UO GETS GRANT TO BATTLE DRINKING

University of Oregon students believe their peers drink alcohol and smoke
marijuana more than they actually do. And that perception, UO officials
say, leads students to consume more themselves.

The UO announced plans Tuesday to launch an educational campaign to clear
up those misperceptions, thanks to a $236,000 grant from the U.S.
Department of Education.

The UO is one of seven universities nationwide selected for the grant, out
of 58 that applied, under the Education Department's Drug Free Schools
Program.

"This grant is very significant in that it affirms the efforts already
under way at the University of Oregon to help address and combat a serious
problem of alcohol and drug abuse," UO President Dave Frohnmayer said Tuesday.

The UO began an effort last year to educate students about the actual rates
of campus drinking after a survey found that students far overestimated the
percentage of their peers who drink and use drugs.

Students, especially freshmen, are "going to try to fit into the norm,
whether that's real or imaginary," said Linda Devine, a UO assistant dean
of student life. Changing perceptions could be a tough sell, however. UO
students interviewed Tuesday said they don't think the UO's findings
reflect reality.

Education campaigns have gained credibility as the schools that pioneered
the efforts have reported positive results.

Northern Illinois University, for example, launched a mass-media campaign
to change student perceptions. Six years later, students reported a 35
percent reduction in binge drinking. They also reported 31 percent fewer
alcohol-related injuries to themselves and 54 percent fewer alcohol-related
injuries to others.

College efforts to change student drinking habits have also gained urgency
in the wake of a string of alcohol-related deaths on campuses across the
country, said Laura Blake Jones, a UO associate dean of student life. She
also cited a national study showing that drinking has a significant impact
on academic performance.

The new UO campaign will target freshmen through their professors,
dormitory staff, the Greek system, interest groups and athletic staff. The
plan also calls for expanding late-night activities to keep students on
campus and to give them nonalcoholic forms of entertainment.

The UO will also intensify an advertising campaign, using posters and other
displays to spread the slogan: "When they party, 80 percent of UO students
drink zero to four drinks." The slogan is based on a UO student survey.

If students know how much their peers are drinking, Jones said, "they're
less likely to drink up to the misperception." In addition, the UO next
year will become one of the first colleges to target misperceptions about
marijuana, Devine said.

In last year's survey, students said 96 percent of their peers drank at
least once a week. But only 52 percent of students surveyed reported
drinking that often - a 44 percent gap between perception and reality.
Likewise, while students said 90 percent of their peers smoke marijuana at
least once a month, only 29 percent reported doing so.

However, students interviewed at the student union Tuesday expressed
skepticism about the UO's findings of actual use.

"I would definitely guess higher," said junior Alex O'Brien, 20. "My
friends drink a lot. It just depends on who you hang out with." Sophomore
Whitney O'Neill, 18, said she and her friends drink eight to 12 beers each
at parties. "Usually it's like three trips to the store," she said.

Louise Powell, a junior, said the findings on actual marijuana use appear
low. "It's illegal, so are a lot of people going to admit `Yeah, I smoke it
once a month'? "

REALITY GAP [sidebar]

A University of Oregon survey of 477 students in winter 1997 found that
students believe that their peers are drinking and taking drugs at a much
higher rate than they actually are.

Use at least once a month Use at least once a week

Substance

Perceived use Actual use Perceived use Actual use

Alcohol 99% 72% 96% 52%

Tobacco 96% 38% 89% 29%

Marijuana 90.9% 29% 66% 18%

Cocaine 24% xx 6% xx

Amphetamines 37% 2% 11% 1%

Sedatives 22% 1% 5% xx

Hallucinogens 32% 2% 6% xx

Opiates 16% xx 4% xx

Inhalants 14% xx 3% xx

Designer drugs 23% xx 5% xx

Steroids 20% xx 5% xx

Other 22% xx 7% xx

- - xx denotes that use was less than 0.5 percent

Checked-by: Richard Lake