Prompted by rape allegations raised against members of its lacrosse team, a report released by Duke University last week aimed at pinpointing drinking-related problems on campus reported students were focusing more on partying than the administration says they should be.
The study, similar to ones that some schools have conducted, stated alcohol was a factor in poor behavior, injury, property assault and “unwanted sex,” adding Duke students report spending less time studying and more time partying than students at other institutions.
Duke’s Campus Culture Initiative Steering Committee examined in depth six aspects of campus life, including learning experiences, faculty-student interaction, residential life, dining and social life, alcohol, athletics and admissions. The committee surveyed students, examined the number of emergency room visits and analyzed housing arrangements.
“The point of this study was to pull the camera back and [take] a broader look,” Duke spokesman David Jarmul said.
The committee proposed Duke should find ways for students to interact without alcohol, clarify the alcohol regulations for undergraduate students and increase resources for substance-abuse prevention — measures similar to ones already in place at many colleges, he said.
Some students on blogs posted on The Chronicle, the independent student newspaper at Duke, have complained the study is an unnecessary continuation of invasion of privacy on campus, especially in light of the national media attention given to the rape case.
“Every campus has its own story — some of these issues have their own place at Duke,” Jarmul said.
But officials at Boston University and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst say as long as these studies are aimed at improving students’ safety, they are worthwhile.
BU spokesman Colin Riley said although BU offers programs emphasizing student safety and security, including the Escort Security Service and the BU Police Department, it has never conducted a study of students’ social behavior similar to Duke’s study.
BU is explicit in its expectations of students’ accountability, especially when it concerns underage drinking, Riley said, citing the BU Lifebook as enough guidelines for students.
“We don’t see [drinking] as a rite of passage,” he said.
UMass–Amherst, however, did run a similar study early last year, said spokesman Edward Blaguszewski.
“It’s a very good idea,” he said of measuring social activity.
Concerns had arisen that the campus’s reputation of hard-partying was making some students feel unwelcome, he said, which prompted UMass–Amherst to create a Campus and Community Coalition to Reduce High-Risk Drinking, which specifically investigated binge drinking on campus, he said.
“The study was done to inform students, to tell them what their peers are doing,” Blaguszewski said.
