Dangers of College Student Drinking Addressed in P’ville Program
Lynn Gordon Bailey Jr. seemed to have it all. He was a popular high school student, a star athlete and an actor who performed in school plays.
But Bailey’s life came to a shattering end in 2004, early in his freshman year at the University of Colorado.
He was a fraternity pledge who went on a drinking binge as part of a hazing ritual and lost consciousness. Despite being unconscious for hours, no one from the fraternity called for help and Bailey died.
The circumstances of Bailey’s death and alcohol abuse among college students was documented in the 2008 film “HAZE” directed by Pete Schuermann, which was screened on Sept. 16 at the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville as part of the first event this school year presented by Pleasantville STRONG. The organization is a Pleasantville community coalition involving the school district, village and police to reduce underage drinking and drug use by local youths.
A post-screening panel discussion and question-and-answer session included Susan Brownbill-Vega, director of community affairs for the Westchester County district attorney’s office; Ellen Morehouse, executive director of Student Assistance Services; and Dr. Emil Nigro, director of the Phelps Memorial Hospital Emergency Department. Jacob Burns Managing Director Dominick Balletta moderated the discussion.
Excessive alcohol abuse, including binge and competitive drinking (similar to Beer Pong) and hazing involving alcohol is a major problem on America’s college campuses, which leads to deaths such as Bailey’s. According to the movie, 44 percent of college students binge drink.
The documentary includes graphic images of college students who become ill from binge drinking, footage of youths being arrested or treated by EMS and interviews with experts and Bailey’s family and friends.
The panelists said the film accurately portrayed the seriousness of alcohol abuse among college students. Brownbill-Vega said parents must take an active role to discourage drinking many years before they head off to college.
Nigro said youngsters must be taught that “alcohol is something that can kill you. This has to be taken very seriously.” About 2,000 to 3,000 Americans die of alcohol poisoning annually, he said.
Morehouse said binge drinking poses serious dangers and is not comparable to an adult having a drink with a meal.
The panelists agreed that if a peer sees a friend impaired or struggling, 911 should be called immediately. Nigro said youths often do not call for help because they are worried about the ramifications, including fears they will get in trouble because they allowed their friend to get dangerously drunk.
“You have to get past that,” he said.
T.J. McCormack, director of community outreach for state Sen. Terrence Murphy, said during the Q&A session he was impressed with the power of “HAZE,” in part because McCormack is a recovering alcoholic who has been sober 10 years. He said Murphy is at the forefront to combat underage drinking and substance abuse.
“It was so incredibly difficult to watch,” McCormack said of the documentary.
He recommended that “HAZE” be screened in as many high schools as possible.
