the ohio state university 2007 core...

The Ohio State University

2007 CORE Report

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction ___________________________________________________________ 1

Purpose of the Study ____________________________________________________ 3

Methodology___________________________________________________________ 3

Limitations of the Study__________________________________________________ 4

Definition of Terms _____________________________________________________ 5

Description of the Sample ________________________________________________ 5 Comparision of OSU Samples 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2007 _____________________ 5

Comparison of 2007 OSU Sample and OSU Population____________________________ 5

Comparision of OSU Sample and National Sample _______________________________ 5

Findings ______________________________________________________________ 8 Trends in Drug Use (All Years) ________________________________________________ 8

Ever Used (All Drugs)______________________________________________________________ 8 Used in Last Year (All Drugs)________________________________________________________ 9 Used in Last 30 Days (All Drugs) ____________________________________________________ 10 Ever Used (Alcohol) ______________________________________________________________ 11 Used in Last Year (Alcohol) ________________________________________________________ 12 Used in Last 30 Days (Alcohol) _____________________________________________________ 13 Ever Used (Tobacco)______________________________________________________________ 14 Used in Last Year (Tobacco)________________________________________________________ 15 Used in Last 30 Days (Tobacco) _____________________________________________________ 16 Ever Used (Marijuana) ____________________________________________________________ 17 Used in Last Year (Marijuana) ______________________________________________________ 18 Used in Last 30 Days (Marijuana)____________________________________________________ 19 Binge Drinking __________________________________________________________________ 20 Frequent Binge Drinking___________________________________________________________ 21

2007 OSU Sample Results ___________________________________________________ 22

Alcohol Use and Grade Average ______________________________________________ 22

Frequent Drinkers’ and Binge Drinkers’ Consequences of Alcohol Use______________ 23

Participation in Recreational Sports and Alcohol Use ____________________________ 24 Average Number of Drinks by Recreational Sports Participation____________________________ 24 Recreational Sports Participation and Consequences of Alcohol Use_________________________ 25

Participation in a Greek Organization and Alcohol Use___________________________ 26 Average Number of Drinks by Greek Organization Participation____________________________ 26 Greek Organization Participation and Outcome Measures _________________________________ 27

Drug Use and Ethnicity _____________________________________________________ 28

2007 OSU Sample vs. National Sample_________________________________________ 29 Used Last Year (All Drugs)_________________________________________________________ 29 Used Last 30 Days (All Drugs) ______________________________________________________ 30

Bibliography__________________________________________________________ 31

Core Report 2007

The Ohio State University Spring 2007 Core Report

I. Introduction Alcohol and drug use continues to be a critical issue on college and university campuses across the nation. According to a 1989 study by the Carnegie Foundation, college presidents viewed alcohol as their number one campus life problem, which continues to resonate even today. Robert Carothers, President of the University of Rhode Island, sent a letter to the faculty noting the problems associated with student drinking and the importance of its involvement in addressing the issue on campus. He states “alcohol abuse by students, especially binge drinking, is one of the most difficult problems on college campuses around the nation” (DeJong, 1998). Former President of Vermont, Dr. Judith Ramaley furthered this sentiment in stating “underage drinking and excessive drinking have negative effects on everything we are trying to do as a university. They compromise the education environment, the safety of our students, the quality of life on campus, town/gown relationships, and our reputation” (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2002). The 2007 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Surgeon General’s Call to Action stated that colleges and universities have a responsibility to address high risk drinking. Alcohol is the drug of choice among America’s adolescents, used by more young people than tobacco or illicit drugs. The 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health revealed that there were 10.8 million underage (between the ages of 12-20 drinkers) drinkers in the United States (28.2% of this age group). Nearly 7.2 million (18.8 percent) are binge drinkers, and 2.3 million (6.0 percent) are heavy drinkers. (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2007). An estimated 1,700 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die each year from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including motor vehicle crashes (Hingson et al. 2005). Binge drinking is also associated with unplanned and unsafe sexual activity, physical and sexual assault, unintentional injuries, criminal victimization, interpersonal problems, physical and cognitive impairment, automobile crash fatalities, and suicide, as found in his study on binge drinking on American college campuses (Weschler, 1995). Students are not the only group affected by the problem. Universities have been faced with paying significant costs in insurance increases, property damage, health services, and heightened security. This has been evidenced at universities such as Penn State, Ohio University and The Ohio State University, where students have taken advantage of their perceived “right to party” and resorted to episodes of destructive behavior that has been widely linked to alcohol use and abuse (The Chronicle of Higher Education, 1998). It has been found that college student drinking impacts academic performance as well. Approximately 25% of college students report academic problems caused by alcohol use, including lower grades, performing poorly on exams or papers, missing class and falling behind (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2002).

Student Affairs Assessment 1 of 31 The Ohio State University Core Report 4/22/2008 KW

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In realizing the negative impacts of increasing alcohol use among college students, university administrators have begun to find ways to address the issue. A number of colleges and universities began the process by implementing stricter zero-tolerance policies and increasing arrest rates for offenders. Alcohol arrests rose from 1997 to 1998 by 24.3% and increased by 11% between 2001 and 2002 due to tougher enforcement and changes in reporting guidelines (Nicklin, 2000; Hoover, 2004). The federal government has become a part of the discussion on college student drinking by adding this problem to its list of priorities. Having identified binge drinking among college students as a “major national health problem,” it has made reducing the number of college students who engage in binge drinking a part of its Healthy People 2010 initiative (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2000). The Ohio State University dedicates time and resources to address the use and abuse of alcohol and other drugs primarily through its comprehensive prevention plan, which is led by the OSU Student Wellness Center. This plan blends individual and environmental programs through partnerships with the diverse resources of the campus and community. OSU strives to build a safer, healthier campus by nurturing academic and social development through: 1) student assistance for alcohol and other drug problems, 2) alcohol and other drug prevention education, 3) involvement of faculty, staff, and students 4) prevention-oriented policies, 5) a late night programming initiative, 6) social norms marketing campaigns, 7) property owners, beverage distributors, and campus partnerships, and 8) assessment activities. One of the most successful educational initiatives put forth by the Student Wellness Center targets first-year students. Through the First Year Success Series, Student Wellness staff and volunteers reach Ohio State’s first-year students through a variety of educational sessions which began in the fall of 2002. Through this initiative, along with the Student Affairs portion of summer orientation, first-year students receive consistent messages regarding responsible alcohol use. The Student Wellness Center has also made efforts to address and reduce the alcohol use of students who have shown to be high risk. The 2004 CORE data showed that sport club and intramural participants engage in higher levels of alcohol use when compared to the average student. The mean number of drinks these students reported having on a weekly basis was higher than for those students who indicated they did not participate in recreational sports.

In response to this data, Student Wellness Center staff took the successful formula utilized with first-year students and applied it to sport club and intramural participants. Using social norms marketing (specific to sport club and intramural participants), alcohol-free late-night events, the BASICS program, and required workshops on alcohol and other drug use, the Student Wellness Center partnered with the Department of Recreational Sports to implement the Recreational Sports Prevention Program.


