University football games are steeped in many student traditions, from singing the Good Ol' Song to wearing ties and sundresses to drinking - drinking lots of alcohol.
But many parents are not enthusiastic about the last part of that tradition and the University is making efforts to change it.
According to a report and poll by the American Medical Association, 95 percent of parents surveyed believe binge drinking is a serious threat to their college-aged children. Eighty-five percent feel that easy access to alcohol on college campuses directly contributes to the problem.
Furthermore, the report claims that binge drinking among college students is increasing. The report, "The National Effort to Reduce High-Risk Drinking Among College Students," also states that one in four college students frequently binges today.
The AMA defines binge drinking as having at least four drinks in one sitting for females and five drinks in one sitting for males. Frequent binge drinking is defined as having three or more such drinking episodes within two weeks.
The report reiterates concern felt by many administrators at the University.
"I think binge drinking is a phenomenon that causes concern for all involved, not just parents," Asst. Dean of Students Aaron Laushway said.
At the University, police respond to the greatest number of alcohol-related incidents during the last home football game of the season, when some fourth years attempt to consume a fifth of alcohol before the game, Charlottesville Police Sgt. Richard Hudson said.
We see "more that day than the rest of the year," he said.
In contrast, police responded to only one alcohol-related incident at the football game against Richmond on Saturday.
The University has numerous resources in place to help combat binge drinking through the Center for Alcohol and Substance Education. CASE programs include the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Team (ADAPT), a peer-education program, and Choices, a class that consists of individual and group presentations and discussions.
This summer, CASE also received a two-year grant of about $250,000 from the Department of Education to create a new program targeting binge drinking in the Greek system.
Despite these efforts, some think preventing alcohol abuse goes beyond the University.
"It's not just the University, it's everyone involved," said Jill Ingram, who serves as the ADAPT chairwoman and the youth issues president for the Central Virginia chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. "If parents are truly concerned [about binge drinking] they need open lines of communication with their children."
Still, some community members think it is important to keep binge drinking in perspective.
"If there is one [incident of binge drinking], that is too many. As far as it being our biggest problem, it's not," Hudson said.
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