Youth Group Finds Few Alcohol-Related Advertisements at Cal-State San Marcos

SAN MARCOS - Members of the East County Youth Coalition recently headed north to walk the California State University San Marcos campus and found far less alcohol advertising and messaging than expected.

The group of students partnered with the North Inland Prevention Program and Binge and Underage Drinking “Young Advocates” as part of an educational awareness project to understand the impact alcohol-related marketing on college campuses has on young adults.

Youth group members discussed how they think many college campuses seem to be breeding our next generation of alcohol consumers. Providing information to students about happy hour specials at nearby restaurants and incorporating ads in school papers with alcohol-related photos are just two ways students are getting the message that it’s a socially acceptable activity to consume alcohol—blurring the line between those who can legally drink and those who are underage.

“I think the alcohol messaging should be kept to a minimum or none at all,” coalition member Donnae Prather said.

Students spent three hours walking through the 340-acre campus, recording the information and messaging they found on posters and bulletin boards throughout campus, as well as in the student newspaper, “The Cougar Chronicle.”

After analyzing the school newspaper, the group found that about 9 percent was dedicated to alcohol-related ads, messaging or events – what the students said they thought to be a relatively low amount. Additionally, there were several “pro-health” messages throughout the paper, raising awareness or supporting healthy decisions and activities.

“We saw a lot of stuff to do on and off campus. There were a lot of ways to be involved,” coalition member Tundrea Besley said. There were a number of clubs, events and healthy activities advertised throughout campus that did not involve alcohol.

Students found that the campus was relatively “clean” of alcohol messaging and advertising as compared to other campuses such as San Diego State University, which another youth group had recently assessed. Members discussed how factors such as being a commuter school and a policy that refuses alcohol advertising on campus at CSUSM could contribute to what they did, or did not, find.

Statistics show nearly 39 percent of Californians ages 18 to 25 binge drank in the past month, according to the 2008-2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

The students agree with experts in that by increasing the number of alcohol-free activities and creating a protective factor with health-related counter-advertising, students may be less likely to partake in underage drinking or activities involving alcohol.

Requiring “dry” living and learning environments and implementing alcohol-free policies at colleges and universities help raise the bar of expectation for students and encourage responsible decisions about consuming alcohol.

Cuyamaca College currently prohibits any alcohol-related fliers and requires approval for all materials that are posted on campus. Additionally, University of California San Diego, SDSU and University of San Diego do not allow on and off campus events to publically promote the availability of alcohol. USD has an additional restriction to these advertisements in the school newspaper.

Although many schools have adopted policies to restrict alcohol sales, consumption and advertising, access to alcohol on many campuses is still apparent.

East County Youth Coalition is working on drug and alcohol prevention because it is a problem that affects youth in the East region. Many of these youth from East County commute to local colleges, such as CSU San Marcos.

In 2010, 261 East County youth under 21 years old were taken to the emergency room due to alcohol, according to the Emergency Department Discharge Database.

In San Diego County, from 2006 to 2011, 144 minors age 20 and younger died with alcohol in their system. Fifteen of these youth were from East County.

Coalition members discussed how on-campus student organizations, a strong health and wellness community, campus policies and healthy advertising and activities could all contribute to fewer alcohol-related incidents.

Binge and Underage Drinking “Young Advocates” have been evaluating alcohol-related advertising on campuses throughout the county including University of California San Diego, City College, Grossmont College, Southwestern College and San Diego State University.