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II. Purpose of the Study This study uses the Core Alcohol and Drug Survey (or the Core Survey) to report the alcohol and drug usage patterns among Ohio State undergraduates and the consequences of that use. The Core Survey developed by the Core Institute at the Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, is specifically designed for use with the university student population to assist institutions in obtaining a common “core” of information about alcohol and other drug use. Specifically, information is provided on the frequency and prevalence of alcohol and other drug use and the consequences of that use including the relationship between GPA and alcohol use. The study also provides the opportunity to compare Ohio State to national averages and to look at changes over time using the OSU data from 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2007. By identifying usage patterns and high-risk subgroups, intervention strategies can attend to the most acute problem areas.

III. Methodology The Core Alcohol and Drug Survey was conducted at Ohio State in Spring of 2007. The survey was administered by the Student Affairs Assessment Office for the Student Wellness Center. A total of 3,000 students were randomly selected from a list of OSU students enrolled in the spring quarter of 2007. This list was obtained from the Registrar Office’s database. Students received the survey via U.S. mail and campus mail if they lived in a residence hall. Five $100 prizes were offered as incentives to complete the survey. Of the 3,000 surveys sent to students, 81 were returned due to inaccurate mailing addresses. A total of 543 questionnaires were returned yielding a response rate of 18.6%. Seven graduate and professional students, 1 student not seeking a degree, 3 listed as other, and 2 individuals for whom classification was unknown were included in the sample but are not included in the analysis. The final number of OSU undergraduate students included in this study is 530. Chi-square tests were used where appropriate in order to determine the statistical significance of the evaluated relationships.1

1 The significance level is p≤.05.


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IV. Limitations of the Study All surveys are subject to potential sources of imprecision and bias. Such a bias could be caused by question wording, question ordering, and the response rate, among other reasons. These biases could lead to somewhat different results from the present findings. The primary limitations of this study center on the accuracy of students’ responses and the sample size. For instance, there is the accuracy of the responses provided by the students. Their behavior was self-reported. Because of the personal nature of the questions, respondents may have underreported their use of alcohol and other drugs especially on those items that represented illegal or embarrassing behavior. Another limitation has to do with the fact that the survey was distributed via U.S. mail. Even though the number of surveys returned, 81, was relatively small in comparison to the number of surveys mailed out, there still exists the possibility that a number of the addresses on file are not up to date. This is the result of the University’s decision to go paperless in its communications since 2000. While this decision proves to be convenient for the students and university as a whole, it unfortunately creates another barrier to this study and other studies that utilize this particular method of distribution. Other limitations result from a small sample size. For example, we are unable to look at race/ethnicity beyond comparing white students and students of color. Of the 523 undergraduates from the 2007 survey who selected one of the categories listed for ethnic origin in the survey, 451 of them were white. This means that there were only 72 non-whites who participated in this survey (1 American Indian/Alaskan Native; 15 Hispanic; 23 Asian/Pacific Islander; 25 Black, non-Hispanic; and 8 who selected the “other” category). While the information obtained from these individuals may offer limited insights into the ethnic groups as a whole, it is still difficult to make generalizations about the entire group’s behavior of interest. Finally, we find that the 2007 sample is not representative of the population of interest regarding the proportion of women, freshmen, on-campus residents, and students under the age of 21. This adds to the problem of generalizability of the results. In spite of these limitations, the information obtained from this study is beneficial in understanding student alcohol and drug use. It can be used to assess where problems exist and what measures need to be taken in order to address them. Moreover, we are able to obtain particular information about this type of student behavior that is not necessarily addressed in other research.


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V. Definition of Terms

The CORE survey has the following categories of alcohol use: • Frequent use of alcohol is defined (for the purpose of this study) as having used alcohol on

10 or more days over a 30-day period. • In the Core Survey, high-risk or binge drinking is defined as having five or more drinks in

one sitting during a two-week period.

VI. Description of the Sample

Comparison of OSU samples 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2007 The 2000-2006 OSU samples were similar based on gender, ethnicity, class rank, residency, and age in three years of administration (2000, 2002, and 2006). The only exception to this is that, in the 2004 sample, the percentage of students over the age of 21 (60.8% in 2004 compared to 52.3% in 2000, 50.9% in 2002, and 56.8% in 2006) was higher than in previous years. The 2007 sample appears to be an anomaly altogether for each of the aforementioned categories with the exception of ethnicity. Compared to previous years, with the exception of the previously mentioned differences, there were greater percentages of women, freshmen2, on-campus residents, and students under the age of 21 in the 2007 sample. Thus, in the trends data, the sample was weighted on the average percentages of the 2000-2006 data for the following variables: gender, class rank, and residency.

Comparison of 2007 OSU sample and OSU population There were also notable differences between the 2007 OSU sample and the OSU population. The proportion of females (63.4% in the 2007 OSU sample compared to 47.0% in the total OSU female population), freshmen (40.8% in the 2007 OSU sample compared to 24.3% in the total OSU freshmen population), students who live on-campus (54.9% in the 2007 OSU sample compared to 24.0% in the total number of OSU students who live on campus) and students under the age of 21 (68.3% in the 2007 OSU sample compared to 48.3% in the total number of OSU students who are under the age of 21) who completed the survey in 2007 was higher than the overall student population. To compensate for this difference, information from 2007 only is weighted back to the OSU population based on rank.

Comparison of OSU sample and national sample Notable differences between the OSU sample and the national comparative information provided by CORE were found with regard to class rank and age. The discrepancy regarding class rank is due to the fact that freshmen were over sampled in this study. The sample completing the survey at OSU is also different from the national sample in that 68.3% of OSU students are under 21 compared to 60.5% of the national comparative sample. Because of this, when making

2 Freshmen were over sampled for the 2007 study due to the concentrated efforts of the Student Wellness Center to target this population.


Core Report 2007

comparisons to the national data, the OSU sample will be weighted by age to correspond to the national data. This weighting will be used only during such comparisons and will not be used elsewhere in the report. The 2007 Core Survey administered at Ohio State included responses from undergraduate students. Graduate and professional students were not included because evidence from earlier surveys indicated that drug and alcohol use was not problematic among these students. The demographics of the students who responded to the 2007 Core Survey are presented below.

• 36.6% were male; 63.4% were female (N=494) • 40.8% were freshmen; 20.6% sophomores; 16.2% juniors; and 22.5% seniors

(N = 530) • 68.3% were under 21; and 31.7% were 21 and over (N = 526) • 0.2% were American Indian/Alaskan Natives; 1.9% Hispanics; 6.8% Asian/Pacific

Islanders; 86.2% White non-Hispanic; 4.8% Black non-Hispanic; and 1.5% Other (N = 523)

The following tables contain OSU demographic information from previous years in which the CORE survey was administered as well as the 2007 sample, the OSU population statistics, and National Sample Data.


