MOUNT VERNON- – Like colleges and universities across the nation, Cornell College suffers the consequences of binge drinking among its students, but one student’s research may offer solutions to the problem.
Dana Snyder, a Cornell College senior psychology and biology major and 1997 graduate of Cedar Rapids Jefferson High School, has studied binge drinking at Cornell. She will present her findings at Cornell’s fifth annual Student Symposium on Saturday, April 21, in The Commons. More than 60 students, working with faculty members in 17 departments, will reveal their research findings from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., in poster presentations or performances/lectures.
Using an alcohol and drug survey of students conducted by Cornell last year, Snyder analyzed factors that influence binge drinking — such as gender, current tobacco use and alcohol consumption before age 18 — and the consequences on drinkers and the campus community. She found binge drinkers are more likely to suffer academically and emotionally and to negatively impact other students through actions such as driving under the influence, damaging property and fighting. Snyder demonstrated, however, that binge drinkers are less likely to recognize the risks of alcohol use and more likely to associate positive effects with alcohol consumption; in other words, the problem drinkers are least aware of the problems.
“The college needs to target the harmful consequences of binge drinking rather than drinking in general,” Snyder said. “Changes in the binge drinking rates will only be seen when students realize the negative impact their actions are having on their peers. If Cornell can focus its efforts on guiding students to become safe and responsible drinkers, I believe Cornell will be one step ahead of most other academic institutions.”
Topics at Cornell’s Student Symposium will run the gamut, including Zimbabwean pottery, natural vs. restored wetlands, recent U.S. economic policy toward Russia and women on the Web. The performances/lectures run in three concurrent sessions in Hedges Conference Room, Harlan Dining Room and the Rathskeller from 9-10:25 and 10:40-11:45 a.m. and 1-3 p.m. Poster presentations on the Orange Carpet are from 9-11:45 a.m. and 12:45-3 p.m.