What happens when colleges lump together students from the same demographic group in dorms or fraternities?
The results of this study may shed light on why fraternities, sororities and freshman dorms have particularly high binge-drinking rates and account for a disproportionate share of alcohol problems on campuses. These social and living arrangements tend to group higher-risk drinkers together, with little chance of their intermingling with those who drink less heavily. Q: How can these data be put to practical use by colleges and universities? A: Having a diverse student body on college campuses is an important factor in lowering binge-drinking rates. In particular, colleges should look at the beneficial aspects of having older students around younger ones, both in fraternity and sorority houses and in dormitories. It may be a good idea to encourage or require more graduate students and seniors to live there. And it brings into question whether freshman-only dorms are a wise idea. Schools believe that freshman-only dorms are easier to control because they can simply say that alcohol is il
