ALCOHOL IN BUCKNELL’S GREEK SYSTEM
David Kase
Victor Marks
Economics 312
May 10, 2000
INTRODUCTION
In recent years, universities across the United States have conducted and been privy to studies on college students and their drinking habits and perspectives. Most notably, researchers at Harvard’s school of Public Health published two highly publicized pieces on the drinking practices at over 100 colleges and universities. Bucknell University students participated in these surveys, and the responses were incorporated into the national findings as well as presented separately as individual school findings. Here, at Bucknell, a general consensus was reached from these findings, and several measures have been taken to address what the community perceives as a significant problem. The 10-Point Plan is just one of several initiatives that students, faculty and administrators have taken in the past few years. Reformation of the Greek system is another example and poses as a special and significant case where Bucknell has come face-to-face with its sometimes conflicting, but usually congruent, tradition and future.
Dean Roy Baker, with the help of many other Bucknellians has implemented vast amendments to the Greek system in an attempt to rectify its “strong tendency to organize and pivot events around the consumption of alcohol.” The movement runs its course today against, sometimes, fierce resistance and intense debate, certainly its share of resentment and criticism. Nevertheless, if you were to confront Dean Baker or any of the movement’s other leaders they would validate, and probably marvel at, the success of this rectification. But in order to evaluate the effects of recent Greek initiatives in a manner appropriate for publication and verity, extensive examination is necessary. The objective and methodical survey that Harvard conducted is the best means to achieve this goal and will benefit the Bucknell community, within and beyond its Greek program. Specifically, it will provide the student body with a chance to convey its assessment, which can serve as a supplemental indicator and source for improvement. Furthermore, it will afford the University with a clearer, more accurate and current analysis of student drinking and substance abuse. The focus of this investigation is drinking habits and drinking perceptions within the Greek system. A random sample of surveys were distributed to Bucknell students. The survey contained more than 50 questions pertaining to drinking habits, perceptions and attitudes. It was hoped that more than 60% would respond in order to derive statistically meaningful results of a 95% confidence level. Our principal interest is whether fraternity- and sorority-oriented students continue to pivot events around alcoholic consumption, in the wake of recent policy changes focused at curtailing these habits. For example, have the stricter rules against drinking parties within fraternity houses remedied the problem, or has it simply driven the problem off-campus and into the Lewisburg borough? These types of answers will mostly be inferred from more basic questions that give a portrayal of student habits, perceptions and attitudes.
"Does Participation in Greek Life Affect Consumption of Alcohol?" Many recent studies have indicated that Greek social organizations seem to increase the use of alcohol. However, most studies fail to examine the drinking patterns of Greek members before they join these organizations. Is it possible that Greek organizations are recruiting students who are more likely to "binge" drink? Is it not possible that these individuals would consume the same amount of alcohol had they not joined their Greek organization? The purpose of our research is to better understand the “answer” to the "chicken or the egg" question. Does Greek Life promote drinking or do individuals? Are individuals who are more likely to drink more influential within the Greek system?
LITERATURE REVIEW
Philip W. Meilman et al studied the drinking habits within groups of men and women involved in athletics and Greek organizations. The article, “Greeks and Athletes: Who Drinks More?” summarizes their findings. Their data revealed that men drink more frequently and more volume is consistent with most literature results on drinking habits at college. Moreover, the authors also found evidence that supports other studies that students involved in extracurricular activities tend to drink more than students who are not involved. Greek athletes drink most heavily and often, followed by Greeks, athletes and finally non-Greek, non-athletes. The study hypothesized that the possible reasons for these findings were the amount of social activities that Greek athletes participated in. Citing past studies, college students who are more involved in extracurricular activities tend to drink more heavily.
Brian Borsari et al produced findings about college (Greek) drinking that resulted in the article, “Understanding Fraternity Drinking: Five Recurring Themes in the Literature.” The first theme described the continuity between high school and college drinking: a theory that supports a belief that pre-college drinking leads to increased drinking in college. Examining the relation of pre-college drinking to alcohol use in college is important because the abuse of alcohol typical of Greek men usually predates fraternity membership. The second theme, which is similar to the previous, is known as self-selection. Self-selection theory relates to groups or organizations that appeal to individuals who enjoy binge drinking, resulting in a concentration of heavy drinkers within certain groups or organizations. They review the evidence for a self-selection process in which students select and join the fraternities that share similar views and values (including the use of alcohol). This will help to explain why some students who drink heavily may choose to join the Greek system and espouse its values, whereas moderate-drinking or nondrinking students do not. The first and second themes are closely related, but different in that the second pertains solely to the behavior of students only after matriculation into college. The first theme incorporates the high school factor into self-selection. This may include students choosing a school based on its social reputation. The third theme is the importance of alcohol in college socialization generally and in fraternity social functions in particular. Members and pledges of fraternities represent a special case of the kinds of social pressures and motivations that contribute to excessive drinking in the college environment. The fourth theme is the tendency for members to misperceive the drinking norms of fraternities. Some students try to conform to exaggerated norms and standards regarding drinking behavior, thereby fostering an entirely new standard of norms. The last theme involves the physical environment of the fraternity house, a relatively insulated environment that both facilitates and maintains abusive levels of drinking. The authors contend that presenting the themes in this way emphasizes their importance in each stage of fraternity membership. The authors do not, however, make conclusions about which factor contributes most to the linkage between Greeks and drinking. Nevertheless, they present evidence for each theme that substantiates the idea that Greek environments foster drinking participation.
