't want them to because she was afraid of getting written up and getting in trouble, but at least she would still be alive.
Students need to realize that we are not invincible and realize the dangers of some of the habits that we can so easily fall into and take that into account before we participate. That doesn't mean we can't have any fun or that we can't drink at all ever, just know the risks and take precaution and don't drink an insane amount.

I knew drinking was a major problem in college, but had no idea binge drinking was such a huge problem. I agree with Elizabeth in saying that to make people aware about what is happening is very important. I think if harsher punishments were given, it would only make some people want to rebel and do it more. It makes me really sad to think that drinking is such a popular thing to do in college. Isn't the purpose of coming to college to get more education and prepare ourselves for future careers? If only we could help change this mentality about drinking being the "cool" thing to do in college and put more emphasis on going to college to learn and not to party, maybe binge drinking would decrease. It's a very sad and tough situation.

Binge drinking is definitely a big problem in college. I think many students look at alcohol as a way to unwind and relax after a stressful week at school. More often than not people just don't know their limits, and a majority of the student's in college don't stop after two or three drinks. I don't think making underaged drinking punishments harsher would have a very drastic effect on the number of under-aged drunkers. I think there needs to be a bigger emphasis on the effects of binge drinking on a person's health, for the most part our alcohol education consists of "don't drink and drive"--which is extremely important but drinking and driving isn't the only horrible thing that can happen while someone is under the influence of alcohol.

I think one problem is that alcohol, like drugs and sex, have become this taboo topic, especially in the school setting. I was lucky enough to have parents that were realistic and said "we know you are prob gonna try alcohol, but there is such thing as a personal limit, and you are to never drink and drive". The first time I ever drank was at my house with my parents. I'm not saying that every parent should drink with their kid. I just think that we should be more open to talk about the realities and consequences of doing things like drinking. Many argue that by teaching ABOUT something we are encouraging students to participate. I argue that by NOT teaching about it we are allowing students to experiment without having any previous knowledge about possible consequences. I think it is about time we got realistic.