Editorial: Wellness Resource Center needs new survey

Published Jan. 29, 2010

The Drinking Age Town Hall Meeting held Tuesday night was a success for getting students and administrators to discuss the drinking age.

Five panelists discussed the issue with students who came to the meeting. Three political parties, Republicans, Democrats and Libertarians, were represented in the panel, along with parents and the Wellness Resource Center.

We have a problem with the panelist contributing the most to the discussion, WRC Director Kim Dude and the slanted survey she used to bolster her opinions.

Although Dude's research did help to lower the amount of students believing the drinking age should be lowered within the meeting, one survey in particular, the Core Alcohol and Drug Survey administered by the WRC is not fair or unbiased.

Dude admitted they never administer the survey during times when students are more likely to have consumed drinks recently, such as after Homecoming or spring break. Aren't random surveys meant to be random? Planning around times when students party every year is not representative.

In addition, the questions are not unbiased either. Yes, if students have to choose between time with their friends and partying, they are more likely to choose friends; however, what makes the two mutually exclusive? Nothing. Who goes to a party by themselves where they do not know anybody in the first place?

The questions are biased, and there is not a middle ground. Of course, when students are asked to choose if they value family over alcohol, most are going to choose family. Sadly, 17 percent of students chose alcohol.

In addition, Dude explained during her responsible drinking courses, most students think they are pouring themselves four drinks, while in reality, they are pouring themselves enough alcohol to equal eight. It is safe to say the students taking this survey probably have the same misconceptions about alcohol consumption Dude encounters in her responsible drinking courses.

Students know these surveys are ridiculous. They are commonly made fun of, numerous students lie on them whether or not it is "confidential," and, frankly, the survey is insulting to our intelligence.

Slanted social norming campaigns are not helping anyone involved.

We have proven we can be adults about the drinking discussion and the drinking age. Of the 70 percent of students who went into the meeting in favor of lowering the drinking age to 18, 56 percent of them left the meeting in favor of keeping it at 21.

In fact, most students at the discussion were not concerned with the age as much as how to fix the status quo.

Again, instead of admitting there is a problem, Dude clung to the excuse that the status quo is working better now than 10, 20 or 30 years ago.

Well isn't that great. Each decade students seem to be drinking more and more responsibly.

This progress is not because people are telling them 87.394 percent of students would rather try underwater basket weaving than drink at a party. It is because there is more information and resources available.

Rather than conduct "social norming" surveys, WRC should redirect time and money to its other resources for responsible drinking and real education.

For starters, do a real survey to see how much students are drinking. Do not pretend there is not a problem for the sake of making the statistics work for you. See what the real problem is and what the real statistics are. Once you know what needs to be fixed, you will know where to start fixing things.

Even the survey results now show there is a problem in the status quo.

Only 80 percent of students have refused to get in the car with an intoxicated driver. That means 20 percent of students are endangering their lives and the lives of others. Perhaps expanding STRIPES or CHEERS could help to solve this issue.

In addition, the numbers for students who enjoy alcohol at the bar more than friends, people, music, atmosphere or dancing are startling.

Seventy-five percent of students find friends more appealing than alcohol at a bar, and this was the highest-ranking category. One in four students find alcohol to be more appealing than the people they chose to go to the bar with.

And 37 percent of students drink Sunday through Thursday. More than one-third of students do not make it five days without drinking.

The only way the status quo is going to improve is having real, adult conversations like the one held Tuesday, more information about drinking being given to students and to expand resources for responsible drinking.

The WRC already has some available that could be useful, so expanding them should not be the most innovative thing they have tried.

Dude herself is acting progressively with responsible drinking classes and came to the discussion well prepared, but there should be more of this and less with the "social norming."

Oh, and stop saying MU is 100 percent dry 100 percent of the time. We have all been here on game days.

Stop being naïve and confront the problem realistically.