CNN article

1400 deaths
500,000 injuries
600,000 assaults
70,000 sexual assaults
400,000 cases of unprotected sex
100,000 unaware of having unprotected sex
2 million + drove while under the influence

First, I have no idea how many college students there are in the US. I'd estimate about 24 million college age adults (18-24), let's say half attend college, so 12 million? Second, for perspective, I wonder how many college students commit suicide each year (I'd bet more than 1400), I wonder how many die in motor vehicle accidents when alcohol wasn't a factor (again, probably more). So, once again, this seems to be blowing something out of proportion here. Some of the other numbers are somewhat bothersome thought. Using my 12 million number:
1 in 24 gets hurt from drinking (sounds reasonable assuming you're pretty lax on what constitutes an injury)
1 in 20 gets assaulted (wait a minute - that seems a bit high - unless you use the legal definition of assault, which basically means getting yelled at)
1 in 171 gets sexually assaulted (this is probably more like 1 in 85 girls gets sexually assaulted. This seems about right, again assuming a fairly lax definition of what constitutes an assault).
1 in 30 knocks the boots without a rubber because they're drunk. I wonder how many have unprotected sex when sober?
1 in 120 had unprotected sex but didn't realize it. This number really bothers me. I've been pretty intoxicated a fair number of times, and I can't imagine how you'd be sober enough to do it, but so drunk you didn't realize you weren't using a condom. If this is a female thing, how is this any different from being sexually assaulted? If you're too drunk to realize what's going on, then I'm pretty sure you can't be a consensual partner.
1 in 6 drove while under the influence (not necessarily drunk). This seems a bit better than the adult populace, where I'd estimate that number is 1 in 3.

Anyway, this seems like another scare report that school administrators can use to justify whatever they feel. Administrators and people who do reports like these need to realize 2 things - first, some college students will drink no matter what you do to stop it, and second, whenever alcohol is involved bad things will happen. If they're really worried about the problem, why not try addressing it in a manner other than "if you drink, you'll die or get raped"?

 

I heard this same report in the car this morning...I questioned the numbers, as well (since I'm pretty skeptical, in general)...but I didn't run the numbers like you did. Good call, YJ...

I do have a term for these kinds of questionable conclusions, however; this is prime example of what is called "agendized research" ... Data which is molded and fashioned to reach a pre-ordained conclusion which suits the researcher's ideology, perspective or political slant...a tactic with which colleges are not unfamiliar, particularly those with a political axe to grind.

Statistics don't lie, statisticians do...

 

Yeah....I never trust reports like this. Most of the time it's BS.

 

New Study Finds College Binge Drinking To Be A Blast



AMHERST, MA

 

now thats the kind of study you can't dispute...pure cold evidence.

 

College without drinking is like sex with an electric pencil sharpener.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by WestSideBilly
[BAnyway, this seems like another scare report that school administrators can use to justify whatever they feel.

 

These statistics probably reflect the right direction ... but actual numbers are always misleading. I do believe that there is excessive drinking that goes on ... yet, a good head on your shoulders should be adequate in protecting America's youth. Doing this every once in awhile can't be a bad thing ...



Yea, that's me and I won't let the media scare me.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by gregstevens
[B]
Statistics don't lie, statisticians do...

 

That guy behind you scares me