Pubdate: Thu, 19 Nov 1998 Source: San Luis Obispo Telegram-Tribune (CA) Section: SLO County Copyright: 1998 San Luis Obispo County Telegram-Tribune Contact: http://www.sanluisobispo.com/ Author: Jamie Hurly, Telegram-Tribune CAL POLY SURVEY LINKED ALCOHOL, VIOLENCE Alcohol and violence are far from strangers. A 1996 Cal Poly survey found that 80 percent of students reported they were victims of unwanted sexual intercourse had consumed alcohol or other drugs. "There's just a higher likelihood of being involved in an issue of violence ... when alcohol is involved," said Juan C. Gonzalez, Cal Poly's vice pres-ident for student affairs. Gonzalez, however, stressed that two Cal Poly students who disappeared after drinking should be not held responsible for their fates. Rachel Newhouse disappeared last week, and Kristin Smart disappeared two-and-a-half years ago. "No one should be a victim of violence just because they've been out partying," he said. The October 1996 survey of 843 students questioned whether they had experienced threats of physical violence, actual physical violence, theft involving force or threat of force, forced sexual touching or unwanted sexual intercourse around campus during the previous year. In all but the theft category, more than half the victims said they had used drugs or alcohol. Only 1.3 percent of the students surveyed reported being involved in a theft and of those, 30 percent had used drugs or alcohol. Of the 843 students surveyed, about 51 percent of the 81 students who said they had been threatened with violence had used alcohol or drugs. It was the same for 68 percent of the 34 students who reported they had suffered physical violence and 72 percent of the 34 students who reported forced sexual touching. Unwanted sexual intercourse was reported by 27 students. About 23 percent of the students reported drinking alcohol more than three times in the previous week. More than half of the students reported drinking two or fewer drinks a week, said Mary Bragg, Cal Poly's director of health and psychological services. That means "some students are out there drinking 25 drinks a week," he added. Although college students drink somewhat more than other people of the same age, the percentage of heavy drinkers remains at about 5 percent to 10 percent for all age groups, he said. "Is this a serious problem? Yes. Is this a serious problem for lots of Cal Poly students? No," Bragg said. Cal Poly students' drinking experiences in the 1996 survey showed a decline from studies in 1992 and 1993 and is about or below the national average, he said. Poly has several programs to discourage excessive drinking, Gonzalez said. Among them is the Violence Intervention and Prevention or VIP program, which promotes alcohol-free social events and safety awareness. "When you're somewhere where there are alcohol or drugs ... your personal risks go up and you need to be more careful," Bragg said. "You shouldn't go somewhere without a buddy," he said, and you should always tell someone where you're going. "If you're going to drink heavily, you are going to need someone watching over you that you can trust." One of the problems is perceptions about drinking that young people bring to college, said Mary Peracca, a prevention specialist with the county Drug and Alcohol Services. Rather than going out and having one or two drinks, many young students belive "the norm is to go out and really get hammered," she said. Gonzalez said the emphasis on responsible drinking begins even before students arrive on campus and continues during Week of Welcome and beyond. "One of the realities of our society is that alcohol is available," he said. "Frankly our desire is to help people understand responsible consumption," he said. "Consumption in excess is not reasonable, it's not healthy. It increases vulnerability and has a serious impact on your life, academically, socially, and on your safety." - --- Checked-by: Patrick Henry