DRINKING ON CAMPUS IS TARGETED

For many years, drinking and college parties went hand in hand. Nationwide, about 12 million college students consume a staggering 430 gallons of alcoholic beverages each year.

But many universities and colleges -- including Southeast Missouri State University -- are working hard to increase the awareness on the dangers of alcohol.

Sometimes, responsible drinking is a tough sell on university campuses. But not only are drunk college students a danger to others, they can be a danger to themselves. Each year, a growing number of college students literally drink themselves to death, dying from alcohol poisoning when too much is consumed at one time.

A recent survey at Southeast revealed that heavy drinking is rather commonplace. About 46 percent of 590 Southeast students surveyed in the spring said they had been binge drinking in the previous two weeks. That is considerably higher than the national average of 39 percent.

Underage drinking also remains a problem on college campuses. Nearly 70 percent of those underage students surveyed at Southeast said they had consumed alcohol in the previous month.

And perhaps the most chilling fact of all was that 41 percent of those surveyed at Southeast said they had driven a car while under the influence of alcohol. That's an accident just waiting to happen.

Alcohol abuse is costly in terms of lost class time and academic problems. It is a problem worthy of heightened university, parental and student attention.