Arrest rates more complex

Although parents across the country might be shocked and appalled by our recent placement at the top of a national survey of drug and alcohol arrests in 2002, we believe we must determine why we were placed there and if the survey accurately reflects arrests.\nThe first question we must consider, one that we will probably not be able to answer, is whether the arrests reflect proportionate drug and alcohol use. Did the number of users increase therefore making arrests increase? Or did the number of users stay the same with more students happening to get caught? \nWe also wonder if the statistics were reported in proportion to the size of the on-campus population. IU has a considerably large on-campus population; other schools may have a small number of arrests but also small on-campus numbers. The results of the study should reflect these proportions.\nAnother component of the study that merits examination is the police force used in the particular arrests. The study compared campus police arrest numbers with each other, but it does not include the city police in certain college towns. Statistics simply could reflect an active campus police force at IU but city police officials could be much busier in other states.\nWe shouldn't overreact to the numbers until we know what they really mean.