UW-Madison has long had a reputation as a top school for academics and athletics, but within the student body there is a more prominent tradition the administration is not so proud of-the reputation of being an alcohol-rich university.
From the minute students arrive on the UW-Madison campus they are bombarded with drinking, with bar specials and house parties providing cheap alcohol as a framework for new students' social lives. This climate has raised UW-Madison to the number three party school in the country in the Princeton Review, creating a brand the university has been struggling to erase.
\There's a sentiment on campus that our students work hard, study hard and party hard,"" said Lori Berquam, associate dean of students at UW-Madison. ""It's a facet of life as a college student.""
According to Toben Nelson, assistant director of program evaluation for college alcohol studies at Harvard University, when a college develops a reputation as a party school, that reputation has a habit of sticking. While there is a variety in the level of binge drinking among colleges, ranging from 0 to 80 percent of students drinking on a regular basis, individual schools maintain a constant level over the years monitored.
Nelson said these numbers stay stable due to several demographic factors at colleges, including pre-college drinking trends and students' level of disposable income. The most definitive factor in raising the level of drinking is the availability of alcohol, as a high number of liquor stores and bars raises competition and advertising that brings it to the attention of students.
""The main obstacle is the incredibly high quantity and easy access to alcohol at really cheap prices,"" Nelson said.
Aaron Brower, UW-Madison professor of social work and principal investigator of the Policy Alternatives Community Education program, concurs with this theory, likening the amount of bars and stores that sell alcohol to placing cookies in front of someone trying to diet.
Brower said PACE does not push to eliminate this avenue for students, but rather provide education of what can happen when students drink in excess. The group tries to raise awareness of the problem via connections between upperclassmen and incoming students, helping them understand the culture is there and they need to be prepared. They also push for gradual modifications to alcohol distribution, looking to lower bar density and eliminate drink specials at bars.
""The project's goal is to address the consequences, not the problem itself,"" Brower said. ""If they drink and go to sleep and wake up, that's no problem-the issues are when drinking leads to violence and property destruction harming others.""
While PACE has seen some success in battling drinking consequences, such as a decrease in alcohol-based student charges from 640 in 2002 to 578 in 2003, according to UW-Madison Police, it has so far been unable to dent the campus' party image. Activities such as State Street's Halloween celebration and the Mifflin Street block party are campus traditions, and maintain high annual level of alcohol use.
Berquam said when it comes down to perpetuating UW-Madison's reputation as a party school, the greatest force is not national studies or the availability of alcohol but word of mouth. Past alumni of the school have lots of stories to share, and the majority focus on their earlier drinking.
""I talk to parents who say, 'You wouldn't believe when I was a student,'"" Berquam said. ""There's this legacy that people try to live up to.""
While Berquam said PACE provides a ""good solid effort"" in putting together a force to combat drinking by raising issue awareness, the motivation for an alcohol-based social life on campus is something that cannot be addressed by policy alone.
""If there were no bars or liquor stores for 15 miles around Madison, would students travel those 15 miles to get it?"" Berquam said. ""The trend is that students know when they want to go out, and they decide when they want to have a lot to drink.""