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Demographics3

2000 2002 2004 2006 2007 Total OSU

Population

2005 National Sample

Gender (452) (426) (456) (322) (494) (2150) (38479) (33379)

Male 41.4% 43.0% 43.6% 45.7% 36.6% 41.7% 53.0% 39.2% Female 58.6% 57.0% 56.4% 54.3% 63.4% 58.3% 47.0% 60.8%

2000 2002 2004 2006 2007 Total OSU

Population


Ethnicity (470) (445) (481) (322) (523) (2241) (38479) (33379)

American Indian/AK Native 0.0% 0.2% 0.0% 0.9% 0.2% 0.2% 0.4% 0.8% Hispanic 1.3% 2.0% 2.1% 0.9% 1.9% 2.9% 2.6% 4.1% Asian/Pacific Islander 8.9% 7.2% 8.1% 5.3% 6.8% 4.4% 5.3% 3.8% White non-Hispanic 80.0% 80.4% 79.4% 83.5% 86.2% 86.2% 80.0% 81.6% Black non-Hispanic 6.6% 8.3% 6.9% 5.0% 4.8% 4.8% 7.2% 6.8% Other 3.2% 1.8% 3.5% 4.3% 1.5% 1.5% 4.5% 3.0%

2000 2002 2004 2006 2007 Total OSU

Population


Classification (480) (450) (488) (322) (530) (2270) (38479) (33379)

Freshman 18.3% 18.2% 17.4% 16.5% 40.8% 23.1% 24.3% 29.6% Sophomore 23.3% 21.6% 17.4% 20.2% 20.6% 20.6% 23.6% 23.5% Junior 24.6% 26.2% 23.0% 20.5% 16.2% 22.0% 21.7% 21.7% Senior 33.8% 34.0% 42.2% 42.9% 22.5% 34.3% 30.4% 21.2%

2000 2002 2004 2006 2007 Total OSU

Population


Residence (434) (416) (449) (322) (459) (2080) (38479) (33379)

On-Campus 29.3% 31.0% 29.8% 35.7% 54.9% 36.4% 24.0% 59.9% Off-Campus 70.7% 69.0% 70.2% 64.3% 45.1% 63.6% 76.0% 40.1%

2000 2002 2004 2006 2007 Total OSU

Population


Age (482) (450) (487) (322) (526) (2267) (38479) (33379)

Under 21 47.7% 49.1% 39.2% 43.2% 68.3% 50.3% 48.3% 60.5% 21 and Over 52.3% 50.9% 60.8% 56.8% 31.7% 49.7% 51.7% 39.5%

3 The national data from CORE 2005 has been used until the 2007 data becomes available.


Core Report 2007

VII. Findings

2000-2007 Trends of All Drug Use4

Three measures are used to determine the prevalence of usage; these include whether a student reports ever having used a drug, whether they used it in the last year, and whether they used it in the last 30 days. Students were asked about their usage of twelve different substances, which include: Tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, sedatives, hallucinogens, opiates, inhalants, designer drugs, steroids, and other drugs. Table 1. 2000 - 2007 Trends in All Drug Use (Ever Used)

Ever Used

Substance 2000 2002 2004 2006 2007 Change '00-'07

Tobacco 63.2% 58.0% 53.0% 52.6% 49.2% -14.0%* Alcohol 89.2% 91.4% 90.5% 90.4% 88.8% -0.4% Marijuana 51.8% 50.5% 45.7% 44.7% 37.0% -14.8%* Cocaine 8.4% 5.1% 6.6% 9.9% 4.4% -4.0%* Amphetamines 16.1% 13.1% 13.5% 15.8% 8.9% -7.2%* Sedatives 6.7% 4.9% 5.6% 6.0% 4.7% -2.0% Hallucinogens 15.8% 8.8% 8.9% 10.7% 5.8% -10.0%* Opiates 3.5% 1.2% 1.8% 2.2% 1.9% -1.6% Inhalants 7.5% 6.1% 2.2% 4.8% 3.7% -3.8%* Designer drugs 11.7% 9.3% 8.6% 8.2% 4.9% -6.8%* Steroids 0.7% 0.2% 0.2% 0.3% 0.0% -0.7% Other 5.2% 2.4% 3.3% 4.2% 3.5% -1.7%

* Indicates that the difference between ‘00 and ‘07 data is significant at p≤.05. The results in Table 1 reveal that there were statistically significant decreases in the percentage of students who reported having ever used the following drugs:

• tobacco (-14.0%) • marijuana (-14.8%) • cocaine (-4.0%) • amphetamines (-7.2%) • hallucinogens (-10.0%) • inhalants (-3.8%) • designer drugs (-6.8%)

For all years included in this study, students report having ever used tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana more than any other drug listed. In 2000, 2002 and 2006, the three drugs fewer

4 This information is weighted on the average percentages of the 2006-2007 data for the following variables: gender, class rank, and residency.


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students reported having ever used were opiates, steroids, and “other” drugs. For 2004 and 2007, the drugs fewer students reported having ever used drugs were opiates, inhalants, and steroids. Table 2. 2000 - 2007 Trends in All Drug Use (Used in Last Year)

Used in Last Year


Tobacco 50.1% 43.3% 37.6% 38.3% 37.2% -12.9%* Alcohol 86.8% 89.5% 88.6% 89.4% 87.7% -2.7% Marijuana 34.2% 36.3% 29.5% 26.1% 24.9% -9.3%* Cocaine 6.4% 3.6% 4.5% 4.2% 2.6% -3.8% Amphetamines 7.9% 8.3% 5.6% 5.3% 4.4% -3.5% Sedatives 3.6% 3.2% 3.1% 2.5% 1.6% -2.0% Hallucinogens 7.5% 2.7% 3.1% 3.1% 2.3% -5.2%* Opiates 11.8% 5.4% 2.9% 1.4% 2.3% -9.5%* Inhalants 2.8% 1.5% 0.7% 0.3% 0.7% -2.1%* Designer drugs 11.8% 5.4% 2.9% 1.4% 2.3% -9.5%* Steroids 0.0% 0.0% 0.2% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% Other 3.1% 2.0% 2.0% 1.7% 1.2% -1.9%

* Indicates that the difference between ‘00 and ‘07 data is significant at p≤.05. Table 2 contains the percentage of students who reported having used the aforementioned drugs at least once during the past year. There were statistically significant decreases in the percentage of students who reported having used the following drugs in the past year:

• tobacco (-12.9%) • marijuana (-9.3%) • hallucinogens (-5.2%) • opiates (-9.5%) • inhalants (-2.1%) • designer drugs (-9.5%)


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Table 3. 2000 - 2007 Trends in All Drug Use (Used in Last 30 Days) Used in Last 30 Days


Tobacco 36.0% 31.3% 25.3% 26.3% 23.2% -12.8%* Alcohol 76.6% 81.7% 79.6% 76.5% 76.5% -0.1% Marijuana 18.7% 15.2% 13.3% 11.8% 14.1% -4.6% Cocaine 2.6% 1.7% 1.6% 1.7% 0.9% -1.7% Amphetamines 4.3% 5.2% 2.5% 1.4% 1.9% -2.4%* Sedatives 0.7% 0.7% 1.1% 0.8% 0.7% 0.0% Hallucinogens 2.1% 0.5% 0.2% 0.6% 0.9% -1.2% Opiates 0.7% 0.0% 0.2% 0.0% 0.5% -0.2% Inhalants 0.5% 0.7% 0.0% 0.0% 0.5% 0.0% Designer drugs 2.9% 1.5% 1.1% 0.0% 0.9% -2.0%* Steroids 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% Other 0.5% 0.7% 0.4% 0.6% 0.5% 0.0%

*Indicates that the difference between ‘00 and ‘07 data is significant at p≤.05. Table 3 consists of the percentage of students who reported having used drugs at least once during the last 30 days. There were statistically significant decreases in the percentage of students who reported having used the following drugs within the last 30 days:

• tobacco (-12.8%) • amphetamines (-2.4%) • and designer drugs (-2.0%)

Alcohol, Tobacco, and Marijuana Use and Demographic Characteristics Tables 1-3 revealed a constant trend for all years included in this study. The three drugs more students report having ever used, used in the last year, and used in the last 30 days were alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana. Tables 4-14 focus on the use of these drugs among the following demographic groups: Men, women, white, non-Hispanics, students of color, students under the age of 21, students over the age of 21, freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors, students who live on-campus, students who live off-campus.


