Sobering fear of license suspension may be key factor

Alcohol-related citations and arrests dropped sharply on and near the Oregon State University campus last school year.

Officials aren't sure exactly why, but Lt. Jeff Lanz, station commander for Oregon State Police at OSU, said a contributing factor might be the state's new "minor in possession" law.

As of January, students who get their first MIP-alcohol would face a suspension of driving privileges for one year. Minors could petition to have that order withdrawn after 90 days, however. The driving suspension is automatically a year for a second offense.

The loss of a license also means parents are more likely to find out about alcohol problems, as OSU generally doesn't notify parents regarding MIPs.

In 2007-08, state police at OSU had 342 arrests and citations for MIP, furnishing alcohol to minors and driving under the influence of intoxicants. The previous school year saw 461 such arrests and citations. In 2005-06, there were 374 such alcohol-related cases.

The most citations for alcohol and arrests typically occur during fall term, making the start of the school year a dangerous time for new students - particularly freshmen - Lanz said. This is the first time many have been away from home with no supervision.

"There certainly are students who come to this campus who are inexperienced drinkers; who haven't consumed alcohol at all, who can get caught up in all the excitement," said Pat Ketcham, assistant director of health promotion for OSU Student Health Services.

"With all the excitement around the USC game, we really hope students are able to make good decisions about alcohol."

OSU's new-student orientation week has plenty of activities that offer students opportunities to socialize without alcohol.

Ketcham said residence advisers and campus employees encourage students to look after one another and minimize the importance of alcohol to the enjoyment of school activities - particularly football games.

Lanz said education programs may have played a role in keeping last year's arrests and citations down.

There's evidence students are making some smart choices about alcohol, Ketcham said.

OSU surveyed 1,200 students regarding alcohol use in the spring. Nearly 97 percent said they hadn't driven after binge drinking, defined as consuming five or more standard alcoholic drinks in a sitting.

About 83 percent of students said they used a designated driver when partying or going out, and 63 percent said they kept track of how many drinks they had.

Still, the survey had some troubling spots, including several areas where drinking or the impacts of drinking were slightly worse than the national average:

• About 40 percent of the students surveyed said they had engaged in binge drinking at OSU within the past two weeks.

• About 36 percent of those students who drank alcohol at OSU said they did something they later regretted as a result of consuming alcohol.

• About 35 percent said they forgot where they were or what they had done.

• Twenty-four percent reported being physically injured, 18.5 percent said they had unprotected sex, and nearly 8 percent said they had been involved in a fight.

Again, all of those statistics were slightly higher than the national average.

"What is encouraging about OSU is the vast majority of students who drink do so responsibly," Ketcham said.

The survey didn't break down underage drinking numbers on campus.

Kyle Odegard can be contacted at kyle.odegard@lee.net or 758-9523.