Tremendous media attention has been focused on heavy college drinking during the past decade, but drinking habits have changed little. Alcohol is still the drug of choice among young people, especially on college campuses. Each year, some 1,700 students die due to drunken driving or other alcohol-related incidents. This year, the Duke University lacrosse team made the news when an exotic dancer accused three of its members of raping her at an alcohol-fueled party. Studies have found that rates of binge drinking and its often-devastating outcomes have remained remarkably stable over time, despite various attempts to reduce alcohol consumption on campus. According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, too many college alcohol programs are not supported by research. As a result, there is considerable debate about what colleges and surrounding communities can do to reduce excessive drinking among students.

Barbara Mantel is a freelance writer in New York City whose work has appeared in The New York Times, the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology and Mamm Magazine. She is a former correspondent and senior producer for National Public Radio and has won several journalism awards, including the National Press Club's Best Consumer Journalism Award and Lincoln University's Unity Award. She holds a B.A. in history and economics from the University of Virginia and an M.A. in economics from Northwestern University.