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2000-2007 Trends of Alcohol Use5

Table 4. 2000 – 2007 Trends of Alcohol Use (Ever Used) by Demographics

Ever Used

Alcohol Use 2000 2002 2004 2006 2007 Change '00-'07

Men 89.7% 87.8% 90.1% 88.7% 87.1% -2.6% Women 88.7% 93.8% 90.8% 91.4% 89.8% 1.1% White 92.8% 94.6% 93.1% 91.7% 89.0% -3.8% Students of Color 76.5% 80.7% 79.0% 82.5% 89.1% 12.6% Under 21 86.4% 89.1% 89.2% 85.0% 85.7% -0.7% 21 and over 91.8% 93.5% 92.0% 94.4% 95.1% 3.3% Freshmen 83.3% 85.0% 87.3% 75.0% 82.6% -0.7% Sophomores 88.2% 88.8% 87.5% 83.8% 86.6% -1.6% Juniors 90.3% 96.3% 91.1% 95.9% 94.0% 3.7% Seniors 91.1% 91.3% 92.3% 94.3% 95.0% 3.9% Greeks 93.2% 91.2% 97.3% 81.8% 94.4% 1.2%* Non-Greeks 88.2% 91.1% 89.4% 91.6% 87.4% -0.8% On-Campus 87.6% 85.9% 90.6% 80.9% 86.5% 1.1% Off-Campus 89.9% 94.1% 90.4% 96.2% 91.5% 1.6%* All Students 89.2% 91.4% 90.5% 90.4% 88.8% -0.4%

*Indicates that the difference between ‘00 and ‘07 data is significant at p≤.05. Table 4 consists of the percentage of students who reported having ever used alcohol by demographic characteristics. The results reveal that there was a statistically significant increase in the percentage of students who reported participating in Greek organization (+1.2%) and students who live off-campus that reported ever having used alcohol (+1.6%) from 2000 to 2007. None of the other included group changes reach statistical significance at p≤.05.



Core Report 2007

Table 5. 2000 – 2007 Trends of Alcohol Use (Used in Last Year) by Demographics Used in Last Year


Men 86.1% 84.5% 86.1% 87.7% 85.5% -0.6% Women 87.3% 93.5% 90.6% 90.7% 88.6% 1.3% White 91.4% 93.8% 90.8% 91.6% 88.2% -3.2% Students of Color 71.4% 75.0% 79.5% 79.7% 85.5% 14.1% Under 21 85.2% 88.0% 88.5% 80.1% 84.7% -0.5% 21 and over 88.2% 91.3% 89.0% 95.7% 92.2% 4.0%* Freshmen 83.3% 84.7% 89.1% 76.2% 80.6% 2.7% Sophomores 85.3% 86.5% 84.0% 79.2% 86.6% 1.3% Juniors 89.0% 93.5% 90.3% 91.2% 92.9% 3.9% Seniors 87.9% 89.8% 89.5% 96.9% 92.8% 4.9%* Greeks 89.8% 90.1% 96.4% 86.0% 93.4% 3.6% Non-Greeks 86.1% 89.3% 86.8% 90.3% 85.8% -0.3% On-Campus 86.9% 85.7% 89.0% 81.9% 85.4% -2.0% Off-Campus 86.7% 91.7% 88.2% 94.5% 89.9% 3.2%* All Students 86.8% 89.5% 88.6% 89.4% 87.7% 0.9%

*Indicates that the difference between ‘00 and ‘07 data is significant at p≤.05. Table 5 contains the percentage of students who reported having used alcohol within the last year by demographic characteristics. According to the results, there was a statistically significant increase in the percentage of students over the age of 21 (+4.0%), seniors (+4.9%), and students living off-campus (+3.2%) reporting having used alcohol within the last year.


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Table 6. 2000 – 2007 Trends of Alcohol Use (Used in Last 30 Days) by Demographics Used in Last 30 Days


Men 77.1% 78.5% 79.7% 72.4% 75.0% -2.1% Women 76.2% 84.2% 79.5% 79.9% 77.3% 1.1% White 82.4% 86.8% 83.7% 78.1% 77.2% -5.2%* Students of Color 56.7% 64.3% 63.2% 68.3% 70.9% 14.2% Under 21 73.6% 78.1% 76.8% 67.1% 72.5% -1.1% 21 and over 79.7% 85.2% 81.8% 82.9% 83.6% 3.9% Freshmen 74.1% 76.3% 80.0% 70.7% 68.8% -5.3% Sophomores 75.3% 76.1% 72.5% 63.5% 71.6% -3.7% Juniors 75.9% 88.0% 78.6% 79.7% 82.9% 7.0% Seniors 78.3% 82.5% 83.3% 82.1% 85.3% 7.0% Greeks 89.5% 90.3% 86.7% 82.2% 87.9% -1.6% Non-Greeks 73.7% 79.0% 77.9% 75.6% 73.2% -0.5% On-Campus 72.3% 78.4% 76.6% 68.8% 72.8% 0.5% Off-Campus 78.3% 83.3% 81.1% 81.2% 80.4% 2.1% All Students 76.6% 81.7% 79.6% 76.5% 76.5% -0.1%

*Indicates that the difference between ‘00 and ‘07 data is significant at p≤.05. Table 6 consists of the percentage of students who reported having used alcohol within the last 30 days by demographic characteristics. The results reveal that there was a statistically significant decrease in the percentage of white students (-5.2%) who reported using alcohol within the last 30 days. While there was an increase (+14.2%) in students of color who reported having used alcohol within the last 30 days, this relationship was not found to be statistically significant.


Core Report 2007

2000-2007 Trends of Tobacco Use6

Table 7. 2000 – 2007 Trends of Tobacco Use (Ever Used) by Demographics

Ever Used

Tobacco Use 2000 2002 2004 2006 2007 Change '00-'07

Men 68.2% 63.3% 53.1% 53.4% 56.2% -12.0%* Women 59.5% 53.9% 52.8% 52.1% 45.1% -14.4%* White 68.8% 61.5% 56.9% 53.4% 50.5% -18.3%* Students of Color 43.2% 45.2% 40.4% 47.5% 39.3% -3.9% Under 21 59.8% 49.7% 48.5% 42.2% 45.2% -14.6%* 21 and over 66.4% 65.6% 56.2% 59.7% 55.7% -10.7%* Freshmen 63.6% 46.7% 46.4% 39.0% 47.8% -15.4% Sophomores 59.7% 56.2% 45.7% 43.8% 45.3% -14.4%* Juniors 67.2% 59.6% 56.2% 60.3% 52.4% -14.8% Seniors 62.7% 62.6% 56.2% 56.2% 51.9% -10.8% Greeks 71.9% 57.6% 48.2% 60.0% 51.7% -20.2%* Non-Greeks 60.7% 58.0% 54.6% 51.5% 48.8% -11.9%* On-Campus 63.4% 48.9% 43.4% 37.9% 46.1% -17.3%* Off-Campus 63.2% 62.5% 57.9% 62.4% 52.8% -10.4% All Students 63.2% 58.0% 53.0% 52.6% 49.2% -14.0%*

*Indicates that the difference between ‘00 and ‘07 data is significant at p≤.05. Table 7 consists of the percentage of students who reported having ever used tobacco by demographic characteristics. There were statistically significant decreases in the percentage of

• men (-12.0%) • women (-14.4%), • white, non-Hispanic students (-18.3%), • students under the age of 21 (-14.6%), • students over the age of 21 (-10.7%) • sophomores (-14.4%), • Greek organization participants (-20.2%) and non-participants (-11.9%), • and residence hall occupants (-17.3%) who reported having ever used tobacco.

