Some Iowa colleges are revamping their approach to binge drinking, and their new strategy is to convince students to appreciate, instead of dismiss, the dangers of such behavior.
For evidence, there have been at least 3 deaths in the last school years and other students who have suffered serious injuries related to alcohol use.
The state's largest universities start the school year with stepped-up efforts to reduce dangerous drinking. One key effort includes a required online class designed to help students avoid alcohol-related problems that range from worsened academic performance to sexual assaults to difficulty finding jobs if employers find a criminal record or incriminating photos.
Still, experts say binge drinking rates won't fall until alcohol is no longer synonymous with the college experience - and that likely isn't going to happen any time soon. Most people believe that drinking is just part of the college experience. For most that might be true, but it doesn't have to end catastrophically either.