Colleges and Universities Join Forces to Stop Binge Drinking

Dartmouth College, along with thirteen other colleges and universities, are joining forces to decrease the number of college students engaging in binge drinking. The project was initiated by Darthmouth's President, Jim Yong Kim, who intends to utilize the same business model he once used to treat tuberculosis in Peru. The project will consist of teams from each campus coming together about every six months to share their experiences with each other about what works and what doesn't work to curb binge drinking among college students.

Kim, who is both a doctor and humanitarian, is considered a leader in the worldwide fight against HIV/AIDS and other diseases. He believes that utilizing a collaborative approach to address the problem is a perfect example of when the people can achieve great things by working together instead of each institution dealing with the issue separately. By joining forces, the team will be more effective by utilizing people with a multitude of backgrounds and experience to brainstorm ideas that will really work.

Thirteen colleges and universities have already signed on to participate in the project at a fee of $20,000 each. Some of the participants include Cornell University, Duke University, Boston University, Northwestern University, Princeton University, Purdue University, Frostburg State University, Stanford University, Ohio University, Stony Brook University, University of Wyoming, Wesleyan University and Sewanee: University of the South. At least seven more colleges and universities are expected to jump on board before the project's first meeting which is scheduled to take place June 29-July 1.

An estimated 40% of college students admit to engaging in binge drinking. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) defines binge drinking as consuming several drinks (five for men and four for women) within a two-hour period. Approximately 2,000 college students in the United States die every year from alcohol-related injuries. An additional 600,000 are injured each year due to automobile accidents, sexual assault, or other injuries sustained from participating in unsafe acts while being intoxicated.

Dartmouth and Purdue have individually implemented plans to curb binge drinking at their schools over concerns for the safety of their students. And, while individual institutions have experienced some success in reducing binge drinking or its harmful effects, they have been unable to quantify their progress. The collaborative project is meant to aid in both quantifying progress and helping other institutions gain knowledge about what works.

This is not the first time colleges and universities have banded together to address a growing health concern on their campuses. Last year several universities worked together to ban energy drinks on their campuses when the number of students getting ill or even suffering fatal consequences began to rise.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/6280467

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