Statement Of
Catherine Bath,
Program Director
Security On
Campus, Inc.
http://www.campussafety.org/
“Under the Influence: The Binge Drinking
Epidemic on College Campuses” hearing before the United States Senate
Governmental Affairs Committee
Wednesday, May 15,
2002
We at Security On Campus, Inc. (SOC)
commend Senator Lieberman’s and this committee’s swift response to
the epidemic problem of binge drinking on college and university campuses by
convening a hearing on the subject.
SOC is a national non-profit, grassroots organization devoted to making
American college and university campuses safer places.
My son, Raheem, died of aspiration pneumonia in 1999 following a binge drinking incident. Raheem was in his junior year pursuing a double major in Engineering and Economics at Duke University when he died. At first his death was billed as "overwhelming pneumonia", but two months later, when another student landed in the same hospital with the same condition, alarmed Duke University administrators went public with the real cause of his death.
Raheem’s death spurred a flurry of media attention over lax administrative college policies and the inadequacies of programs addressing student alcohol-related problems on campus. My son's death becoming so public forced me into making a decision whether or not to talk to the press. I decided to talk in an effort to spare other parents the nightmare of losing a child to alcohol-related causes.
When my son died, I looked for someone to blame, but after looking deeply and sincerely into my heart I realized that if I wanted to blame anybody it would be American Society for condoning drinking. You're not cool if you don't drink. That is the way it is for the most part, and all the beer advertising paints a glamorous picture of alcohol. It is dangerous, especially in excess!
I never thought I could lose my only son. Nothing in my life had prepared me for the nightmare of losing my wonderful boy! Raheem was a handsome, brilliant young man. He was my joy. I have a deep understanding of the "It can't happen to me" mentality - because I had it! I never dreamed that I would lose a child - that happened in other families, not in mine.
I feel that God has given me the opportunity to deal with my personal tragedy by becoming an advocate for societal change in attitudes toward alcohol. Security On Campus, Inc. provides the support for me to honor my son's memory by becoming an agent of positive change.
At Security On Campus, Inc. we track campus crime on a nationwide basis, and campus crime victims call us from across the country for advice. We get many calls from victims of sexual assault or rape. Often we find that alcohol is involved. We started seeing the picture of alcohol consumption by underage college students as a big part of the problem.
We produced two alcohol education documentaries that we have distributed to over 15,000 colleges, high schools and substance abuse counselors. Our goal is not to eliminate drinking. Our goal is to reduce the incidence of high risk drinking among college students.
Should we be surprised at the high
percentages of college and high school students experimenting with alcohol and
engaging in high risk drinking?
Our children, just by the privilege of living in America and growing up
watching TV – have been exposed to the alcohol industry’s public
service announcements most of their young lives. Other than the alcohol industry’s public service
announcements to party with beer, bond with beer, be fun, popular and
successful with beer (Also Known As: beer commercials) they have had virtually
no other education about alcohol.
S. 866, and the House companion H.R.
1509, the “National Media Campaign to Prevent
Underage Drinking Act of 2001” remain stuck in committee. This
society is set up in such a way that only the strongest, most exceptional
individuals can possibly make an informed choice about alcohol. All of the efforts to affect some
change in this culture are very grassroots and subverted at every juncture by
the alcohol industry, a very powerful and cash rich presence and force at every
level, including governmental. In
fact, the alcohol industry is lobbying hard right now, this week, to try and
get H.R. 1305 passed in congress.
H.R. 1305 is a bill to roll back the federal beer tax to its 1951
level. Ludicrous. We should be raising taxes on beer to
discourage our students from binge drinking. Studies have shown that raising alcohol taxes will cut down
on amount of alcohol consumed by college students. (Sloan, F. A., Reilly, B.A., &
Schenzler, C. (1995). Effects of tort liability and insurance on heavy
drinking and drinking and driving. Journal
of Law and Economics, 38(1):49-77)
The liquor industry spends well over
a billion dollars a year to rope in young viewers. (1998 Beer
Impact, supra note 1, at 321 (Table 7-3)). Additional sources of data
regarding alcohol advertising expenditures include Liquor Handbook, Wine Handbook and
Beer Handbook (published annually by
Adams Business Media). Especially targeted are our 16 - 25 year old
young men. You can’t watch a
football game without watching many, many beer commercials. They have brainwashed so many young
people to think that beer is the solution for problems in life. Beer is the solution for our
socializing. The liquor industry has one objective for airing those
commercials. To hook young people
and hopefully make them a life long consumer of their highly addictive substances.
Drinking does cause permanent,
irreversible brain changes to the still developing brain of under
21-year-olds. Alcohol is by
far the drug of choice for young people in middle school, high school and
college. It’s legal for
adults 21 years of age and older.
Alcohol kills six times as many people as all the other illegal drugs
combined.
Alcohol is a dangerous drug. Why are alcohol advertisers not
required to issue a long list of warnings (the truth) on TV? Why are they allowed to advertise such
a dangerous drug to our children at all?
Security On Campus, Inc. (SOC) was founded by Howard and Connie Clery as a national non-profit organization in 1987 to educate students and parents about the dangers of campus crime, assist other victims with counseling and legal assistance, combat alcohol and other drug abuse, and work to improve the level of security at campuses across the country.
In 1990 the Clerys and other families of victims persuaded the U.S. Congress to enact the “Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act” (originally the Campus Security Act) that requires colleges and universities to report campus crime statistics to their students and employees. We have been instrumental in the passage of more than 30 state laws and six federal laws. Our entire Board of Directors is made up of victims of violent campus crimes, 90% of which are alcohol and/or drug related. (80% are student-on-student crimes.)
Yes, we have saved lives and we can help you to save many more by working together.
Congratulations, and let us know how we can help you and your committee.