The crackdown's early results

By The Gazette Editorial Board

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The number of University of Iowa students charged with criminal violations took a sharp jump last academic year.

The recently released figures show a 21 percent increase in arrests and citations of UI students - most having to do with alcohol.

More than 1,300 students were charged by police, excluding minor traffic violations, up from 1,098 the year before. About 1 in 23 students were cited or arrested between Aug. 1, 2010 and May 20.

That's the largest number of student arrests or citations since the Dean of Students' office started tracking the numbers during the 2006-07 school year, and the increase has some people concerned.

But the spike in UI student arrests shouldn't be surprising, given the school and city's stepped-up enforcement efforts - including the 21-only ordinance and a much-publicized effort to curb out-of-control behavior around Kinnick Stadium on Hawkeye game days.

Those enforcement efforts seem to be reflected in the numbers: 485 citations for underage drinking last academic year, compared with 407 the year before; 193 tickets for being in a bar after hours, compared with 36 tickets the previous year; 149 disorderly house citations, up from 81.

Drug possession charges were up, as were charges of open container. Other figures were down - drunk driving arrests, public intoxication and being in possession of a fake ID, for example.

Officials worry about the long-term effects these citations will have on students' ability to get into graduate school or start a career. That's a valid concern.

But we think most employers and admissions committees will be forgiving of an isolated, youthful mistake.

Still, the arrest numbers are sobering. We hope the crackdown serves as a wake-up call for students, eventually leading to fewer arrests and less alcohol abuse.

There are signs that may be happening. A report released earlier this summer showed that binge drinking among UI students was at its lowest level in a decade.

Those National College Health Assessment numbers, collected this spring, showed that after a years-long climb, binge drinking actually was down 8 percent from the previous year.

Fewer students reported drinking at all in the 30 days before the survey was conducted, and more of those 83 percent of students who did stayed within the legal limit of intoxication.

Of course, it's also important to remember when considering these figures that one year does not make a trend.

For now, these numbers appear to signal that tougher, consistent enforcement of laws can reduce dangerous drinking behavior by young people, as well as remind us that the fight to curb extreme alcohol abuse is far from won.

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