By snoadmin
California State University campuses, once notorious for alcohol-related citations and traffic violations, are showing signs of recovery. CSU trustees, at a meeting in Long Beach on Tuesday, announced that binge drinking at schools is down and more students are seeking medical treatment for intoxication.
The board met in 2005 with a list of new school polices summarized in the CSU Alcohol and Traffic Safety Project report. Its main objectives were to curb destructive drinking tendencies of CSU students, especially those aged 18-25, and set goals to reduce drunk driving incidents by 5 percent and similar alcohol-related misconduct by 5 percent.
By 2007, cases of drunk driving fell by 14.6 percent, and alcohol-related misconduct fell by 5.5 percent.
The report defined “binge drinking” as the consumption of five or more drinks in one sitting. The report found that the average Cal State Long Beach student has 2.36 drinks in one sitting.
Officials credit the decrease to more alcohol awareness programs organized and, in some cases mandated by schools, as well as a crackdown by local traffic enforcement.
Hundreds of student presentations, guest speakers and the formations of peer support and education programs were also cited as a major contribution to raising alcohol awareness across the CSU system.
