Sure, we in the press love nakedness and heavy drinking. Especially when they come in the form of college students. Especially during the national holiday of Spring Break. But maybe we’re blowing things a little out of proportion.
James Turner, executive director of UVA’s National Social Norms Institute, noted in an L.A. Times travel blog that a U.S. government survey (funded by Anheuser Busch companies) found that 81 percent of 18- to 22-year old undergraduates do not drink heavily.
 Two 81-percenters clear Chinese tallow over Spring Break. And did they get any press? In fact, they did, in the March 11 issue of C-VILLE. |
“Sadly, partying youth will always be more newsworthy than those volunteering for Habitat for Humanity,” Turner wrote in an e-mail. “But the more we portray positive and accurate images of how college students spend their free time, the more young people will realize that unhealthy behaviors are the exception, and not the norm.”
If quotes like that don’t make you want to join the 19 percent, we don’t know what will.
Previous This Just Ins for this week:
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Van Halen postpones again [March 10] Cross March 11 off your calendars |
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IMPACT holds feet to fire [March 11] Only two county supes commit to housing fund |