There was also a decrease in the percentage of all students (-14.0%) who reported having ever used tobacco.



Core Report 2007

Table 8. 2000 – 2007 Trends of Tobacco Use (Used in Last Year) by Demographics

Used in Last Year


Men 53.0% 46.4% 42.3% 41.5% 42.8% -10.2% Women 48.1% 40.9% 34.1% 35.6% 33.9% -14.2%* White 55.7% 48.1% 38.5% 38.6% 38.6% -17.1%* Students of Color 30.0% 24.7% 35.2% 36.7% 27.3% -2.7% Under 21 48.6% 41.5% 38.6% 34.0% 39.6% -9.0% 21 and over 51.9% 45.7% 37.4% 41.2% 33.1% -18.8%* Freshmen 48.1% 44.8% 34.5% 38.1% 41.0% -7.1% Sophomores 51.1% 42.0% 35.8% 33.8% 38.8% -12.3% Juniors 54.2% 45.9% 39.8% 40.0% 37.3% -16.9% Seniors 47.5% 42.0% 37.7% 39.5% 31.5% -16.0% Greeks 69.0% 48.9% 39.8% 44.4% 42.2% -26.8%* Non-Greeks 45.0% 41.9% 37.4% 37.3% 36.3% -8.7% On-Campus 48.5% 39.6% 32.6% 29.5% 39.9% -8.6%* Off-Campus 50.7% 45.2% 40.0% 44.0% 34.5% -16.2%* All Students 50.1% 43.3% 37.6% 38.3% 37.2% -12.9%*

*Indicates that the difference between ‘00 and ‘07 data is significant at p≤.05. Table 8 consists of the percentage of students who used tobacco within the last year by demographic characteristics. The results reveal that there were statistically significant decreases in the percentage of

• women (-14.2%), • white, non-Hispanic students (-17.1%), • students over the age of 21 (-18.8%), • Greek organization participants (-26.8%), • residence hall occupants (-8.6%) • and residence hall non-occupants (-16.2%) who reported having used tobacco within the

last year between 2000 and 2007. There was also a decrease in the percentage of all students (-12.9%) who reported having used tobacco over the past year.


Core Report 2007

Table 9. 2000 – 2007 Trends of Tobacco Use (Used in Last 30 Days) by Demographics

Used in Last 30 Days


Men 39.8% 35.4% 28.6% 31.5% 26.1% -13.7%* Women 33.5% 28.1% 22.8% 21.8% 21.6% -11.9%* White 40.0% 34.2% 26.3% 26.3% 23.5% -16.5%* Students of Color 20.0% 19.0% 21.8% 25.9% 20.4% 0.4% Under 21 34.3% 29.5% 29.1% 23.1% 24.0% -10.3% 21 and over 38.1% 32.9% 23.6% 28.7% 22.2% -15.9%* Freshmen 32.1% 25.4% 25.0% 19.0% 23.2% -8.9% Sophomores 39.4% 33.0% 30.0% 25.0% 17.9% -21.5%* Juniors 38.5% 35.8% 25.7% 26.6% 31.3% -7.2% Seniors 33.5% 29.2% 23.6% 28.4% 21.8% -11.7% Greeks 50.6% 38.7% 25.3% 26.7% 23.1% -27.5%* Non-Greeks 32.6% 29.2% 25.4% 26.0% 23.4% -9.2%* On-Campus 33.1% 29.1% 20.8% 19.6% 24.6% -8.5% Off-Campus 37.5% 32.4% 27.5% 30.7% 21.6% -15.9%* All Students 36.0% 31.3% 25.3% 26.3% 23.2% -12.8%*

*Indicates that the difference between ‘00 and ‘07 data is significant at p≤.05. Table 9 consists of the percentage of students who used tobacco within the last year by demographic characteristics. There were statistically significant decreases in the percentage of

• men (-13.7%), • women (-11.9%), • white, non-Hispanic students (-16.5%), • students over the age of 21 (-15.9%), • sophomores (-21.5%), • Greek organization participants (-27.5%) and non-participants (-9.2%), • and non-residence hall occupants (-15.9%) who reported having using tobacco within the

last 30 days. There was also a decrease in the percentage of all students (-12.8%) who reported having used tobacco over the last 30 days.


Core Report 2007

2000 - 2007 Trends of Marijuana Use7

Table 10. 2000 - 2007 Trends of Marijuana Use (Ever Used) by Demographics

Ever Used

Marijuana Use 2000 2002 2004 2006 2007 Change '00-'07

Men 54.9% 51.1% 41.1% 40.7% 38.0% -12.0%* Women 49.8% 50.2% 48.8% 47.9% 36.5% -13.3%* White 59.4% 53.5% 49.6% 46.0% 36.7% -22.7%* Students of Color 27.0% 39.0% 30.7% 37.3% 39.3% 12.3% Under 21 48.6% 44.8% 43.7% 35.4% 29.3% -19.3%* 21 and over 55.2% 56.0% 47.1% 51.7% 50.0% -5.2% Freshmen 48.1% 36.7% 37.5% 29.3% 33.8% -14.3% Sophomores 46.3% 51.7% 48.8% 35.1% 29.2% -17.1%* Juniors 56.5% 56.1% 42.5% 51.9% 31.0% -25.5%* Seniors 52.9% 51.7% 48.7% 49.7% 52.3% -0.6% Greeks 61.6% 48.9% 49.4% 53.3% 47.3% -14.3% Non-Greeks 49.4% 50.8% 45.1% 43.7% 34.7% -14.7%* On-Campus 50.4% 42.5% 40.7% 30.4% 31.6% -18.8%* Off-Campus 52.6% 54.4% 48.2% 54.2% 43.4% -9.2% All Students 51.8% 50.5% 45.7% 44.7% 37.0% -14.8%*

*Indicates that the difference between ‘00 and ‘07 data is significant at p≤.05. Table 10 consists of the percentage of report having ever used marijuana by demographic characteristics. The results show that there were statistically significant decreases in the percentage of

• men (-12.0%), • women (-13.3%), • white, non-Hispanics (-22.7%), • students under the age of 21 (-19.3%), • sophomores (-17.1%), • juniors (-25.5%), • Greek organization non-participants (-14.7%), • And residence hall occupants (-18.8%) who report having ever used marijuana.

