At the 11th Annual Forum for National College Awareness Week just 10 days after Heideman's death, Esteban spoke to a crowd of students about their role in stopping this epidemic. It has to be brought under control, and no one can do it unless you, the students, want to bring it under control. I could write executive memorandums, I could send e-mail messages, I could do all kinds of things. We could have the most perfect system as a university, but ultimately, we cannot control what you do as individuals when you're away from the university. The task for the university, the students, and the community is daunting.
Alcohol is much cheaper and easier to obtain than other commonly used drugs like marijuana.
Even underage students seem to have no problem acquiring it, a fact corroborated in casual conversations with CSU, Chico students and in the Harvard study, which shows that correlates of underage binge drinking include residence in a fraternity or sorority, easy access to alcohol, obtaining drinks at lower prices, and drinking beer. It's a socially acceptable drug, and many local businesses make a lot of money from it. On St. Patrick's Day, when they open bars at 6 a.m. and provide drinks at a reduced price, all it does is encourage people to drink. When they have bar crawls, all they're doing is encouraging people to drink more. While bar policies are seen as part of the problem, it probably will take a community effort to work out the best solutions to this complex issue.