By the Numbers
53% DECLINE in high-risk drinking behavior from 2005-14
17% DECLINE from 2008-14 in student alcohol use during the past 12 months
33,282 PEOPLE served by the U-Choose alcohol and other drug prevention program
44% DECREASE in average number of drinks consumed per week
33% DECLINE in repeat violations (recidivism) of the minor-consumption law from 2010-14
+1,190 IMPACT classes taught since 2010
1% DECLINE in minor-consumption recidivism from 2011-14 for those who completed IMPACT training
Q: How has St. Cloud State’s reputation as a party school changed over time?
A: In 2005, about 59 percent of our students reported that they regularly engaged in high-risk drinking. That statistic and other data, including citations for off-campus parties, said we were a party school.
Since then, we’ve educated individuals, the campus and community. We’ve collaborated with the City of St. Cloud on new ordinances. Now, ten years later, the data says we are not a party school. High-risk drinking rates have fallen significantly. As of 2015 our campus high-risk drinking rate is 29%.
Q: Have you observed changes in student high-risk drinking patterns?
A: We just don’t see parties of the same magnitude that we used to see. When I first came to work at SCSU in 2001, I recall seeing parties where people would be gathered hundreds deep on South Side neighborhood lawns.
This fall, coming back from our neighborhood walks, it was eerily quiet. Sure, I saw small gatherings on some front lawns, but the students were extremely knowledgable about noise ordinances, social host laws and how to host responsibly. We want students to have fun, but we also want to promote safety and responsibility.
Q: What hard evidence do you have that high-risk drinking has declined?
A: We have nine years of evidence from college health surveys, particularly the University of Minnesota’s College Health Survey, which is administered at St. Cloud State and 19 other Minnesota schools.
That survey data suggests high-risk drinking fell 52.5 percent between 2005 and 2014.
Q: You said education has reduced high-risk drinking. How?
A: Since 2010, our IMPACT Diversion Program has delivered alcohol-education services to students and non-students charged in St. Cloud with underage alcohol violations.
The city agrees to drop the conviction from the offender’s record if the offender successfully completes the IMPACT program. Fewer college-aged admits to the St. Cloud Hospital emergency room and the regional detox center are evidence that alcohol education works.
Q: What role has the City of St. Cloud played in reducing high-risk and underage drinking?
A: Our partnership with the city — the St. Cloud Community Alliance — has been tremendous. We’ve worked together to address harms related to alcohol and other drugs, not just on campus, but in our greater community.
Thanks to the IMPACT Diversion Program, repeat violations of the minor-consumption law are way down, falling from 12 percent in 2010 to 5.6 percent in 2015.
A number of ordinances — social host, provisional licensing for bars, disruptive intoxication — have helped us change the environment here in St. Cloud.