COPYWRITER OP-ED 1

Copywriter Op-Ed on Binge Drinking

Elizabeth Zimmerer, Caleb Nielsen, Issac Harper, Dana Cox, Christian Romero

Arizona State University, Tempe Campus

Author Note

A class of undergraduate students involved in the Lead Program at Arizona State University. As a

class we had to work together to find and define a debatable issue facing college students. Each

class member was responsible for helping with the campaign progress, researching the issue,

creating materials that communicate the issue to others, and presenting the issue and solution at

the upcoming LEAD Showcase.

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Abstract

For our AAC Topic, as a class we decided to focus on the issue of binge drinking. On the

copywriting committee we condensed research on the dangers of binge drinking and the students

on college campuses who are most likely to be involved. We conducted the data and found the

problems and dangers associated with binge drinking. Drinking excessively has been a problem

on college campuses for many years. Data has shown the numbers of students who binge drink

increases each year. This is a problem that cannot be completely stopped. Instead of trying to

eliminate it completely, we wanted to be realistic with our goal. Our goal is to create awareness

of binge drinking and help keep students safe after indulging in alcohol. Creating a safe

environment will limit the injuries resulting from binge drinking. This solution will also protect

students who are reaching out for help. Our solution is creating an amnesty policy at ASU for all

ASU students.

Keywords: binge drinking, college campuses

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Copywriters Op-Ed on Binge Drinking

The Effects of Binge Drinking and

How to Save Students from Related Injuries

The topic we decided to do research on was binge drinking. Binge drinking has been a

prominent issue across all college campuses. This issue has caused harm for many students,

mostly involving freshmen and underclassman. As a committee we have come up with new ways

to decrease alcohol related injuries. Binge drinking affects students on any type of college

campus and is even prominent on ASU. Campuses around the US have tried many ways to stop

binge drinking. Solutions such as making there university a dry campus or increasing more

alcohol policy laws. After analyzing the data, it is easy to see that these solutions do not work.

While it may decrease the number of students binge drinking, it does not completely dissolve the

issue. There is not a way to completely stop binge drinking from happening. Students will drink

even if they are underage or if it is against school policy. As a class we know the most effective

way of preventing any more alcohol related injuries or death is to amend an amnesty policy. This

will allow students to feel comfortable if they need to reach out for help in a state of an

emergency. Allowing the students amnesty will create a safer environment for students who are

afraid to call for help since they may get in trouble. Allowing and creating an amnesty policy is

the safest and best solution for binge drinking accidents. In our research we have conducted facts

about the issue, what could be done to increase local awareness of the issue, and what actions we

have recommend to improve the state of this issue.

Research

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Here are some of the major facts we found about our topic on Binge drinking. Drinking

alcohol has always been something that the average college student participates in. It is

something that many college students look forward to and is actually an expectation that it will

be part of their college experience. Many studies have been done on this topic regarding the

statistics as well as how to eliminate or reduce this problem. According to a study by Wechsler,

Lee, Kuo in 2002, approximately 32% of women and 47% of men in college engage in high risk

drinking. The study also showed that those with an increased risk of becoming high risk drinkers

were those that began to drink at an early age, and those that had beliefs about friends drinking

and getting drunk. If subjects believed their friends got drunk weekly, they were more likely to

develop risky and regular drinking problems. This is why so many college students are high risk

drinkers. High risk drinking is defined as five or more drinks for men and four or more drinks for

women at one time. (Davies)

In college, many students drink to become blackout drunk, according to Jonathan

Gibralter, president of Wells College in New York state and chair of the NIAAA College

President's’ Working Group to Address Harmful and Underage Drinking. Most of these college

students are underage and don't know their own capacity for alcohol which is getting them into

trouble and causing all kinds of problems. Problems ranging from academic, such as higher

absence rates and poor or failing grades, social problems such as fighting, unwanted, unplanned,

and unprotected sex that could result in sexually transmitted diseases, or unplanned pregnancies.

Other things that underage drinkers are at risk for are physical and sexual assault and alcohol-

related car crashes. They may face legal problems like arrest and physical problems like

hangovers and the risk of alcohol poisoning which can lead to death. According to the National 

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Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), there have been an estimated 1,825 deaths,

696,000 injuries and 97,000 sexual assaults and rapes every year.

