Walking down The Square, where at night, serves as the mecca of bars in one of the nation’s biggest college party town, you see shirts hanging in store windows with “a drinking town with a football problem” written in bold letters next to the University of Mississippi emblem proudly displayed over the chest pocket.
Ole Miss has made a name for itself over the years. But now, with sections on the University’s website dedicated to “changing the culture” one might ask, what direction is this infamous party school really taking to put a cork in the over served reputation of the university.
“I think we’re becoming more aware, and getting better because I mean, look at the rankings. We were the number two party school, and now we are down to like the number 14th party school,” Keysha Thomas, full time counselor at the University of Mississippi Counseling Center said.
With programs ranging from Young People’s AA, Early Intervention Support Group, JADE and BASICS Ole Miss has taken a hands on approach with teaching kids a healthy approach to alcohol.
“We try not to have that behavior that drinking is awful. We try to get it to were students drink responsibly,” Thomas said.
The most difficult problem for students is finding the blurred line of typical college behavior, and alcohol abuse.
“Most students, go to the party, have a drink, and then they leave,” Thomas said. “But, once you start to drink so much that it doesn’t matter that there is no party or nothing going on and you’re still doing all the drinking, then that’s when you know, there’s a difference.”
One of the many goals for the student health center and student counseling is teaching students not only the importance of avoiding being “that guy,” but also learning what qualifies as alcohol abuse.
With the required Alcohol EDU test taken by incoming freshman, Barbara Collier, director of University Health Services, is able to take in account 3,533 incoming students’ approach to alcohol.
The University’s average incoming, non-drinking student is at 53 percent, while the national average is 64 percent. After 6 weeks at Ole Miss the non-drinker average goes down to a 45 percent.
Although Ole Miss is above the national average, Collier and Thomas both strongly believe Ole Miss is not far off the norm of college campuses when it comes to alcohol consumption.
“We are above, slightly above, the national average of students who report that they use alcohol. But, with the SEC schools we are not,” Collier said.
With the Alcohol EDU test alone, students got a clearer view on the dangers of alcohol. The New York Times reported that each year 100,000 women are sexually assaulted, 700,000 students are injured and 2,000 students die from violence and accidents resulting from alcohol abuse amongst college students.
Before taking the test, only 25 percent of students viewed alcohol as a date rape drug. Pos test, 78 considered it as a date rape drug.
Then what makes Ole Miss stand out on the nation’s best party schools?
Thomas has her theories about the braided traditions of the Grove, football, and alcohol that seams to drive this campus in the fall.
“I know from personal experience that during the football season in the fall we get a lot more DUI offenses than we do in the spring or summer,” Thomas said. “And that’s just because, you know, alcohol is welcomed in the Grove and they had it in the stadium.”
Contrary to most belief, the majority of drinking amongst Ole Miss students happen off campus. Results from the Alcohol EDU test say 30 percent of student drinking occur off campus, 21 percent in fraternity and sorority houses, and 18 percent at the bars.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention say nationally, 40 percent of students who drank alcohol during the 30 days before taking the USA.gov survey say they obtained alcohol by someone giving it to them.
“I get most of my drinks from friends at bars,” says Jen Walzel, a sophomore pre-med major at Ole Miss.
Oxford police working to keep alcohol abuse at bay Monday night on the Square.
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