COLLEGE REPORT FINDS IU CAMPUS NEAR TOP IN DRUG, ALCOHOL ARRESTS

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Drug and alcohol arrests at Indiana University rank in
the top five among the nation's college campuses, but IU police say tougher
enforcement rather than increased abuse is the reason.

The south-central Indiana campus ranked second in drug arrests and fifth in
alcohol-related arrests, the Chronicle of Higher Education said this week
in a report based on arrest figures for 2001 and compiled by the U.S.
Department of Education.

Penn State had the most drug arrests, while Michigan State had the most
alcohol arrests, followed by Wisconsin, Western Michigan and Louisiana State.

The report said drug arrests at colleges nationwide rose by 5.5 percent in
2001, the 10th consecutive annual increase. Alcohol arrests increased by
4.7 percent.

The study was based on an analysis of data from 4,711 two-year and
four-year schools that receive federal aid. The institutions are required
to report the data to the government by each Oct. 1.

An IU police spokesman, Capt. Jerry Minger, attributed the increase in
Bloomington to a change in attitude among government and society.

"It's an enforcement issue," he said. "That's why the statistics have gone
up. There's been more enforcement."

IU toughened its stance on student drinking after the 1998 alcohol-related
death of a student. In 2001 and 2002, five IU fraternities were suspended
or expelled for violations of alcohol policies.

The report's figures also were higher because IU police often cite students
for off-campus offenses under a recent agreement with Bloomington police,
said Dean Richard McKaig.

Zero-tolerance policies and crackdowns on offenses like seat-belt use also
can lead to drug or alcohol arrests, Minger said.

Even the changing social attitude toward smoking is a factor, he said.
Marijuana arrests often result from complaints that someone is smoking in a
dormitory. Callers don't care if their neighbors are smoking tobacco or pot.

"It's not that we're less tolerant of marijuana," Minger said. "We're less
tolerant of anything."

Minger said he thinks there is less drinking and marijuana use on campus
than there was in the late 1960s and early '70s.