COLLEGE OFFICIALS ATTRIBUTE THE FIFTH CONSECUTIVE ANNUAL INCREASE TO
STRICTER ENFORCEMENT.

Alcohol arrests rose by 10 percent and drug arrests by 5 percent on college
campuses in 1996, the fifth consecutive year that reported violations of
substance abuse laws have increased,according to a survey being released
Monday by the Chronicle of Higher Education,an independent newspaper that
covers higher education.

In 1995, alcohol arrests increased by less than 1 percent, but drug arrests
climbed by almost 18 percent. Then, as now, college law-enforcement
officials and administrators attributed the rise to stricter enforcement of
laws rather than to more use of drugs and alcohol.

"We have seen a dramatic increase in binge drinking," said Dr. Randolph
Canterbury, director of the Institute of Substance Abuse Studies at the
University of Virginia, where he is chairman of the Department of
Psychiatric Medicine. Randolph said he had found more people reporting
incidents because of "a greater concern with civility."

According to the report, an annual survey of crime at 500 of the nation's
major colleges and universities, there were 16,237 alcohol arrests in 1996,
up from 14,759 in 1995, and 7,060 drug arrests, up from 6,725.

The increase is in keeping with national trends, as is the drop in the
number of robberies and burglaries in 1996. The drop was by 6 percent for
robberies and 5 percent for burglaries, for a total of 16,226 arrests.

But for the second consecutive year, sex offenses and murders rose.
Colleges reported 19 murders in 1996, up from 15 in 1995, and 1,161
forcible sex offenses up from 1,013. Nationally, the number of sex offenses
has gone down, but officials note that younger women more readily report
such assaults.

The survey, based on reports that the institutions are required by federal
law to prepare, compiles the number of crimes committed on campus at
four-year colleges.

Michigan State University led the country for alcohol violations in 1996,
with 574 arrests. Next came the University of California, Berkeley, with 523.

The institution with the greatest number of drug arrests was the University
of California, Berkeley, with 193. It was followed by San Jose State
University, with 160.