There was also a decrease in the percentage of all students (-14.8%) who reported having ever used marijuana.



Core Report 2007

Table 11. 2000 - 2007 Trends of Marijuana Use (Used in Last Year) by Demographics Used in Last Year


Men 36.7% 34.8% 28.0% 25.8% 27.7% -9.0% Women 32.6% 37.4% 30.6% 26.3% 23.3% -9.3%* White 39.2% 39.4% 31.8% 26.5% 25.3% -12.7%* Students of Color 16.7% 25.0% 19.3% 24.1% 23.2% 6.5% Under 21 35.7% 37.5% 32.1% 25.2% 24.6% -11.1%* 21 and over 33.3% 35.3% 28.1% 26.7% 24.7% -8.6% Freshmen 37.7% 30.5% 29.1% 23.8% 29.5% -8.2% Sophomores 38.3% 39.1% 35.0% 28.4% 23.7% -14.6% Juniors 34.2% 42.6% 27.7% 26.6% 18.1% -16.1%* Seniors 31.0% 32.1% 28.1% 25.3% 25.5% -5.5% Greeks 47.7% 40.2% 30.1% 37.8% 35.6% -12.1% Non-Greeks 30.3% 34.7% 29.4% 24.4% 22.0% -8.3%* On-Campus 38.5% 34.6% 27.1% 23.0% 26.6% -11.9%* Off-Campus 32.3% 37.1% 30.5% 28.1% 22.4% -9.9%* All Students 34.2% 36.3% 29.5% 26.1% 24.9% -9.3%*

*Indicates that the difference between ‘00 and ‘07 data is significant at p≤.05. Table 11 consists of the percentage of students who report having used marijuana within the last year by demographic characteristics. There were statistically significant decreases in the percentage of

• women (-9.3%), • white, non-Hispanics (-12.7%), • students under the age of 21 (-11.1%), • juniors (-16.1%), • Greek organization non-participants (-8.3%), • Residence hall occupants (-11.9%), • and residence hall non-occupants (-9.9%) who report having used marijuana within the

last year. Overall, there was a decrease in the percentage of all students (-9.3%) who reported having used marijuana in the past year. There was also a decrease in the percentage of sophomores (-14.6%) who report having used marijuana within the last year, but that decrease was not statistically significant.


Core Report 2007

Table 12. 2000 - 2007 Trends of Marijuana Use (Used in Last 30 Days) by Demographics

Used in Last 30 Days


Men 23.0% 15.5% 10.9% 12.3% 17.1% -5.9%* Women 15.4% 15.0% 15.0% 11.4% 12.3% -3.1% White 21.5% 16.0% 14.2% 12.5% 14.9% -6.6%* Students of Color 6.8% 13.3% 9.2% 8.5% 9.1% 2.3% Under 21 18.3% 15.7% 15.3% 12.3% 14.4% -3.9% 21 and over 19.1% 14.9% 12.5% 11.4% 13.6% -5.5% Freshmen 21.2% 20.3% 10.9% 14.6% 14.5% -6.7% Sophomores 23.1% 17.0% 13.9% 12.5% 12.5% -10.6% Juniors 19.5% 14.8% 17.7% 11.2% 14.3% -5.2% Seniors 14.6% 13.0% 10.7% 11.0% 14.5% 0.1% Greeks 23.5% 17.2% 14.5% 15.6% 17.8% -5.7% Non-Greeks 17.2% 14.7% 13.1% 11.1% 12.9% -4.3% On-Campus 15.5% 11.2% 11.2% 9.5% 14.7% -0.8% Off-Campus 19.8% 17.2% 14.3% 13.3% 13.3% 6.5% All Students 18.7% 15.2% 13.3% 11.8% 14.1% -4.6%

*Indicates that the difference between ‘00 and ‘07 data is significant at p≤.05. Table 12 consists of the percentage of students who report having used marijuana within the last 30 days by demographic characteristics. The results reveal that there were statistically significant decreases in the percentage of men (-5.9%) and white, non-Hispanic students (-6.6%) who report having used marijuana within the past 30 days. Even though there was a notable decrease in the percentage of students over the age of 21 (-3.9%) who report having used marijuana within the last 30 days, this relationship is not statistically significant.


Core Report 2007

Trends in Binge and Frequent Binge Drinking Binge Drinkers are students who reported having five or more drinks over a two-week period at least once. Frequent Binge Drinkers are students who reported binge drinking three or more times in the past 2 weeks. Table 13. Trends of Binge Drinking by Demographic Characteristics

Survey Year

Binge Drinking 2000 2002 2004 2006 2007 Change '00-'07

Men 51.4% 57.5% 56.6% 55.5% 55.3% 3.9% Women 38.6% 50.6% 49.2% 47.4% 46.1% 7.5% White 50.8% 58.7% 57.0% 52.9% 51.5% 0.7% Students of Color 20.0% 34.5% 34.1% 43.3% 37.5% 17.5%* Under 21 42.2% 50.8% 57.1% 46.9% 45.6% 3.4%* 21 and over 46.1% 56.2% 49.8% 54.0% 56.8% 10.7% Freshmen 42.6% 52.5% 54.5% 40.5% 48.9% 6.3% Sophomores 40.0% 50.0% 51.2% 53.4% 42.9% 2.9% Juniors 55.1% 61.1% 56.0% 45.0% 50.0% -5.1% Seniors 39.0% 51.0% 50.5% 56.2% 55.9% 16.9%* Greeks 62.5% 64.1% 72.3% 66.7% 66.7% 4.2% Non-Greeks 39.2% 50.5% 47.8% 49.0% 44.8% -5.6%* On-Campus 44.7% 56.3% 54.5% 44.3% 48.9% 4.2% Off-Campus 43.9% 52.3% 51.3% 55.5% 50.3% -6.4%

All Students 44.0% 53.5% 52.3% 51.1% 49.5% 5.5%*

The results in Table 13 reveal that there was a statistically significant increase in the percentage of students of color (+17.5%), students under the age of 21 (+3.4%), and seniors (+16.9%) who reported binge drinking from 2000-2007. There was a decrease in the percentage of students not affiliated with Greek organizations (-5.6%) over this time period. Overall, there was a statistically significant increase (+5.5%) in the number of students who reported binge drinking from 2000-2007.


Core Report 2007

Table 14. Trends of Frequent Binge Drinking by Demographic Characteristics

Survey Year

Binge Drinking 2000 2002 2004 2006 2007 Change '00-'07

Men 32.0% 27.1% 27.6% 29.9% 30.4% -1.6% Women 15.9% 21.6% 16.0% 21.1% 15.5% -0.4% White 25.8% 27.7% 23.5% 29.0% 22.7% 3.1% Students of Color 10.0% 10.8% 11.0% 5.0% 10.5% 0.5% Under 21 23.9% 22.4% 22.0% 19.7% 19.7% -4.2% 21 and over 22.0% 25.6% 20.5% 28.9% 23.2% 1.2% Freshmen 29.6% 16.9% 19.6% 21.4% 20.1% -9.5% Sophomores 20.0% 27.0% 22.2% 21.6% 20.4% 0.4% Juniors 29.4% 23.9% 21.6% 22.5% 15.5% -13.9% Seniors 17.0% 25.2% 20.5% 29.0% 26.1% 9.1% Greeks 41.6% 29.3% 36.1% 44.4% 30.8% -10.8% Non-Greeks 18.1% 22.4% 17.8% 22.7% 18.4% 0.3% On-Campus 22.4% 16.1% 16.1% 14.3% 31.1% 9.0% Off-Campus 19.7% 26.0% 21.4% 28.4% 22.6% 2.9%

All Students 22.7% 24.0% 21.0% 24.9% 20.8% 1.9%

The results in Table 14 reveal that there were no statistically significant changes in frequent binge drinking by any of the groups selected for analysis.


