Freshman are particularly at risk for death among college students attending four-year institutions, a USA Today analysis released yesterday found. The findings coincide with University administrators reporting that six University first years were involved in alcohol-related incidents Monday night.
The study, conducted for USA Today by the American Council on Higher Education using National Council for Education Statistics, found that freshman account for one-third of deaths at four-year colleges between 2000 and 2005 even though they account for just 24 percent of the students enrolled at these institutions. Moreover, the study found that freshman account for 51 percent of all the deaths from falls and 40 percent of deaths from suicides and health-related illnesses.
"The freshman pattern emerged as quite a surprise," said Bob Davis, the USA Today medical writer who began exploring the issue of college deaths more broadly a year ago in response to a spate of binge drinking deaths.
Alcohol may have played a greater role in college deaths than apparent, particularly in instances of falls. Typical examples of freshman deaths include a student who was smoking on the window ledge of a seventh-story dorm room because smoking was banned inside the building, or falling off the roof, Davis said of cases included in the study.
First years are not disproportionately represented in deaths here at the University, administrators reported, although no hard data is available on the subject.
"I'm not surprised by those data nationally," Dean of Students Penny Rue said. "I don't think that is the experience at the University of Virginia."
The University has avoided some of these problems because of characteristics unique to University students, Director of Residence Life Angela Davis said.
"You are pretty informed, your parents are pretty plugged into you and we have a highly selective population," Angela Davis said.
Both at the University and nationally, accidents and suicide are the leading cause of death for college students, according to Kara Schuster, a health educator at the Office of Health Promotion.
Schuster said she did not have comparative statistics relating to accidents at the University but said that upperclassmen tend to be more conscious of their health.
"I think healthy behavior is becoming more of a concern for upperclassmen as they are getting ready to go into their careers or into the graduate world," Schuster said. "Maybe first years are not foreseeing themselves in the future yet."
While students understood that first years might be particularly vulnerable, they noted other periods may be riskier.
"Second years are not surrounded by people all the time and the residential advisors," Peer Health educator Julia Segal said.
Segal also said the University community should be aware of the risk of suicide more broadly.
"There is this overriding idea that everyone loves U.Va. and that everyone can handle it, and I think you can get lost in that," Segal said.
Aaron Laushway, associate dean of fraternity and sorority life, said he does not think first years joining fraternities or sororities this semester would lead to additional problems here at the University.
"Last fall there were a number of first year deaths that were fraternity-related nationally, and that has resulted in stricter enforcement and policies at other colleges and universities," Laushway said, adding that there has not been a death at the University related to the Greek system since 1982.
The study, which examined the death of college students in which the cause of death was reported in the media, is not scientific -- suicide and instances in which alcohol played a secondary role are particularly less likely to be represented -- but Bob Davis said the trends are worth noting anyway.
"So many of these people just died having fun, and so many of the deaths were preventable," he said. "If there were a little more discussion about how to watch out for each other and risk taking, it might save a few lives."
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