Wpopp's Blog

1. Describe your peer groups knowledge on the issue:

Everyone in my peer group is under the age of 21, and they are part of life on campus. They understand the prevelance of the issue of binge drinking. I initially asked about underage drinking, and they agreed that they knew many people that engage in that, but we determined that trying to stop underage drinking altogether was not a feasible or possible option. They all like to go out and have a good time on the weekends, and so they have witnessed binge drinking being done by Purdue students.

2. Summarize their attitudes towards the issue:

They believe that underage drinking is too big of a problem to tackle, and that no matter what is proposed, it will not be stopped. We discussed the amount of binge drinking on campus, and how dangerous it is, and they agreed that something needed to be done to get people to drink more responsibly.

3. Describe the complexity with which students viewed the issue:

They explained the dangers of drinking so much that people are falling over, passing out, and incoherent. They said it is a dangerous thing, not only because of what it can do to your body, but the dangers you put yourself in when in that state on a college campus. With students on a college campus, especially girls, there is always a possiblity that someone may try to take advantage of you. If you are unable to make decisions for yourself, you put yourself in a dangerous position to wake up somewhere that you are unaware of the next morning.

4. What did you learn?: 

I learned that trying to deal with underage drinking at Purdue in general would be very difficult. As a result, I modified my “problem” officially to be that of the problem of binge drinking at Purdue. I feel like this is going to help me focus the paper and give better insights on how the issue can be handled. I am very glad that we were able to “test” our proposals in a way with other people because it helped me understand where my argument was weak and, in my case, how it was necessary to modify the problem in order to make a proposal that was  actually a possibility.

So far, my research process has gone quite smoothly. I have realized that underage drinking on campus is clearly a big issue because there is a plethora of information regarding the topic. There are parts of the Purdue University webpage dedicated solely to alcohol awareness, and it is addressed in almost every copy of the Exponent. My issue is coming with the interviews. I have the emails out, I am just waiting on responses. I am not very worried though, because I got the emails out during the second half of Thanksgiving break, so I am expecting responses in the next few days. The survey that I created on facebook is going well. People seem to be responding to the questions well. I was initially worried about running a survey on underage drinking because I wasn’t sure how to get people to both initially respond and to tell the truth. Instead of asking direct questions about the individuals’ experiences or encounters with alcohol, I question the people that they know. In essence, they are answering questions about themselves by answering questions about their friends. There are plenty of resources explaining previous efforts to curb the rate and occurrence of underage drinking, so it is nice to look at other ideas because it helps me find the flaws in my ideas. I am very happy with my chosen topic, because it is something that I feel strongly about and that I feel is a real issue that could damage the future of the students who are underage and mess around with alcohol. Overall, I feel the ideas are coming together for my paper. I need to narrow my focus a bit because I tend to have a tendency to over-generalize. Other than that, I am confident with where the paper is going and I am working on my proposal idea specifics.

Alcohol Awareness. Purdue University, 2008. Web. 24 Nov. 2009. <http://www.purdue.edu/alcohol/index.shtml>.

This website is the official alcohol awareness information base from Purdue University. It includes ways to get involved on campus, alcohol-free activities, resources, and information for parents on drinking prevention. I will use this cite to offer information about the underage drinking issue on Purdue’s campus.

Editorial Board. “Students should know party-time laws and consequences.” The Exponent. [West Lafayette, IN] 2 Oct. 2009. Web. 23 Nov. 2009. <http://www.purdueexponent.org/?module=article&story_id=18060>.

This article is about the current laws and penalties for having parties where drugs and alcohol are present and for being intoxicated in a public place or giving alcohol to minors. It explains the Class A, B, and C misdemeanors that are handed down in the case of alcohol use. I will use this article to explain the consequences of drinking at Purdue and to raise awareness of the current laws in place about alcohol.

Mahasneh, Nadine. “Police report increase in alcohol-related arrests.” The Exponent.  [West Lafayette, IN] 25 Jan. 2008. Web. 23 Nov. 2009. <http://www.purdueexponent.org/?module=article&story_id=9465>.

This article explains the increases in alcohol-related arrests on Purdue’s campus. I will use this article to help define the fact that there is a problem with alcohol use on campus.

Morrison, Lee. Personal Interview. Dec. 2009.

(Pending) I have an email in to Lee Morrison, the Residential Life Manager for Wiley Hall. I plan on finding out what penalties exist in the University Residence Facilities regarding underage drinking, and alcohol possession in the residences. I want to find out any suggesetions Lee Morrison may have to address the problem of underage drinking at Purdue, as well as an opinion on my proposal.

Popp, Whitney. “Drinking on College Campuses.” Survey. 30 Nov. 2009. Facebook.

This survey is being filled out by college students at Purdue. It addresses such questions that find out what percentage of people under the age of 21 consume alcohol, and issues like the social norm involving alcohol. This is going to give me an insight of the outlook underage students have on underage drinking, and how prevalent it is in their eyes with their groups of friends.

Purdue Police Department. Personal Interview. Dec. 2009.

(Pending) I have an email in to the Purdue Police Department and I am waiting on contact back from them regarding my questions on underage drinking on campus. I plan to use this interview to see what efforts have been tried in the past and if my idea of increasing patrols on the weekends is a feasible option for the Purdue Police Department.

Rosemeyer, Lt. Mike. “Students’ alcohol decisions could damage futures.” The Exponent.  [West Lafayette, IN] 16 Apr. 2008. Web. 23 Nov. 2009. <http://www.purdueexponent.org/?module=article&story_id=11143>.

The article was written by the commander of the Indiana State Excise Police’s third district. It explains underage drinking as a gateway to other harmful drugs. The article explains that underage drinking has the potential to damage underage students. I will use this article to help define the problems of underage drinking on Purdue’s campus.

Smith, Daniel. “Volunteers helps prevent minor drinking.” The Exponent. [West Lafayette, IN] 17 Oct. 2007. Web. 23 Nov. 2009. <http://www.purdueexponent.org/?module=article&story_id=7772>.

This article is about a compliance check program in which liquor stores are tested to see if they card people purchasing alcohol to verify age. This program is identified as one that provides data about where minors are getting alcohol. I will use this article to introduce methods that are already in place to inhibit minors from purchasing alcohol.

Westervelt, Mike. “New drivers license design helps limit use of fake IDs.” The Exponent. [West Lafayette, IN] 06 Sept. 2007. Web. 23 Nov. 2009. <http://www.purdueexponent.org/?module=article&story_id=6894>.

This article is about the new driver’s license design for people under the age of 21. It discusses the ability of the new license to be difficult to replicate. I will use this to discuss one way that students under the age of 21 are deterred from alcohol purchases.

“What Peer Educators and Resident Advisors (RAs) Need to Know About College Drinking.” collegedrinkingprevention.gov.  College Drinking Prevention, 23 Sept. 2005. Web. 24 Nov. 2009. <http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/NIAAACollegeMaterials/peerBrochure.aspx>.

This site includes information on the factors affecting drinking on college campuses as well as any facts and statistics about the prevalence of the college drinking problem. I will use this as supporting information of my claim that there is a problem with drinking on college campuses.