The numbers of binge drinkers and alcohol abstainers at the College has increased among freshmen according to the Core Institute survey administered to undergraduates for the sixth time last spring.
The percentage of freshmen students reporting binge drinking rose from 33 percent in 1995 to 41 percent in 1996. The number of students saying they abstain from drinking rose from 12 percent to 18 percent.
The Core Institute is part of the Center for Alcohol and Other Drugs, and it annually conducts a survey of college students' drinking habits.
Binge drinking was defined as the consumption of five or more drinks at one time more than once in the past two weeks.
The series of survey questions developed at Dartmouth asked for the exact number of drinks consumed by students everyday for the past two weeks, and the data indicated consuming 10 drinks at once instead of five was accepted as the binge definition by students.
About 17 percent of Dartmouth students reported they had consumed 10 or more drinks at one time in the past two weeks in 1996.
The binge-drinking rate for Dartmouth freshman is about at the national level of 43 percent.
The survey, which was conducted by the College's Health Services, had a response rate of 45 percent, or 544 of the 1,200 students whom were sent surveys.
Dean of the College Lee Pelton told the Valley News that the national data suggests alcohol abuse among high school students has increased, which may influence the numbers at Dartmouth.
Regarding the increased number of abstainers, Pelton said, "It may be that some of the educational programs we have are working, ... on the other hand, it may be we're just getting a different type of student coming to Dartmouth."
But John Pryor, coordinator of evaluation and research for the office of the Dean of the College, said most of the survey results can be interpreted as "good news."
The rate of binge drinking among all Dartmouth students has decreased and the number of reported negative sexual incidents resulting from alcohol use dropped when compared to data from the recent past.
"Data on frequent binge drinking and negative consequences were consistent with the significant reductions reported last year," Pryor said in a press release. "This would seem to indicate that the previous year's successes were not an anomaly, but rather the possible beginning of a cultural change at Dartmouth where alcohol is concerned."
Comparative data from other Ivy League institutions indicates that Dartmouth is about the same as its peers in terms of consumption and negative effects of alcohol usage.
Dartmouth's figures are indicative of national trends, according to Pryor.
"All over the country we are seeing a polarization of alcohol use: the bingers and the abstainers," Pryor said. "At Dartmouth we are fortunate enough to see the number of abstainers increasing and the number of bingers decreasing."
"Hopefully we're looking at alcohol continuing to be less of a dominating factor in students' social life," Pryor said.
Pelton said it was too early in the study of alcohol use at the College to tell if the survey results are a trend.
"The data is moving in a direction which pleases the College," he told the Valley News. "It's beginning to look like a trend."
Director of Health Resources Gabrielle Lucke said the increase in the percentage of teetotalers as well as the decrease in the number of reported negative sexual incidents may be due to the changes in education programs available at the College.
She said discussions are now more oriented toward values rather than basic medical information.
"We shifted peer education programs from health issues to cultural issues," Lucke said.
"For the past two years the FISPE grant has helped fund social events and experiences that weren't alcohol-centered," Lucke said.
The number of students practicing frequent binge drinking dropped from 35 percent in 1994 to 29 percent in 1996. In 1995, the figure was slightly lower, 27 percent.
Sexual intercourse resulting from drinking decreased from 21 percent in 1994 to 10 percent in 1995 and remained at that rate with nine percent in 1996.
Other forms of alcohol-induced sexual activity decreased from 47 percent in 1994 to 31 percent in 1995 and continued to decrease to 26 percent in 1996.
The proportion of students who said they abandoned safe-sex practices they would have otherwise used if sober dropped from 13 percent in 1994 to nine percent in both 1995 and 1996.
Binge drinking among leaders of fraternities and sororities decreased from 68 percent in 1995 to 59 percent in 1996.
There was a 10 percent increase in the number of students who participated in the fraternity and sorority system and do not binge drink, from 19 percent in 1995 to 29 percent in 1996.
The rise may be attributed to the larger percentage of freshmen who binge, Pryor said.
