Princeton Review has recently released its 2010 edition of The Best 371 Colleges, ranking American colleges and universities by almost every criterion possible, from knowledgeable professors to quality of dorm food. But despite the fact that nearly seventy lists are included in the guide, there is one list in particular that has students, parents, and college officials across the country talking: “Party Schools,” which ranks the top 20 party schools of 2009.

According to Princeton Review, the “party schools” are determined “based on a combination of survey questions [posed to students] concerning the use of alcohol and drugs, hours of study each day, and the popularity of the Greek system.” This year, Penn State topped the list, with the University of Florida and the University of Mississippi coming in second and third, respectively. Other drug- and alcohol-related lists in The Best 371 Colleges include “Lots of Beer,” “Lots of Hard Liquor,” and “Reefer Madness.”

While school officials aim for prestige, college kids’ responses to the rankings show that many students aspire to make the “Party Schools” list. From Facebook status updates to school newspaper articles, college students across the country have been expressing pride for being ranked – and disgust at not receiving a “Party School” title. “I’m really confused that UA isn’t at least on the list,” senior Sarah Kramm told the Crimson White, the University of Alabama’s official newspaper. “It’s like every night I’ll get texts and calls about all these different parties. Not to mention all of our bars are normally packed. It just doesn’t make sense to me.”

Can Princeton Review’s ratings pose a threat to college kids? Absolutely, writes Richard Yoast, Ph.D., director of the American Medical Association (AMA)’s Office of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Abuse Prevention. The AMA, claiming that the party list “legitimiz[es] high-risk drinking,” has been lobbying Princeton Review for years to cease publishing this particular report. Yoast has been quoted as saying, “The Princeton Review should be ashamed to publish something for students and parents that fuels the false notion that alcohol is central to the college experience.”

Furthermore, a new study published in the Cochrane Library shows that college kids tend to drink as much as they believe their peers do – but they often overestimate how much alcohol their fellow students consume. “When a list such as ‘Party Schools’ or ‘Lots of Beer’ is published, it may inflate expectations by incoming students that ‘this is a big-time drinking school,’” explains Ken Winters, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Minnesota Medical School and a Senior Scientist at Treatment Research Institute. And having this type of perceived norm for drinking can encourage some individuals to drink more than if they held a more conservative view of the drinking norm at that school.”

“These rankings are not more than popularity contests,” Annemarie Mountz, spokesperson for number-one-rated Penn State, has said, noting that less than 1 percent of her university’s students participated in the Princeton Review survey, and that those who did participate were encouraged by their peers to boost Penn State’s partying reputation. “[The lists are] not connected to reality.”

So what if your kids are enrolled in the colleges on this year’s list? Dr. Winters suggests parents tell their kids the following: “Be smart. We don’t want you to make the list for ‘We Are Disappointed In You’ or ‘School Expulsion.’”

• 	Posted by: Joe Keenan | 2 Comment(s)
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As a father of two teens, I know it’s impossible to shield our kids from messages that promote underage drinking. That said, it’s always nice to be given a heads-up so we know just who and what in pop culture may be negatively influencing our kids – and right now in particular, I think you’ll be surprised to find out some of the sources sending pro-drinking messages to our teenagers. Here’s a quick round-up of where our kids have been seeing and hearing “cool” alcohol-related messages lately:

Tweens and younger teens: The latest Harry Potter movie. If you think I’m kidding, check out this article from the New York Times, which cites a number of scenes in which our favorite young wizards, only about 16, drink “butterbeer” and appear to get drunk.

(More…)

• 	Posted by: Joe Keenan | 6 Comment(s)
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Just read this fantastic guest blog on Lisa Belkin’s Motherlode (New York Times). This brave mother, Janice Lynch Schuster, has two teens currently battling what she figuratively refers to as a “big black snake” – or, as it is more commonly known, drug and alcohol addiction. I’m sure that most parents who have watched their children struggle with a drug problem would agree that Schuster is right on target when she compares addiction to a scary – and possibly deadly –snake.

Facing her children’s drug problems, she writes, used to paralyze her. Even when she wanted to confront the monster, she was reduced to ineffectively yelling, taking away things that her kids could just get more of, and convincing herself that drug use was simply a rite of passage for teens. But luckily, Schuster finally got strong enough to intervene and get help for both her addicted children. Here’s a great quote from the post:

“I insisted that first one child and then another be admitted to a substance-abuse recovery program, a residential program that specializes in treating children, like mine, who are alcoholics and drug addicts. Just writing that is painful and foreign; it is as difficult as speaking in the snake’s tongue. The language of addiction is full of loss — lost opportunities, lost lives, lost potential, lost families, lost time. Now both children are in what is called recovery — they have been clean and sober, one for about eight weeks and the other for scarcely more than two.”

For those of you who can relate to Schuster’s story, I highly encourage you to check out Intervene, our newly launched blog here at the Partnership. We’re so proud of Intervene because it’s more than just a website – it’s a supportive community of parents and caring adults concerned about a beloved teen or young adult’s drug use. Right now, we have some very inspiring guest bloggers posting, including two authors with new books out and one wonderful woman who has been running marathons all over the world to raise funds and awareness for drug addiction and treatment.