Core Report 2007

2007 Results Only8

Alcohol Use and Grade Average9

Table 15. Level of Drinking Behavior and Grade Average10

Grade Average

Low Drinker

Moderate Drinker

High Drinker

C or Lower 4.3% 5.7% 4.9% C+ to B- 19.1% 9.8% 23.2% B to B+ 34.9% 49.2% 43.9% A- to A+ 41.8% 35.2% 28.0%

*The results of a chi-square test reveal that there is a statistically significant relationship between grade average and level of drinking behavior. The results in Table 15 reveal that more students who are classified as low-level drinkers report having a grade point average of A- to A+ (41.8%) than those who are classified as high-level drinkers (28.0%). Table 16. Drinks per Week and Grade Average

Grades 0 Drinks 1 - 6

Drinks 7 - 13

Drinks 14 or More

Drinks C or Lower 3.2% 6.2% 3.9% 6.2% C+ to B- 21.3% 15.6% 11.8% 21.5% B to B+ 35.5% 37.0% 50.0% 44.6% A- to A+ 40.0% 41.2% 34.2% 27.7%

More students who report having 0 drinks per week indicate having a grade point average of A- to A+ (40.0%) compared to those who report having 14 or more drinks/week (27.7%). The chi-square test reveals that there is no statistically significant relationship between grade average and drinks per week.

8 This information was weighted by rank back to the 2007 OSU population due to the oversample of freshmen in the 2007 sample. 9 These are students’ self-reported letter grades. 10 High level drinkers report consuming an average of over 10 drinks/week and/or report binge drinking six or more times in the last two weeks; moderate drinkers report consuming an average of 5-10 drinks/week and/or report binge drinking from 2-5 times/week; and low level drinkers report consuming an average of four or less drinks/week and report binge drinking one or fewer times in the last two weeks.


Core Report 2007

Frequency of Binge Drinking and Consequences of Alcohol Use Table 17. Frequency of Binge Drinking and Consequences of Alcohol Use11

Outcome Measures Frequent Binge

Drinkers Binge

Drinkers

Had a hangover* 99.1% 89.7% Trouble w/police, etc 25.7% 19.2% Argument or fight* 72.5% 52.1% Nauseated or vomited* 89.1% 80.3% Have been taken advantage of sexually 18.2% 16.4% Have taken advantage of someone sexually 3.7% 4.1%

Tried/failed to stop using 9.2% 6.9% Thought about suicide 3.7% 5.5%

Tried to commit suicide 0.9% 0.0% Been hurt/injured* 40.4% 19.9% Had a memory loss* 76.4% 50.3% Later regretted action* 72.5% 55.8%

Been criticized* 60.9% 41.1% Thought I had a problem* 19.3% 9.6%

Missed class* 70.4% 45.9% Poor test score* 42.7% 27.4% Damaged property, fire alarm* 22.7% 7.5% Driven under the influence* 52.3% 31.5% Arrested for DWI/DUI 0.9% 0.7%

*Indicates that the difference between frequent drinkers and binge drinkers is significant at p≤.05. Table 17 reveals that there is a statistically significant relationship between frequency of binge drinking and the following consequences of alcohol use:

• having had a hangover, • having had an argument or fight, • having been nauseated or vomited, • having been hurt or injured, • having had a memory loss, • having later regretted an action, • having been criticized, • having thought I had a problem, • having missed a class, • having received a poor test score, • having damaged property, fire alarm and • having driven under the influence.

11 Frequent Binge Drinkers are students who reported binge drinking three or more times in the past 2 weeks.


Core Report 2007

Participation in Recreational Sports and Alcohol Use Table 18. Average Number of Drinks by Recreational Sports Participation12

Year

Recreational Sports Non-Participants (Avg. # of

drinks/wk) Recreational Sports Participants

(Avg. # of drinks/wk)

2004 4.64 9.38 2006 5.71 8.33 2007 4.32 7.90

Table 18 contains the average number of drinks according to a student’s participation in

recreational sports. In 2007, students who participated in recreational sports indicated having a mean of 7.90 drinks per week while students who did not participate in recreational sports report a mean of 4.32 drinks per week. While the disparity still exists between recreational sports participants and non-participants, there has been a steady decrease among recreational sports participants’ average number of drinks per week since 2004.

12 These numbers are reported by students.


Core Report 2007

Table 19. Recreational Sports Participation and Consequences of Alcohol Use

Outcome Measures

Recreational Sports

Participants Recreational Sports

Non-Participants

Had a hangover* 77.6% 62.6% Trouble w/police, etc* 19.1% 10.4% Argument or fight* 46.8% 33.8% Nauseated or vomited* 72.3% 54.0% Have been taken advantage of sexually 10.3% 11.0% Have taken advantage of someone sexually 1.7% 2.7%

Tried/failed to stop using 4.0% 3.9% Thought about suicide 2.3% 3.3%

Tried to commit suicide 0.0% 0.3% Been hurt/injured 21.3% 14.6% Had a memory loss* 50.0% 31.8% Later regretted action* 53.2% 35.6%

Been criticized 38.5% 29.1% Thought I had a problem 8.6% 6.5%

Missed class* 41.9% 28.7% Poor test score* 27.0% 15.7% Damaged property, fire alarm* 11.5% 5.6% Driven under the influence* 30.6% 21.7% Arrested for DWI/DUI 0.6% 0.9%

*Indicates that the difference between recreational sports participants and recreational sports non-participants data is significant at p≤.05. The results in Table 19 reveal that there is a statistically significant relationship between recreational sports participation and the following consequences of alcohol use: having had a hangover, getting into trouble with the police, having had an argument or fight, becoming nauseated or having vomited, having had a memory loss, having later regretted an action, having missed a class, receiving a poor test score, having damaged property or set off a fire alarm, and having driven under the influence.


Core Report 2007

Participation in a Greek Organization and Alcohol Use Previous research indicates Greek organization participants are among the group of at-risk students in terms of alcohol use. For instance, OSU Student Affairs’ Assessment office has shown that Greek organization participants report binge drinking at higher rates than non-participants. As a result of this and other studies, measures have been taken to address the issue. In 2001, as a part of its newly implemented Standards of Excellence, the community of fraternities and sororities required each chapter to adopt policies to manage risks through preventative programming aimed at safety, health, and wellness of members. The majority of chapters began to provide at least one program targeting alcohol abuse and misuse. Through the Greek Life organization, the Ohio Union has also made efforts to address alcohol abuse and misuse. Greek life professionals are trained CHOICEs (Cultivating Healthy Opportunities In College Environments) facilitators and offer their resources to chapters. Below are the trends in terms of weekly alcohol use since the inception of the Greek community’s Standards of Excellence and other organizations’ efforts to address this issue. Table 20. Average Number of Drinks by Greek Organization Participation13

Year Greek (Avg. # of drinks/wk) Non-Greek (Avg. # of

drinks/wk)

2000 10.54 5.03 2002 8.19 5.86 2004 8.77 5.71 2006 9.19 6.12 2007 8.25 4.80

The results in Table 20 reveal that from 2000 to 2007 Greek organization participants reported drinking a greater number of alcoholic beverages per week than non-participants. There has, however, been a drop in the average number of drinks per week among Greek organization participants each year (from about 10 drinks per week to 8).

