NC State Cracks Down on Student Drinking

Saturday, September 01, 2007

Tim Nelson
More: Bio, abc11.com News Team

(08/31/07 -- RALEIGH) (WTVD) -- It's a n alarming start to the school year at N.C. State where officials say more students have been arrested fro DWI in the first week of classes than ever before. Some on campus are pushing for the university to not only crack down, but also help solve the problem.

"At the beginning of the semester, you don't have that much homework so everybody's partying and everything else," NCSU student Ryan Gibson said.

During the first week of classes, university officials say there were about 45 alcohol infractions among students.

More alarming and disturbing is five State students have received DWIs so far this semester.

"I think it's kinda low to be honest considering the amount of people I know that drive after they drink," NCSU student Byron Lamon said.

The DWI total is the highest in recent memory. Campus Police Chief Tom Younce doesn't attribute the spike to any specific reason.

"N.C. State is no different from any school across the country, there has been an increase in consumption," Chief Younce said.

But what may be different at N.C. State is the reaction to the DWI rise. Friday an editorial in the campus paper called on the university to help combat the problem.

The suggestion is to create a service that provides safe, free rides home until the wee hours of the morning for both on and off campus students.

"I'm not sure how to respond to that right now, I'd have to take a look at what's going on around the country and see whether it's been positive or negative," the Chief said.

Gibson thinks it's a good idea. "Me, personally, I'm really against drinking and driving so anything against that is really good."

And while fellow student Lamon is unsure about cracking down, he's definitely on beard with offering rides home. "If they try to crack down, it's not really gonna solve the issue because people are gonna do it anyways. But if they have a busing service, I think that would probably help a lot."

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