Studies have been done to determine why college students drink. The results of some of

these studies found that peer pressure and lowered social anxiety played a role. Negative social

consequences such as embarrassment and perceived sexual opportunities, however, were some

reasons they may limit their excessive drinking. (Davies) Colleges and universities are trying to

figure out how to solve this problem and stop excessive drinking on their campuses. On many

college campuses, all first-year students are required to take a 90-minute interactive online

course called AlcoholEdu, which warns them of the negative aspects of drinking that they might

not even be aware of. A lot of schools don't make it a mandatory requirement during freshmen

orientation, though, and only require it only for students who end up with a disciplinary issue and

who are required to take the course to stay in school.

All colleges and universities have alcohol policies, but according to an article called Why

Colleges Haven’t Stopped Binge Drinking in the New York Times by Beth McMurtrie, McMurtie

states “fewer than half of colleges consistently enforce their alcohol policies at tailgates, in

dormitories and at fraternity and sorority houses. Only a third do compliance checks to monitor

illegal alcohol sales in nearby neighborhoods. Just 7 percent try to restrict the number of outlets

selling alcohol, and 2 percent work to reduce cheap drink specials at local bars, according to

researchers at the University of Minnesota.” This is one of the main reasons why binge drinking

has not been slowing down over the years. The data shows there is no way to completely limit

alcohol indulgence on campuses.

Local Awareness/Actions to help


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Our class has come up with many different solutions to raise awareness to this project

and the ways we can partake in helping limit the number of binge drinking injuries. To increase

local awareness about the creation of our amnesty policy, our class is participating in the AAC

Showcase. The AAC stands for Action Awareness Campaign and each class was given an

opportunity to present their ideas on ways we can better ASU’s college campuses.

Now we all know Binge Drinking is apart of a huge percent of college campuses. We also

know that there’s a huge difficulty to manage Binge Drinking with college students all around

the world. But our Awareness and Action Campaign can help motivate students and open their

eyes to what is really happening around them. We want to inform all students that there is a

better and much safer way when it comes to underage drinking. All students need to know that

they can be safe rather than scared when making decisions they believe they couldn’t do while

being under the influence. That’s why we are here to direct our Amnesty Policy, this will secure

a safe mindset for all students to remain comfortable with public precautions.

The freshmen undergraduate classes at ASU have been given the chance to present their

ideas for change on college campuses. This will help our class present a new amnesty policy.

During the showcase we plan on raising awareness about the dangers of binge drinking and when

to call for help. During our presentation we hope people become more aware about the

dangerous effects of not having an amnesty policy implemented. We are hoping after we present

this idea to the ASU community, people will understand and support our new policy. Getting the

community involved is a big part of the ways we can create change here at ASU.

Overall we know we can’t stop binge drinking, but there is always a way to help. And

that is why we are here today. We need to realize that there is more to it than trying to catch a 

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student that is participating in drinking. We want to help students feel safe, not catch and punish

them. This is why we need to take in our information today as mindset to our new and improved

amnesty policy that will better today's binge drinking issue. Creating and making it a safer

environment for the students involved in the percentage of binge drinkers who are seeking help.

Conclusion/Amnesty Policy

Too frequently, college students are scared to get help when someone gets sick or is in

serious condition because of consuming too much alcohol. This is more often than not, due to the

fact that the other student or students involved will face the same consequences as the one who

drank too much. Amnesty defines that current students can avoid their University penalizing

action and the creation of a formal penalizing rule when they call out for help for an alcohol

related emergency. Presenting this amnesty policy will really help keep students safe from

alcohol poisoning and alcohol related injuries. This will also allow students to report cases of

sexual assault that involves alcohol. Students become reluctant to call for help if they are

partaking in underage drinking. This leads to alcohol related injuries or death. Students will

avoid being disciplined for having or consuming alcohol in any emergency situation. Students

need to call 911 if there are any signs of alcohol poisoning or drug overdose. In order to treat the

patient correctly, the student who called the ambulance should stay and give any information

they have. Students must adhere to law enforcement/medics. Any student involved will be given

the amnesty policy. After the student is treated, each student will meet with Arizona State’s

disciplinary counselor. Every student is eligible for amnesty once they complete an 8 week 

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online course on the dangers of alcohol.

Our amnesty policy is here to protect the students and make sure they are not afraid to

reach out for help.

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References

Davies, Pamela. "Binge Drinking in College Students." Proquest.com. N.p., 2013. Web. 14 Apr.

2017.

Beth Mcmurtrie | The Chronicle Of Higher Education. "Why Colleges Haven't Stopped Binge

Drinking." The New York Times. The New York Times, 14 Dec. 2014. Web. 14 Apr.

2017.

Wallace, Kelly. "Help for Colleges to Reduce Binge Drinking on Campus." CNN. Cable News

Network, 23 Sept. 2015. Web. 14 Apr. 2017.