Comment: Universities must make eradicating underage drinking a priority
Published 1:30 am Saturday, March 28, 2026
As the extraordinarily proud father of a 19-year-old daughter, who is a junior at WSU and carries a 4.0 G.P.A., both in high school and college; I am horrified by the senseless and tragic deaths of college students throughout our country directly related to the overconsumption of alcohol. Many of our nation’s universities are failing their responsibilities to our children.
Case in point, up to 1,800 college students die each year directly related to alcohol incidents. Moreover, 96,000 students are sexually assaulted or the victim of a date rape due to alcohol consumption. Tragically, alcohol is marring many college students’ lives, with a reported rate of 15 percent of college students nationwide could be considered alcoholics.
More than 700,000 students are assaulted each year by another student who has been drinking. Needless to say, the myriad statistics surrounding alcohol related crime is disheartening and terrifying for the parents of a college student.
My family was blessed to have my daughter home for eight days during her Spring Break. She relished playing with our dogs, enjoyed home cooking and going to the gym. However, she conveyed horror stories of young women projectile vomiting down her hallway at her dorm, fraternity brothers falling off of their roof while trying to urinate from the roof; and the most horrifying incident, was the blackout drunk young man trying to get into the girls’ dorm rooms and later passing out in the hallway for everyone to see in the morning.
Underage drinking is at epidemic levels, and universities and colleges must take a zero-tolerance approach to this dangerous scourge within our society. This is not only emblematic at Washington State University, but is prevalent at universities in every region of our nation.
Beyond the safety issues that underage drinking presents, there is definitely a toll that alcohol takes on academic success. It is estimated that up to 25 percent of new students will drop out after their first year due to a lack of academic progress, which can often be attributed to the party culture.
While underage drinking is a multi-dimensional problem that will require parents, law enforcement officials and educators to combat; many universities have in some sense turned a blind eye to this extremely dangerous issue. Our college administrators must get more serious about the discipline of underage, on campus drinking. University police must make a concerted effort to monitor Fraternity and Sorority parties, even carding revelers at the door.
The dorms must have full-time security personnel to monitor unwanted visitors and students that are drinking to the verge of alcohol poisoning. An 18-year-old’s brain simply has not developed to the point that they will always act with maturity or make sound decisions.
Colleges must provide better educational resources and counseling on the detrimental effects of alcohol on their students’ lives. Parents must demand that these universities make it a priority to eradicate this excessive underage drinking. Our children’s lives may depend on it!
Bill Young spent 20 years working in the public school system and the City of Seattle as a school safety officer. He lives in Lake Stevens.
