March 22--While riskier alcohol consumption is increasing, the population of students under the influence is not, said panelists in a forum on the culture of binge drinking in college hosted by Washington State University student news media Thursday.
Cougs Under the Influence focused on alcohol consumption and attempted to highlight the danger of mixing substances -- particularly caffeine from energy drinks -- in the wake of 18-year-old WSU student Kenny Hummel's death last semester. Hummel was found unconscious in a residence hall in late October and later declared dead. His blood-alcohol level was .40, where .08 is enough to be convicted of drunk driving.
The forum opened with a recorded interview of Hummel's aunt, Lee Ann Easton, who said her nephew had been consuming vodka with energy drinks, a dangerous trend that continues to grow. Erica Austin, a WSU professor researching alcohol marketing, said energy drinks hit the market in 1997 as a $400,000-a-year enterprise that grew to $9 billion by 2011.
"We didn't mix drinks with caffeine because these drinks didn't exist," Easton said of the recent past.
She said she didn't blame Hummel's friends for his death but believes friends and students should be more vigilant and helpful when they see someone in need.
Pullman Police Chief Gary Jenkins said Hummel's death highlights the issue of binge drinking on college campuses. He said the solution to curbing excessive drinking, however, won't come solely from law enforcement.
"We really need a multidisciplinary approach," Jenkins said. "There's no silver bullet."
Pullman Police rarely come upon a college party and find stacks of kegs, as had once been the normal indication of a wild party, he said. Students tend to prefer hard liquor and mixing caffeine, prescription drugs or both.
He said he hopes the Washington Legislature will pass House Bill 1404, which would provide immunity from prosecution to minors who report alcohol-related medical emergencies either for themselves or others.
"That bill has quite a lot of support," said Bruce Wright, executive director of WSU's Health and Wellness Services and chairman of a university task force on alcohol and drugs.
If the bill becomes law, an educational campaign would be required, he said.
"There's not a lot of awareness in the community, in the student community," Wright said, "that they can have immunity if they call for help."
Many times students suffering from alcohol poisoning will be brought to Pullman Regional Hospital by friends, said Stacey Aggabao, director of the emergency department. That helps medical staff in determining how much and what type of alcohol was consumed, as well as if other substances were combined, she added. They do not ask about caffeine.
Alcohol advertising can have an effect on a person from a young age, Austin said, and children and teens find the success and popularity of the people in the advertisements alluring. There is also the sense of invulnerability that comes with youth, she said.
"When we're young, we think we're going to live forever," Austin said. "Nothing bad is going to happen."
That mindset is perpetuated every time someone binges on alcohol and gets away with it, Jenkins said. They will continue until something goes wrong. A significant number of police responses to alcohol-related issues on campus are related to physical or sexual assault, as well as personal injury, he said.
Jenkins said students in the past were deterred from excessive drinking more by WSU's student accountability program than by law enforcement, and he hopes they will be again in the future.
Wright said the university is working on that.
Brandon Macz can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 238, or by email to bmacz@dnews.com.
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