Nancy Grant Harrington et al addressed the possibility of reducing drinking within the Greek community through educational programs. Their findings were summarized in the article “Alcohol Risk Reduction for Fraternity and Sorority Members.” The results indicate that the program decreased positive attitudes among participants. The program was comprised of three main sections: a professional trainer condition; a peer-led condition with incentive for attendance; and a traditional, no-incentive, peer-led condition. The authors maintain that these programs were intended to reduce high risk drinking and promote normal, responsible social drinking. “The program's ability to influence behavior was hindered by systemic problems, such as trainer credibility and implementation infidelity, and probable participant psychological reactance.”
Ann Williams et al studied college alcohol consumption patterns and attempted to ascertain what factors contribute to these patterns. The findings were presented in the article, “Alcohol Consumption in University Students: The Role of Reasons for drinking, coping strategies, Expectancies, and Personality Traits.” One particular focus of this study aimed to identify reasons for playing drinking games that could have implications in the design of prevention programs. The reasons for playing factors significantly added to general reasons for drinking, and predicting amounts consumed during drinking game playing. Students seem to play drinking games mainly to obtain positive reinforcement. Moreover, drinking games seem more prevalent among Greek students. The study of self-reported reasons for playing drinking games could provide a better understanding of college student drinking patterns.
Jeffrey Cashin et al conducted a study to identify the belief systems, drinking patterns, and consequences of alcohol among Greek students. Findings were summarized in the article, “Alcohol Use in the Greek System: Follow the Leader?” The study found that members of Greek systems averaged more drinks, engaged in heavy drinking, and suffered more as a consequence than non-Greeks. It further found that Greek members use alcohol as a vehicle for friendship, social activity, and sexuality.
THEORY
We believe this research will conform to beliefs about drinking patterns within the Greek system as well as previous studies published on this subject. Furthermore, we hope it will provide information about the individual habits/perceptions/attitudes, rather than results that implicate general groups with excessive drinking. Evidence for self-selection within Bucknell’s Greek system may afford leaders with an opportunity to decrease Greek drinking in the long run. Incremental reductions in alcohol consumption would tend to wean this type of selection from the Greek system. Finding a link between Greek perceptions, attitudes and behavior may reveal additional opportunities to improve the current situation. We also hope to find evidence for a recent decrease in Greek drinking that may be attributable to new policy changes. Nevertheless, it will be difficult to infer any current improvements since there is no comparative data available (support for follow-up studies). Carefully planned statistical analysis should assist our attempt to individualize drinking patterns. Tests will divide Greeks and non-Greeks and then subdivide them according to gender, class, G.P.A., site of residence, and other extracurricular participation. Previous literature influenced our decisions on the structure of these tests. Furthermore, extracting the non-drinkers from the pool of Greek students and then investigating drinking habits and consequences may provide a clearer picture of Greek handling of alcohol. Grouping the non-drinkers with drinkers may dilute the conclusions about how Greeks perceive alcoholic consumption. The perception of alcohol may elucidate why Greeks seem to drink more frequently and in greater volumes. This hypothesis leads directly into the Rational Addiction Model. It may be that Greeks perceive drinking as a norm, “right of passage,” or requirement. Such perceptions would positively reinforce drinking habits and attitudes and also mask the “traditional rational assumptions” that alcoholic consumption has negative consequences. The perceived norms and central role of alcohol in Greek social life may represent greater marginal benefits than exist among non-Greek students. Furthermore, the marginal costs among Greek students may be lower than for non-Greek students. Alcohol consumption has three major costs: financial, cost and legal costs. Health costs are probably constant among all students, although the biological differences (i.e. men vs. women) should be noticed. Financially, Greeks may have more incentive to purchase alcohol since the purchase is made in mass and from a communal pot of social dues. Interestingly, most parents pay social dues for the students. Similarly, the legal cost of drinking is reduced within Greek social life. An alcohol party that faces legal charges is an affair for the house, not individuals in most cases. As an extreme example, Greek students have a much lower chance of spending a night in jail since the police would inevitably be forced to incarcerate the entire fraternity house. Nevertheless, legislation in the past decade and stricter enforcement of school policies may be shifting these liabilities more toward the individual Greek students. In most cases, Greek organizations as a whole are being held more accountable for the actions of their members. The greater marginal benefits and lower marginal costs may produce an environment with a bigger risk for irresponsible alcohol consumption.
Data Analysis
Test 1: The Drinking Habits of Greeks and Non-Greeks
This graph illustrates the drinking habits of Greeks and non-Greeks. As one can see, non-Greeks have a greater number of non-drinkers. Whereas, there is a great number of Greeks in the six to nine drinks a night category.
