Orange County NC Website
CHAPEL HILL: OPINION <br /> <br />NOVEMBER 27, 2016 7:20 AM <br />A new approach to an old problem: <br />Chapel Hill takes on dangerous <br />drinking <br />BY COLLEEEN BRIDGER, WINTON CRISP, ROGER STANCIL AND ELINOR <br />LANDESS <br />Issues related to college students and alcohol use are hardly new. In fact, in 1355 <br />a fight over the quality of wine served to two Oxford University students escalated <br />into a riot that left over 100 people dead. <br />The Mayor of Oxford complained to the King of England about the students, and <br />the king responded by ordering the mayor to attend a mass every year on the day <br />of the riot in remembrance of the students killed. This practice continued for 470 <br />years. <br />While we have not had riots related to the quality of a glass of wine in Chapel <br />Hill, our community is affected by high-risk drinking. So, unlike Oxford where <br />the mayor sought relief from the king, in 2013 the mayor of Chapel Hill and the <br />Chancellor of UNC came together to address high-risk drinking in our <br />community. Today, that effort exists as a new organization called the Campus & <br />Community Coalition. <br />The Campus & Community Coalition to Address the Negative Impacts of High- <br />Risk Drinking is doing just what its name suggests – working to mitigate the <br />harmful effects of risky alcohol use in our community. <br />We define high-risk drinking as drinking in a way that increases the likelihood of <br />negative consequences. Because state law prohibits alcohol use by those under 21, <br />underage drinking is high-risk drinking, as is binge drinking. Negative <br />consequences include such impacts as unplanned or unsafe sex, accidents, fights, <br />or injuries. Additionally, secondhand effects of high-risk drinking can also impact