And remember, you can also visit our website TimeToAct if you suspect or know your teenager is using drugs. TimeToAct has tips on how to initiate a conversation and get your child help.

• 	Posted by: Joe Keenan | 2 Comment(s)
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Last summer I blogged about how the presidents of more than 100 colleges and universities asked lawmakers to consider lowering the legal drinking age from 21 to 18. Then this month, comedian Stephen Colbert of Comedy Central’s satirical news show “The Colbert Report” interviewed the man leading the charge. John McCardell, the former President of Middlebury College, believes the current drinking age drives young adults to consume alcohol out of public view, putting them at greater risk.

Watch the clip (05:45) and tell me what you think. Do you agree with McCardell that the drinking age should be lowered to 18? Or do you think this would be a gigantic mistake?

Update: July 1, 2009

Just came across this very interesting New York Times article stating that drinking among young adults under 21 has decreased greatly in recent years…except for those in college. A 27-year-old study shows that men between the ages of 18-20 who don’t attend college binge drink 30% less than they did when the study first began — but there’s been absolutely no statistical change in 18- to 20-year-old men who do attend a university! So perhaps its the college lifestyle — not the high legal drinking age — that’s causing so many young people to binge. Thoughts?

• 	Posted by: Joe Keenan | 5 Comment(s)
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From Medical News Today: A survey of 3,616 college students at two American universities found an overwhelming majority of women overestimated the amount of alcohol a typical guy would like his female friends, dates or girlfriends to drink. The results can be found in the March issue of Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, published by the American Psychological Association.

“Although traditionally, men drink more than women, research has shown that women have steadily been drinking more and more over the last several decades,” said the study’s lead author, Joseph LaBrie, PhD, associate professor of psychology at Loyola Marymount University. “Our research suggests women believe men find excessive drinking sexually attractive and appealing, but it appears this is a giant misperception.”

More about this study at Medical News Today.

• 	Posted by: Joe Keenan | 2 Comment(s)
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Time and time again I see news stories of teenagers losing their lives in horrific car accidents after leaving underage-drinking parties at a friend’s house. Just today, I read about another young teen’s death after he left a party and drove his car into oncoming traffic –- he was only 16. One of the parents at the party had served him and his friends alcohol. The loss of yet another bright future makes me sad, but the fact that a parent would willingly permit teenage drinking by serving alcohol to underage kids just leaves me speechless.

Sadly enough, the article highlights a scary trend — one-third of teens said it was “easy to obtain alcohol” from their parents, according to a 2005 study conducted by the American Medical Association. That figure jumps to 40 percent when it comes to getting alcohol from a friend’s parent. One out of four teens said they had attended a party where minors were drinking in front of parents.

What do you think? Should this mother be held accountable for enabling teenage drinking and providing alcohol to her son’s friends? And what do you tell your own kids when they want to have a party?

• 	Posted by: Joe Keenan | 20 Comment(s)
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From the window next to my computer, I can look out and see groups of young men walking down the street.  They are wearing jackets and ties and seem to be at a loss as to exactly what they are supposed to be doing.  They’re not sure of the protocol as they slowly make their way up the street to a house not far from mine.  They have just returned from a funeral of their friend - a young man just a couple of years out of high school.  A few days ago, from this same window, I could see the paramedics and fire department and a few hours later the medical examiner all approaching the same house.  A night of alcohol and drugs mixed with a young man’s feeling of invincibility came to a tragic end.  I pray for the boy.  I pray for the family.  And, I pray for the young men who don’t know what they are supposed to be doing.  Hopefully, they will figure out more than how to act at a funeral.  Hopefully, they will figure out how to keep another funeral from happening. 

• 	Posted by: James Ponti | 5 Comment(s)
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Yesterday, news broke of a public plea to lawmakers to consider lowering the legal drinking age from 21 to 18. But it didn’t come from a bunch of 18-year-old college freshmen with newly-issued voter registration cards. The push to let kids drink legally at 18 comes from the presidents of more than 100 colleges and universities across the country.

The move has sparked huge debate both supporting and opposing the idea — at last count, Google News picked up 1,500 articles written in the past 24 hours. Here’s where it gets tricky: both the college administrators and the groups who oppose lowering the legal drinking age claim to have the same reason for their point of view — they want to reduce binge drinking on campus and keep students safer. Who doesn’t?

But what about the 18-year-old high-school seniors who would be of legal drinking age to buy a six-pack? What impact would this have in high schools if some students can legally drink? What’s your take?

Update: July 1, 2009

Just came across this very interesting New York Times article stating that drinking among young adults under 21 has decreased greatly in recent years…except for those in college. A 27-year-old study shows that men between the ages of 18-20 who don’t attend college binge drink 30% less than they did when the study first began — but there’s been absolutely no statistical change in 18- to 20-year-old men who do attend a university! So perhaps its the college lifestyle — not the high legal drinking age — that’s causing so many young people to binge. Thoughts?

• 	Posted by: Joe Keenan | 51 Comment(s)
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