Drinking in Our Institutions of Higher Education
             Colleges all across this nation serve not only as facilities for higher education, but also as a way for young people to experience life with less restrictions as they continue their journey into full adulthood. Many students, having never experienced this freedom before, tend to use it irresponsibly and "go wild". This phenomenon of American culture is partly responsible for the problems with alcohol on and around college campuses. The two articles from national newspapers may be similar in their recognition of the problems that binge drinking brings about, but the particular areas of the issue they focus on, and their individual perspectives, differ immensely.
             The "Letter from the Washington Post, October 5, 1996, suggests that the media is largely responsible for encouraging college students to "party" instead of focusing on their main goal, which is to procure an education. The "Washington Post" letter to the editor gives numerous, fact based, statistical information concerning the issue. According to Stuart and Sole, "one out of every four student deaths is related to alcohol use" (Stuart and Sole 47). Students who abuse alcohol not only do harm to themselves, but to other students as well. According to the article, "Students at schools with high levels of binge drinking are three times more likely to be pushed, hit or sexually assaulted" (Stewart and Sole 47). The highly rated Princeton Review is blamed for ranking "party schools", therefore encouraging students to become interested in Universities for their popularity with sororities and fraternities instead of their academics. The Post is also belittled for putting too much emphasis on "glorifying drunkenness and poor study habits" (Stuart and Sole 47).
             While both writers agree that there is indeed a serious problem with alcohol ...