Benedictine Continues its Fight Against Alcohol Abuse

An extensive three-year investigation by the Task Force on College Drinking, commissioned by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, reported that alcohol consumption is linked to at least 1,400 student deaths and 500,000 unintentional injuries every year.

Alcohol consumption by college students is linked to drinking and driving and poor academic performance, Even non-drinking students may experience the consequences of alcohol abuse such as increased rates of crime, traffic crashes, rapes and assaults, and property damage. Each year, more than 800,000 students are assaulted by other students who have been drinking.

As part of its ongoing effort to keep students, the community and the campus safe, the Benedictine University Police Department sought and was awarded a second $5,000 grant by the lllinois Department of Human Services to combat underage alcohol use and impaired driving on campus.

Benedictine received an initial Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws grant in January to allow the department to subsidize salaries and purchase equipment such as portable breath test devices.

Aided by the initial grant, the university's police department issued 134 alcohol violation citations, six drug citations, four citations for unlawful use of an I.D., and a ticket to an impaired driver during the spring 2011 semester.

The latest grant will allow the department to expand its efforts to enforce alcohol compliance at the Village of Lisle-Benedictine University Sports Complex, among servers and patrons at the Coal Ben eatery on campus and on the public streets contiguous to the university.

“The grant will also allow us extra police staffing to conduct on-campus roadside safety checks, patrol the parking lots during athletic events, and work closely with Residence Life to identify underage alcohol consumption and students who may be at health risk,” said Benedictine University Police Chief Michael Salatino. 

Salatino said his department also plans to use part of the grant to purchase a new patrol bicycle.

In addition to Benedictine, the most recent awards were presented to  Elmhurst College and Judson University.