Colleges get creative in anti-alcohol fight

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – After years of largely unsuccessful attempts to discourage binge drinking on campuses around the country, administrators are looking for more creative ways to keep students from getting falling-down drunk. \nThe University of Iowa is attempting to throw off the “Thirsty Thursday” routine – the popular practice of starting weekends a night early – by scheduling more classes on Fridays.\nOnly 14 percent of classes at the University of Michigan are held on Fridays, as opposed to 22 percent on Mondays and Tuesdays and 21 percent on Wednesdays and Thursdays.\nUniversity of Michigan spokeswoman Kelly Cunningham said there are no plans to schedule more classes on Fridays because those afternoons are generally used for other purposes.\n“Friday is a day where we have lots of lectures and public seminars and interesting things where we have people come and speak,” she said.\nAlong with more Friday classes, some schools are attempting to cut down on drinking by limiting alcohol advertising on campus.\nThe California State University system implemented stricter controls on alcohol advertising two years ago. The system’s Fullerton campus even hired a student to take down advertisements and fliers that promoted drink specials at bars on campus.\nTaking an even more aggressive approach, Louisiana State University worked with Baton Rouge’s city council to ban “all-you-can-drink” specials or “big drink” specials after 10 p.m.\nThe University of Michigan’s approach is more focused on trying to convince students not to drink.\nMary Jo Desprez, the University of Michigan’s alcohol policy and community initiatives program administrator, said the University doesn’t have any initiatives like those in place.\n“We can’t make anybody do anything,” she said. “We can’t make bars change their alcohol policies.”