COLLEGE BINGE DRINKING WORRIES

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The president of Pennsylvania State University says
binge drinking is an even bigger problem on college campuses than illegal
drugs.

``We don't want to say that drug use is no longer a problem, but the truth
is we don't see nearly as much of it as excess consumption of alcohol,''
Graham Spanier told the National Press Club. ``Alcohol has been the drug of
choice on campuses today.''

While universities have always had a drinking student population, Spanier
said Thursday, the ones who do drink are doing so more heavily and more
frequently.

He spoke two days after a Penn State student celebrating her 21st birthday
was hospitalized with a blood-alcohol content of 0.682 percent -- a level
twice what normally sends a person into coma. The student participated in a
tradition of drinking at least 21 alcoholic drinks during a 21st-birthday
``bar tour.''

Last summer, drinking by Penn State students led to rioting. Some 1,500
students gathered in downtown State College as rioters set bonfires in the
middle of the street, tore down light posts, battered storefronts and
injured more than a dozen police.

``There are unmistakable consequences of such behavioral patterns,''
Spanier said. ``Frequent binge drinkers are far more likely than non-binge
drinkers to have multiple problems'' that include engaging in unplanned
sexual activity, getting hurt and damaging property.

Spanier said a recent survey found that more than 40 percent of college
students today engage in binge drinking, defined as the consumption of at
least five drinks at one sitting by a male or four drinks for a female.

He said alcohol is a factor in 40 percent of all academic problems and 28
percent of all dropouts.

Spanier outlined plans to launch a national awareness campaign on Sept. 10,
with full-page ads in more than a dozen major newspapers. He also said
colleges and universities will intensify educational and prevention efforts
and establish a Web site to call greater attention to the issue.