Donna Leinwand, "College drug use, binge drinking rise." March 15, 2007. Web. January 31, 2011.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-03-15-college-drug-use_N.htm
In this article titled "College Drug Use, Binge Drinking Rise", Donna Leinwand states that, between 1993 and 2007, drug and alcohol use had been rising to include half of students. According to Leinwand, many of the studies they conducted or compared with showed either a steady result or an increase in the amount of drug and alcohol use among students. Among these numbers, it is shown that, compared to the 8.2% of the general public that have a drug or alcohol addiction, for college students it is 22.9%. Leinwand describes how not enough measures are actively taken by school administrators in preventing such high rates of drug and alcohol use. One of the studies showed that 83% of campus arrests involved drug or alcohol use.
While this article is slightly dated, nearly four years now, I believe it is still relevant for discussion. According to the article, many students have easy access to drugs or alcohol and startling numbers abuse those drugs and alcohol. The abuse of drugs and alcohol, according to the article, has been steady and increasing since 1993. This article is showing us how serious a problem this is for colleges. While many already assume drug and alcohol use in college happens, many do not know the actual numbers, and this article serves to address that. By using several different studies to supplement their own findings, the article makes itself very credible.
Even though the study is nearly four years old, I think it is still important. According to the study, the numbers they found were steady or increasing for over a decade. This indicates that another four years wouldn't have much of a decrease in those numbers. Speaking from my own experiences, the numbers in this article can still be counted as fairly accurate. For example, in the hall that I live in, the number of people that use drugs and/or alcohol would be around 50%. Even if I narrowed it down to one floor, and one section, the numbers would sadly still hold. This is why I feel that this is still a very serious issue and that it isn't being handled as well as it could. In some cases, administrators simply said that if it doesn't happen on campus, within their jurisdiction, they can't and won't do anything.
While I believe that the article is very important and valid to a degree, I do have some questions about it. One of the studies showed that 22.9% of students have a drug or alcohol addiction, compared to the 8.2% of those aged 12 and over. This seems to me like it may be more biased in that, when considering college students, the field of people is drastically reduced. The majority of students are aged 17-22, so the study is showing that 22.9% of people between 17-22 in college have an addiction. Meanwhile, the 12 and over percent applies to everyone, so there are some questions of validity in the article. Also, what should be done by school administrators to help curb this problem? How can they do anything if students leave campus to use drugs and alcohol, knowing the school can't do anything?
Group Response #1
ReplyDeleteTaylor,
MLA Work-cited Entry-
I thought that your work-cited entry was written in correct format and looked very well and gave all the information needed for the MLA style of work-cited entry.
Written Prompts from Unit One
Taylor, I think your topic may be a little of subject as far as the Discovery Center goes. But, mine was also, so don't worry about that. Haha. As far as the content goes in your bibliography, I thought that you stated all the content very clearly and in a well ordered fashion. You had a lot of good information, and facts in this reading and it kept me interested. So, as far as your work goes on this part I think you did a really good job, and the only thing I can think of that was maybe wrong with it was that drinking and drug use don't really have anything to do with the Discover Center. But, as I said before, I did the same thing so don't feel bad. Over-all nice job!!
Compared to Chapter 14 in Writing Analitically
As I went through your work, I felt that you followed the MLA format/writing style in a very comparable way with that in chapter 14 of our book. You did a good job all throughout your writing and kept me interested the whole time. I don't really have much advice with the whole MLA thing cause I am not the best at it, myself. But, I think you did a very good job with following the guidelines of writing, just as the book states.
Thanks,
Tyler Willis