13 These numbers are reported by students.


Core Report 2007

Table 21. Greek Organization Participation and Outcome Measures Outcome Measures Greeks Non-Greeks

Had a hangover* 81.0% 64.5%

Trouble w/police, etc* 22.0% 10.7% Argument or fight* 48.0% 36.0%

Nauseated or vomited* 77.0% 56.1%

Have been taken advantage of sexually 15.0% 9.3% Have taken advantage of someone sexually 2.0% 2.4% Tried/failed to stop using 6.0% 3.3%

Thought about suicide 5.0% 2.6% Tried to commit suicide 0.0% 0.2%

Been hurt/injured* 24.8% 15.1%

Had a memory loss* 48.0% 35.0% Later regretted action* 55.0% 38.7% Been criticized* 40.6% 30.2%

Thought I had a problem 9.0% 6.9% Missed class* 43.4% 30.7% Poor test score* 29.7% 17.1%

Damaged property, fire alarm 10.0% 6.7% Driven under the influence 30.0% 23.8%

Arrested for DWI/DUI 2.0% 0.2% *Indicates that the difference between Greek organization participants and Greek organization non-participants data is significant at p≤.05. The results in Table 21 reveal that there were statistically significant relationship between Greek organization participation and the following consequences of alcohol use: having had a hangover, getting into trouble with the police, etc., having had an argument or fight, becoming nauseated or having vomited, having been hurt or injured, having had a memory loss, having later regretted an action, having been criticized, having missed a class, and having received a poor test score. A greater percentage of Greek organization participants report having experienced each of the aforementioned effects in comparison to non-participants.


Core Report 2007

Drug Use and Ethnicity Table 22. All Drug Use and Ethnicity (Past 30 Days)

Past 30 Days Use:

White Non-Hispanic (N = 450)

Students of Color

(N =72 ) Tobacco 23.9% 17.6% Alcohol* 79.6% 64.7% Marijuana* 16.3% 7.4% Cocaine 1.6% 1.5% Amphetamines 1.8% 5.9% Sedatives 0.7% 1.5% Hallucinogens 0.7% 1.5% Opiates 0.7% 0.0% Inhalants 0.2% 1.5% Designer 0.4% 1.5% Steroids 0.0% 0.0% Other 0.2% 1.5%

*Indicates that the difference between White, Non-Hispanic students and students of color is significant at p≤.05. The results in Table 22 reveal that there was a statistically significant relationship between past 30 days use of alcohol and marijuana and ethnicity. No statistically significant differences were found between these two groups on the other drugs listed in Table 21.


Core Report 2007

2007 OSU Sample vs. National Sample14

Table 23. OSU vs. National Sample All Drug Use (Used Last Year)

Used Last Year: OSU Sample 2007 National Sample 2005

Tobacco 38.6% 41.0% Alcohol 85.9% 84.5% Marijuana* 25.9% 30.1% Cocaine 3.2% 4.9% Amphetamines 4.8% 6.4% Sedatives* 1.9% 4.4% Hallucinogens 3.0% 3.5% Opiates* 3.0% 1.4% Inhalants 0.8% 1.1% Designer 3.0% 2.7% Steroids 0.0% 0.6% Other 1.0% 2.0%

OSU data weighted to match national sample based on age *Chi-square test run against national average indicates significance at p≤.05 Table 23 is a comparison between the 2007 OSU sample and the 2005 national sample of students’ drug use over the past year. The results reveal that there is a statistically significant difference between the two samples regarding their marijuana (-4.2%), sedative (-2.5%), and opiate (+1.6%) use over the past year. The 2007 OSU sample also showed lower numbers compared to the 2005 national sample for the following drugs, but the difference was not statistically significant:

• Tobacco: -2.6% • Hallucinogens: -0.5% • Inhalants: -0.3% • Steroids: -0.6% • Other: -1.0% • Cocaine: -1.7% • Amphetamines: -1.6%

14 The national data from CORE 2005 has been used until the 2007 data becomes available.


Core Report 2007

Table 24. OSU vs. National Sample All Drug Use (Used Past 30 Days)

Used Past 30 Days: OSU Sample 2007 National Sample 2005

Tobacco* 23.1% 28.2% Alcohol 75.5% 72.8% Marijuana 15.0% 16.7% Cocaine 1.3% 2.1% Amphetamines* 1.7% 3.3% Sedatives* 0.6% 2.0% Hallucinogens 0.8% 1.0% Opiates 0.4% 0.7% Inhalants 0.4% 0.5% Designer 0.8% 0.8% Steroids 0.0% 0.4% Other 0.4% 0.8%

OSU data weighted to match national sample based on age *Chi-square test run against national average indicates significance at p≤.05 Table 24 is a comparison between the 2007 OSU sample and the 2005 national sample of students’ drug use over the past 30 days. The results reveal that there is a statistically significant difference between the 2005 national sample and the 2007 OSU sample regarding the use of tobacco (-5.1%), amphetamines (-1.6%), and sedatives (-1.4%) over the past 30 days. The 2007 OSU sample also showed lower numbers compared to the 2005 national sample for usage of the following drugs, but the difference was less than two-percentage points and not statistically significant:

• Marijuana: -1.7% • Cocaine: -0.8% • Hallucinogens: -0.2% • Opiates: -0.3% • Inhalants: -0.1% • Steroids: -0.4% • Other: -0.4%


Core Report 2007

Bibliography Hoover, E. (2004, May 28). Alcohol arrests on campuses increased again in 2002. The Chronicle of Higher Education, p. A33. Nicklin, J.L. (2000, June 9). Arrests at colleges surge for alcohol and drug violations. The Chronicle of Higher Education, pp. A48 – A58. Student Rioters Demand the ‘Right to Party’. (1998, May 15). The Chronicle of Higher Education, p. A46. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2000). (conference ed.). Healthy People 2010, Vol. II (pp. 26-29). Washington, DC: US Department of Health and Human Services. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2002). A call to action: Changing

The culture of drinking at U.S. colleges. Task Force of the National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health. (NIH Publication No. 02-5010).

United States Department of Health and Human Services. (March 6, 2007). Acting

Surgeon General Issues National Call to Action on Underage Drinking. United States Department of Health and Human Services Press Release. Retrieved January 3, 2008, from the World Wide Web: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2007pres/20070306.html

Wechsler, H. (1998, November 20). Getting serious about eradicating binge drinking. The Chronicle of Higher Education, B4. DeJong, W. (1998, Winter). Lesson from recent tragedies: Campus officials need to work with their local communities. Catalyst, 3(2), [1-7]. Retrieved Dec. 13, 2007, from http://www.higheredcenter.org/pubs/catalyst/archive.html


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