For the 12th Straight Year, Arrests for Alcohol Rise on College Campuses
Alcohol arrests at the nation's colleges increased for the 12th consecutive year in 2003, rising slightly by 1.1 percent. The number of drug arrests increased by 2.6 percent.
Some college police officials say more-aggressive enforcement and better off-campus policing explain why alcohol and drug arrests have risen steadily in recent years.
The figures, the most recent available, are based on data reported by 6,412 two-year and four-year colleges, both nonprofit and for-profit, that are eligible for financial aid. The statistics were released this year by the U.S. Department of Education.
According to the analysis, there were 10 instances of murders or non-negligent manslaughter on campuses in 2003, down from 23 in 2002. There were 10 cases of negligent manslaughter, up from one the previous year.
The number of forcible-sex offenses, including rape, sodomy, and fondling, increased 9.6 percent. By definition, nonforcible offenses include only incest and statutory rape.
That the number of nonforcible-sex offenses decreased by 79.3 percent reflects the fact that in previous years some colleges had improperly included other kinds of incidents in that category. The Education Department has since tried to clear up such misinterpretations.
The number of aggravated assaults that were hate crimes -- which the department defines as crimes against a person or property motivated by bias against race, religion, ethnicity, disability, or sexual orientation -- dropped 73.3 percent, to 12 from 45, while the number of hate crimes causing bodily injury rose by 390 percent, to 49 from 10.
The number of robberies fell by 5.9, to 1,946, while the number of aggravated assaults, burglaries, and motor-vehicle thefts fell by small percentages. Campus officials reported a 4.4-percent drop in incidents of arson, to 1,046, and weapons-law violations decreased by 5.3 percent, to 1,116.
The Chronicle: 6/24/2005: For the 12th Straight Year, Arrests for Alcohol Rise on College Campuses ($$$ Sub. Reqd.)
