The recent death of Jacob Terry, a freshman due to alcohol poisoning has raised a lot of questions at Radford University of alcohol on a “dry” campus.
“Approximately 25 percent of college students report having experienced academic consequences as a result of drinking,” as stated by Radford’s SAVES website (Substance Abuse and Violence Education Support) office. “Approximately 5 percent of college students are involved with police as a result of drinking.”
Substance Abuse and Violence Education Support Services (SAVES) is Radford’s office that is dedicated to reducing negative consequences related to substance abuse and/or violence through campus-wide initiatives that address these issues and promote student success. They compile facts about substance abuse and violence, hotlines to speak with, and website links for help for students on and off campus.
Further mentioning that “Approximately 31 percent of college students met criteria for alcohol abuse and approximately 6 percent for alcohol dependence in the past 12 months based on self-report (2009 NIAAA’s Snapshot of Annual High-Risk College Drinking.
Meaning that of those 6 percent of college students they run on alcohol as a physically or psychologically need (dependence).
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) supports and conducts research on the impact of alcohol use on human health and one’s well-being while being one of the 27 institutes and centers that comprise the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
“I feel absolutely horrible. A guy that I’ve seen walking around campus and talked to a few times is dead.” Justin Dryer, a psychology freshman, said” I could only imagine how his family is feeling,”
“Personally, I think the idea of having a dry campus puts up a fake sense of hope for parents and prospective students. There is no such thing as a dry campus. I think consumption of alcohol is going to happen anywhere if people want it to happen.”
While Meredith Lewis, pre-nursing freshman said, “I think it’s inevitable” for the consumption of alcohol on a “dry” campus.
Radford University’s campus police provide 24-hour patrol protection on campus, parking lots, and residence halls. 172 on campus and 108 residential facilities liquor law arrests were conducted 2014 – 2016; while 657 on campus and 604 residential facilities were liquor law violations referred for disciplinary actions throughout those same years presented on Radford’s police Safety and Security Report.
“I mean they [the police] could probably do more, but there’s no way they could prevent it all, you’re dealing with college-aged kids they’re going to drink,” Lewis said.
“We need to look out for each other. Encourage each other to seek help when we aren’t doing well whether it’s academically or mentally and physically,” Dryer said.
Lewis seems to have a more educational look at the matter, “I think the best way to deal with it would be from an educational aspect. Informing to prevent the dangerous drinking, not wasting resources to get every student who drinks,” Lewis said.
“Unfortunately, it’s everywhere on campus. It truly depends on who you hang out with. There’s a 99 percent chance that someone has drugs or alcohol either in their living environment, on their person, or in their system,” Dryer said.
For more information on Alcohol and Drug abuse go to the SAVES office https://www.radford.edu/content/saves/home.html, and the hotline is 540-961-8400
Dylan Lepore 