 "Photo: Oliver Scott Snure")
The number of students arrested for operating under the influence (OUI) by the University of Massachusetts Police Department (UMPD) has more than tripled in the past five years, from 21 in 2004 to 68 in 2007.
However, according to Deputy Chief Pat Archbald of UMPD, it's hard to know if more students are driving after they drink.
"I can't say empirically if it's a result of us being more aggressive, or if people are doing more drinking and driving," said Archbald.
In 2007, 68 people were arrested by the UMPD for operating under the influence, riding a steady three-year rise in OUI arrests. From 1998 to 2004, the department averaged about 22 OUI arrests per year. This year, 23 arrests had been made through mid-March.
For people over 21, OUI is defined as having a blood-alcohol content (BAC) of .08 or higher. Massachusetts has a "zero-tolerance" policy for underage drinkers, with a limit of .02 BAC, which can come from drinking less than one beer.
Although OUI is the official term used in Massachusetts, driving under the influence (DUI) and driving while intoxicated (DWI) - are often used as well.
The trend at UMass parallels national data, which suggests the number of college students driving while intoxicated has increased since 1998. A 2005 study by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) estimated that 2.8 million college students drove under the influence of alcohol in 2001, up from 2.3 million in 1998.
However, Archbald attributes the increased arrests at UMass to two other factors: an increase of about eight UMPD officers since 2002, and state grants earmarked to target OUIs.
"We have more officers on the street," Archbald said. "Officers are hired on overtime with a specific orientation to stopping cars and finding drunk drivers."
State grants have allowed UMPD to run OUI patrols similar to the "click It or Ticket" program, which catches people without a seatbelt. The department has also conducted two roadblocks in cooperation with state police, and Archbald says the number of car stops where the driver has not been drinking has also increased.
April McNally, a University Health Services (UHS) health educator, agreed that increased enforcement is driving the numbers up.
"It's not that more students are drinking and driving," she said. "It's that those who are drinking and driving have a better chance of being caught. If students hear that there have been more DUI arrests in recent years, hopefully that will persuade them not to get behind the wheel if they have been drinking."
McNally believes that most UMass students behave responsibly when drinking.
"Most of our students don't drink and drive, which we're happy about," she said.
According to 2007 data from the "Social Norms" campaign survey, run by UHS, 77 percent of UMass students have not driven under the influence in the past year, and 73 percent have not gotten into a car with someone who is drunk.
If 75 percent of people aren't doing it, though, 25 percent of people are, according to survey data. McNally says students may not feel susceptible to being in an accident or being arrested.
"There's that sense of, 'well, it's just a mile down the road, or I don't feel that drunk,'" McNally said. "But the first thing to be affected when you're drinking is your reason and judgment and inhibition. With any amount of alcohol sometimes you think you're okay, but you're really not."
Archbald says UMass is probably comparable to other colleges as far as OUI arrests.
"UMass is probably typical, but it's still more of an issue than in the average community," he said. "It's a high concentration of young people who are experimenting for the first time with alcohol."
Despite the increase, UMass's police log is still significantly lower than that of the University of Connecticut, which is of comparable size.
In 2006, 174 people were arrested for driving while intoxicated, up from 158 in 2004 and 101 in 2005, according to the UConn Police Department's Web site.
Students caught driving under the influence face severe consequences. In 2005, Massachusetts introduced Melanie's Law, which created harsher penalties for OUI arrests. A first offense can result in a one-year license suspension, up to 2.5 years in a house of correction, or a fine between $500 and $5,000.
The consequences can be even more grave. In September 2004, a hit-and-run took place on Commonwealth Avenue. A student on her way home from a party hit a freshman in the crosswalk and the victim sustained severe injuries. Both students were under the influence of alcohol.
Senior Nick Canton doesn't find drunken driving to be a big problem at UMass.
"I don't run into it a lot," he said. "Most people will go out of their way to say, 'I've had a couple, I'm going to stop for the night.'"
However, junior Kelley Bailey says it's difficult to prevent students from making poor decisions.
"No matter how much you educate people about it, there's still people who don't listen," she said. "I guess the police need to be more aware of it. They need to crack down more."
Archbald feels he has seen an increase in designated driver efforts in his 20 years at UMass.
"It's a conversation that is happening before events, before people are under the influence," he said. "People see it now in a much different light - that just getting hammered and getting behind the wheel is just a socially unacceptable act."
Still, Archbald and McNally recognize that any student driving under the influence is taking a risk.
"Even one stop for DWI is reason for concern," Archbald said. "If you see the numbers go up, it just shows to us that it's still happening and we have to address it."
Katie Huston can be reached at khuston@student.umass.edu.
Be the first to comment on this article!