In recent years, the Office of Health Promotion's Social Norms campaign has tried to show the realities of binge drinking and risky behavior around grounds. Started in the fall of 2002, marketing techniques such as the "Stall Seat Journal" and the Hoo Knew poster campaign emphasize the fact that most University students drink safely.
They "engage in healthy behaviors such as eating before they drink, planning on designated drivers, and monitoring friends who are passed out," Social Norms Marketer Caitlin Knotts said.
Misconceptions about drinking behavior seem to permeate throughout the University community, according to Knotts.
As social beings, we tend to notice differences in patterns, focusing on the "abnormal as opposed to the normal," Knotts adds. For example, she said, with regard to drinking, the excessive drinker becomes the center of the conversation. It is these types of conversations that make atypical behavior seem typical, or the norm.
"When recounting party stories, rarely will you find a person discussing the 50 people in a room drinking responsibly," Knotts said. "More often, you'll find the topic of discussion focused on the one or two people acting abnormally as a result of their drinking."
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, binge drinking refers to four or more drinks for women and five or more drinks for men within two hours. A good estimator of individual impairment is the blood-alcohol concentration. Some general BACs and their risks are listed below:
.02 percent: Relaxation, loss of inhibitions
.05 percent: Delayed reaction time, impaired judgment
.08 percent: Legal limit to drive in Virginia; mild speech impairment
.10 percent: Lack of coordination and balance, exaggerated emotions
.15 percent: Blackouts; possible significant mental and physical impairment
.20 percent: Unable to walk unassisted
.30 percent: Unconscious, difficult to arouse
.40 percent or higher: Coma or death likely
Another reason for drinking the fifth is some University students consider it a tradition. This tradition takes place throughout the day of the last home football game. Fourth-year students attempt to drink a fifth of a gallon, or 25.6 ounces, of their choice of liquor in commemoration of four years of watching, celebrating and supporting Virginia football.
According Susan Bruce, director of the Center for Alcohol and Substance Education, the risks associated with binge drinking events are extremely serious. The BAC for a 150-pound, a 175-pound and a 200-pound man drinking a fifth of 80-proof liquor spaced evenly over eight hours would be .29, .25 and .22, respectively. These numbers will be higher if the participants drink the alcohol over a shorter time period, are tired, haven't eaten or don't stay hydrated. Also, women on average will experience a higher BAC when following the same drinking patterns.
Despite all of these known risks associated with binge drinking, some University students still participate in such activities as the "fourth-year fifth."
"They think it makes them seem cooler," fourth-year Engineering student Amanda Ramstad said.
The 15th annual 4th Year 5k run/walk will be held this year Saturday, Nov. 11. In the past, the run/walk has been marketed, especially to students, as a healthy alternative to participating in the fourth-year fifth.
This year, the event will be held on the weekend preceding the last home football game. According to Sarah Strunk, the PHE intern spearheading the 4th Year 5k, the intention of the run or walk has shifted from preventative substitution toward responsibility and awareness.
Strunk noted that one of the goals in moving the 4th Year 5k up a weekend is to emphasize to students that it is "important to drink responsibly every weekend ... we want to shift the focus from heightening awareness just one weekend a year to lowering drinking risks in general."
Strunk said this year, participants will notice the race has evolved into a proactive event, offering tips for healthy behavior along the course. All proceeds go to the Leslie Baltz Foundation, a scholarship fund started by the Baltz family in honor of Leslie, a University student who died from alcohol related injuries after participating in the fourth-year fifth in 1997.
The 4th Year 5k also serves to kick off Substance Abuse Awareness Week, which will be held from Nov. 13 through Nov. 17. A diverse number of organizations are coming together to organize the week's events.
According to Strunk, Project FAR (Fourth-Years Acting Responsibly), sponsored by the Class of 2007 Trustees, will be tabling throughout this week to encourage students to sign cards pledging that they will drink responsibly at the last home football game. In addition, Corner bars will be providing cocktail napkins with low-risk drinking tips throughout the week.
A video by the Student Athlete Mentors will be aired during the game about University traditions, and how the fourth-year fifth should not be considered one of them.
Since 2001 all 17 negative consequences of drinking measured by the Social Norms Office have decreased at the University and the average BAC of University students while drinking has decreased from .07 in 2005 to .05 in 2006, Knotts said.
According to Knotts and Bruce, this can be explained by both increased awareness about the dangers of risky drinking behavior through organizations such as the Center for Alcohol and Substance Education and the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Team, and changing attitudes about participating in such activities by students on Grounds.
Pertaining to the fourth-year fifth, the 2006 Health Behaviors Data from University students indicates 89 percent of fourth-years last year said they did not participate in the fourth-year fifth.
"[I] don't think anyone really does it now but it sounds like it was more popular in the past ... it's pretty much a suicide attempt," Ramstad explains.
Although it is encouraging that 50 percent of fourth years did not drink at all for the final home football game last year, Strunk adds that the continued goal of Substance Abuse Awarness Week is to "amplify education so that those who chose to drink do so responsibly."
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