Fraternities & Sororoities: Fostering The Culture Of Binge Drinking

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Aug. 26, 1997 - Benjamin Wynne, a 20-year-old Louisiana State University student and Sigma Alpha Epsilon pledge, died of acute alcohol poisoning as a result of a fraternity drinking binge at several parties. Wynne's blood alcohol level was measured at 0.588, six times the legal limit.
This situation is all too common on today’s college campuses. A report by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) reports the consequences of binge drinking on college campuses as 1,400 student deaths from alcohol-related causes, 500,000 unintentional injuries, 60,000 assaults, and 70,000 cases of sexual assault per year.
Fraternities and sororities are key groups that foster the culture of binge drinking on college campuses. The 2001 Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study, a national study of college drinking, found that fraternity members were much more likely to engage in heavy drinking than their non-fraternity peers (71.8 percent versus 48.6 percent). Among women, 62.4 percent of sorority members engaged in heavy drinking, compared with 40.9 percent of other female students.
In the same national study, which surveyed students from 119 colleges and universities, residency in a fraternity or sorority house was associated with even higher rates of heavy drinking. 75.4 percent of students living in such houses were heavy drinkers, compared with 45.3 percent of students living in non-fraternity residence halls and 35.3 percent of students in substance-free residence halls.
The largest on-campus venue for drinking is the fraternity or sorority house; 32.4 percent of students who drink had attended a party at a fraternity or sorority and 12.5 percent of attendees consumed at least five drinks.
Heavy and frequent drinking has a damaging impact on health, safety, and the academic experience, not only for heavy drinkers themselves but also for the entire campus and surrounding community. Because they drink ...