Regression Test of Greeks and Non-Greeks and their Drinking Habits
Coefficient / Standard / Significance / Confidence Level of 95%Beta / Coefficient / or More(Denoted by *)
Constant / 2.298 / 0.00 / *
Greek Membership / 0.618 / 0.192 / 0.10
This test clearly shows a relationship of Greek membership and inclination to
drink. This relationship is significant at the 90% confidence level. This test implies
Greek membership inducing consumption.
Test 2: Are Greek Functions the Center of Drinking Activities?
Regression Test of Greek Party Attendance and Alcohol Consumption
Coefficient / Standard / Significance / Confidence Level of 95%Beta / Coefficient / or More(Denoted by *)
Constant / 2.298 / 0.00 / *
Greek Party / 0.946 / 0.444 / 0.00 / *
This regression test attempts to determine the effect of a Greek Party has on
drinking. The relationship here is very significant at the 100%. It clearly shows that
Greek parties have an effect on alcohol consumption.
Frequency of Attending a Greek PartyValid Cumulative
None / 21.9
One time a Week / 41.6
Two or more times a week / 36.5
Total / 100
This second test is describing the frequency of students attending Greek parties.
Approximately 77% of the students responding to this survey attend at least one Greek
party a week. It is, therefore, very obvious that students are attracted to Greek events.
Test 3: The Drinking Habits of Greeks by Gender
Regression Test of Drinking of Greeks by Gender
Coefficient / Standard Error / Significance / Confidence Level of 95%Beta / or More(Denoted by *)
Constant / 3.206 / 0.00 / *
Gender / -1.14 / -0.347 / 0.00 / *
Greek Membership / 0.549 / 0.171 / 0.015 / *
This test illustrates the negative relationship between drinking and gender. This is
exactly what we expect. On average, Greek men tend to drink more than drink women.
This data supports the fact than men drink than women.
Test 4: The Drinking Habits of those Planning to Rush
Regression Test of those Planning to Rush
Coefficient / Standard / Significance / Confidence Level of 95%Beta / Coefficient / or More(Denoted by *)
Constant / 1.78 / 0.00 / *
Rushing / 1.349 / 0.406 / 0.00 / *
There seems to be a very strong relationship here. The data shows that those
planning to rush are much more inclined to drink than their non-rushing counterparts.
This is significant to the 100% level.
It is crucial to note than many of the respondents were upperclassmen non-
Greeks. This questions was not posed to only freshman. Therefore, it is probable that
many of the “no” respondents to this question were juniors and seniors who are
uninterested in the Greek system.
Test 5: Are Greeks prone to drinking more?
Regression Test of High School Drinking Habits and Greek Membership
Coefficient / Standard / Significance / Confidence Level of 95%Beta / Coefficient / or More(Denoted by *)
Constant / 1.4 / 0.00 / *
High School Drinking / 0.599 / 0.617 / 0.00 / *
Greek Membership / 0.376 / 0.117 / 0.047 / *
This question is attempting to answer the “chicken or the egg” question. Is it the
Greek system or its members that is causing the drinking habits of Bucknell students?
This regression tests supports the theory that high school drinking habits plays a bigger
role in determining college drinking habits. However, the regression illustrates that the
Greek system still plays a role in drinking in college.
Test 6: Does Bucknell have a party school reputation?
Regression Test of Reason for Choosing to Attend Bucknell University
Coefficient / Standard / Significance / Confidence Level of 95%Beta / Coefficient / or More(Denoted by *)
Constant / 3.981 / 0.00 / *
Social / -0.326 / -0.292 / 0.00 / *
While Bucknell students tend to drink more than average, this is not the reason
why students choose our school. The data illustrates a negative relationship between the
reasons for attending Bucknell based on social life and drinking habits. It appears that
the social atmosphere is not the reason why students chose Bucknell.
Test 7: Combination of all Six Tests
Coefficient / Standard / Significance / Confidence Level of 95%Beta / Coefficient / or More(Denoted by *)
Constant / 1.866 / 0.001 / *
Social / -0.008 / -0.071 / 0.38
Greek Membership / -1.1 / -0.15 / 0.105
Greek Party / 0.619 / 0.262 / 0.007 / *
High School Drinking / 0.453 / 0.241 / 0.1
Gender / -1.134 / -0.322 / 0.000 / *
Planning to Rush / 0.802 / 0.244 / 0.007 / *
Living Quarters / 0.335 / 0.157 / 0.108
This final regression test is difficult in many regards. First, Greek membership,
reason for choosing Bucknell, and high school drinking do not yield significant results at
the 95% confidence level. Living quarters seems to play a small role in drinking habits.
It appears as though people who drink more are inclined to rush. It also is apparent that
high school habits play a role in drinking as does the atmosphere of a fraternity party.
Conclusion
The results of our study were very much in conformity with our theory. The Greek system at Bucknell is not the main cause of drinking on this campus. Through the variety of tests that we have conducted, our data supports the fact that students chose to drink themselves.