"It's so acceptable in college to be on a diet," Sharpe says.
And that's part of the problem. Dieting is so acceptable that people watch their friends starving to death and don't say anything.
"I think that people pick up on other people's eating disorders but they're afraid to say anything," Sharpe says. "[Eating disorders] might be less of a problem if people said something to their friends, instead of
HICK BESSEY DAILY MEXUS U. OF CALIFORNIA SANTA BARBARA
Fear of the freshman 15 can drive students to starve themselves.
applauding them for eating a salad with nothing on it.
"Don't be afraid to ask someone if they've got a problem. Don't be accusatory, be really open."
Even though she's in recovery, Sharpe says she still has rough times. She knows the dangers of eating disorders, but sometimes those dangers are outweighed by other things — the pressure to be ultra-thin and succeed at school, the fear of being away from home, and the rumors of college weight gain. To fight the illness, Sharpe regularly talks to a professional counselor.
"I sought out a counselor," she says. "A lot of people don't know what to do."
PARTY PATROL
People will come up to you and say, 'What, man, you're not drinking? Let me get you a beer.' It's like peer pressure to the extreme.
the rise.
— sophomore Nathan Cuvelier, a fraternity brother at California U. of Pennsylvania
There's no shortage of campaigning against booze on campus including peer adviser programs, counseling center outreach and resident adviser efforts. The national organization BACCHUS/GAMMA actively promotes alcohol responsibility at more than 700 campuses, and this year marks the 10th anniversary of National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week held every October.
But for Cindy Kinch, a senior at the U. of Virginia, drinking is a part of college she isn't trying to give up, no matter how many warnings are thrown at her. And she's not alone.
"For most people, it's just a part of college," Kinch says. "So many things that involve alcohol here are traditions. Football games are a big drunkfest."
Randy Haveson, a counselor at James Madison U. in Virginia, says the campus environment fosters alcohol abuse. Use of marijuana and LSD, he says, also are on
For some college students, belonging to a Greek organization can be a factor. Last summer, Southern Illinois U. researchers found that, nationally, fraternity house residents drink 2 1/2 times more than other college men. And women in sororities drink more than twice as much as their non-Greek peers. The study also indicated frequent binge drinking among Greeks.
As a result, fraternity and sorority members also have reported more alcohol-related problems, such as substance-induced blackouts and fights, in the last year. Seventy percent of Greeks and 33 percent of other students reported missing classes as a result of drinking and drugs. And a recent survey of students at 78 colleges showed a direct correlation between heavy drinking and poor grades.
For Cuvelier, these numbers are more than empty statistics. He recalls parties where his fraternity brothers made him consume a bottle of vodka. But no one thinks about wellness during a chugging contest.
"It's that constant 'Chug! Chug! Chug!'" he says. "Even if I don't want to drink at a party, I feel so out of place without a beer in my hand. It's just hard to fit in."
As Haveson points out, alcohol abuse can lead to other problems. The leading cause of death for 17- to 24-year-olds is alcohol-related car crashes. And, he says, alcohol is a leading factor in unprotected sex.
According to a recent study by The State Council on Higher Education, about 25 percent of Virginia's college students said they had sex that they later regretted because they were under the influence of alcohol.
At UVA, Kinch says her friends look out for each other when they drink at parties. But she says, "You always hear about a lot of people hooking up. I think it's a real problem, and I have never heard of a random hookup that was not regretted."
Knowing the risks doesn't necessarily deter students from partying.
AIDS AND STDs
—Joe Pagan, a senior at Longwood College
In this information age, reckless behavior can't be blamed on ignorance. College students know AIDS is spread through the exchange of bodily fluids. We know sharing needles and having unprotected sex are risky. The disclosure of Magic Johnson's illness terrified us. So why do we take chances?
JASON LINSET DAILY VIDETTE, ILLINOIS STATEU
In a recent Roper CollegeTrack survey, 48 percent of college students listed AIDS as the most important issue facing America today. Yet in a random survey of 2,013 undergraduates at the U. of Maryland, Dr. Karen Kotloff found that only half of heterosexuals
always, or almost always, use condoms. Of gay students, 36.8 percent reported using condoms always or almost always, and 28.2 percent say they never use them.
"There's a sense of invulnerability, and a misperception of who is, and who isn't, infected with HIV," says Andrea Wilson, health education specialist at the American College Health Association. "I'll never forget the girl who came up to me after a presentation and said, 'I don't have to worry about AIDS, I only date boys from good families.'"
JOBERT HOFFMAN. U OF ARIZONA
Ms. Condom hands out her wares during a U. of Arizona event.
In June, the Centers for Disease Control reported 20- to 24-year-olds make up about 10 percent of fullblown AIDS cases. The CDC estimates that one in 500 college students has HIV, the virus that leads to AIDS.
But sometimes the disease doesn't have an impact on students because they aren't confronted with it up close. A person can be HIV-positive for up to 10 years without being sick, and some educators speculate that the length of the incubation period makes AIDS less real to students.
"Students are not going to be symptomatic in college. You're not going to see your friends coming down with full-blown AIDS on campus," Wilson says.
David Williams, a senior at the U. of Maryland, says, "I personally don't know anybody who has AIDS. If people knew people who had AIDS, they'd be concerned about it."
In the shadow of AIDS, other sexually transmitted diseases have received less attention since the mid'80s. But diseases like chlamydia, gonorrhea and genital warts still present a serious threat.
According to the CDC, incidents of genital warts and genital herpes are on the rise, and 20- to 24-year-olds make up the biggest percentage of both gonorrhea and syphilis cases.
Nurse practitioner Andrea Muza-Bustos at the U. of Illinois' family health center says students can be naive about STDs. "A lot of girls think if they're monogamous, then they're safe," she says. "But it doesn't always work out that way."
Angie Windheim, a senior at the U. of Oregon says, "It's scary how little people think about STDs. Most people worry about getting pregnant and AIDS."
STRESSING OUT
I stress a lot. I don't really deal with my stress that well, though. I've tried relaxation techniques, but I always end up letting it consume me or just zoning out in front of the TV.
- Angie Windheim, a senior at the U. of Oregon
As life in the '90s becomes more complex, counseling centers have to deal with more mental health and stress-related issues.
OCTOBER 1993
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