Last week, I read in the Daily Lobo that college students are more likely to get a DWI. I thought to myself that college students have always been more likely to get a DWI.
The article addressed a lot of reasons why, like this is the first time that college students are away from home, and so on.
I also thought to myself, hey, this has been an issue for a long time, since before I was a freshman in the early 80s. What has the administration done to address this topic? How successful have they been?
There is very limited information that would indicate many students get a DWI. Apparently, there are as many as 20-25 students who get DWIs on campus in a calendar year (The UNM administration does not separate DWI arrests from other types of arrests involving alcohol in its reporting).
I could not find out how many UNM students actually get a DWI (on or off campus) in a calendar year. There is even less information about how to prevent a DWI.
This is a very tough topic to address.
It is easy to bash the administration here at UNM, especially Schmidly’s policies. However, after reading all of the information that is available on UNM’s website and looking at the organizations that address alcohol use and abuse, I have to admit that they do address the use of alcohol, and they do a good job.
But they could do a better job, and they could also disseminate it to the students in a more effective manner. I asked a lot of my classmates if they received any type of alcohol awareness information or training during freshman orientation, and the answer was consistently negative.
Maybe the administration could improve its DWI prevention program by benchmarking other universities or student groups. As I have said in the past, I am a SAE (Sigma Alpha Epsilon), and fraternities are known to drink alcohol. However, we had a risk management officer and we had programs in place like key control (controlling the car keys of all the people at the party) to help prevent DWIs.
NMSU had a Safe Ride program paid for by the Associated Students of NMSU. It was basically a cab service that operated seven days a week and would take you home, at no charge, if you had too much to drink.
Another topic that has to be addressed is where students drink.
Most students drink off campus, and are therefore more likely to get a DWI upon returning to campus. In response to this, I think UNM should re-evaluate its alcohol policy for students of legal age in the dorms and at University-sponsored events, such as football games.
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The less driving that is involved, the less likely someone is to get a DWI. After all, the administration fought for control from the city of Albuquerque to allow wealthy donors to drink alcohol at UNM sporting events. While the administration is at it, it might as well promote sensible drinking by students at these sporting events and in the dorms.
One last thing to mention about DWIs is that it is not 100 percent the administration’s responsibility to prevent them. The administration should be at the forefront, but by no means alone.
It is also a student’s individual responsibility.
Students should watch over their classmates and friends while drinking and try to prevent them from drinking and driving.
