University to Return to Same Sex Housing to Help Reduce Binge Drinking
One part of the answer to rising college binge drinking patterns may be connected to who lives in the students’ building, says Catholic University president John Garvey.
Even though it doesn’t align with mainstream campus residential life patterns, Garvey is returning all freshman and sophomore living facilities to same-gender housing in the next two years. When discussing his decision, Garvey is utilizing research stating that co-gender dormitories may elevate binge drinking risks as much as twofold, along with elevating sexual activity levels.
Students have expressed mixed reactions. In an article from ABC News, a University of Chicago student said that she and her peers are responsible enough to handle mixed gender housing and those students will find opportunities to consume alcohol, regardless of living conditions. Others, including some who work as professional college advisors, say giving newer students that separation can have positive benefits.
The research Garvey has used to make the transition comes from a study that says expectations are changed when male and female students reside in the same structure. Study author Bryan Willoughby reported that in the U.S., 90 percent of all students who live on their college campus reside in mixed-gender environments, a finding published in the Journal of American College Health.
In regard to binge drinking on college campuses, experts have varied opinions. Kathleen Gardner of the American College Personnel Association says this type of rapid consumption of alcohol over a short period of time can occur in every form of living situation. Some universities, including Notre Dame, have not ever offered dual-gender housing, despite multi-decade increase in this type of housing across all college campuses.
According to research from In the Know Zone, around 42 percent of students at college campuses have experimented with binge drinking. Another study reports that more than two-thirds of students at colleges and universities may engage in binge drinking, and 87 percent have said the behavior has led to consequences like involvement in physical violence, unwanted sexual situations and loss of sleep and academic performance.
