Brown and White Vol. 118 no. 20

              By LAURA QUAGLIARIELLO
The Boston University School of Public Health re­leased a study recently suggesting binge drinking the night before a test does not affect a student’s performance.
The test, which included 196 participants, was conduct­ed jointly with Brown University. The study facilitators provided student participants, 21 years or older, with beer or non-alcoholic beer over a period of four days. At the end of these four days, students were given mock quizzes and practice exams. Their scores were then studied.
The results showed all of the students received rela­tively high scores on both exams, whether sober or intoxi­cated the night before.
According to Dr. Susan Kitei, director of the health and wellness center, these findings are a generalization.
“It is important to understand that while the findings stated that there was no significant difference in test-taking ability after binge drinking, that is an oversimplification,” Kitei said.
The journal article states the effects of binge drinking “may not be central to performance on multiple choice tests based on recall and recognition, but may affect other types of academic performance (unmeasured by our study), such as essay-writing and problem-solving requir­ing higher-order cognitive skills.’”
Kitei also points out the studies simply looked at mul­tiple choice tests and the effects on students 21 years or older. She believes more studies need to be conducted, including tests on younger students and various types of tests.
Dr. Eric Klein of the counseling center is an alcohol and drug specialist.
“I appreciate the studies that Boston University and Brown University have conducted. I think they are im­portant and worthwhile reading,” Klein said. However, he noted, “there are far more studies that document the nega­tive impact of binge drinking on academic performance.”
According to Maddy Eadline whose work focuses on binge drinking within the Office of Special Projects, the article in the LA Times about the research at Boston and Brown University is “interesting.”
“I would warn you to be cautious when interpreting the outcomes of the study,” she said. “There are many variables that effect academic performance and alcohol consumption.”
Binge drinking absolutely affects behavior, Kitei said. “Difficulty walking, slurred speech, slowed reaction times and impaired memory can all occur acutely, and those who drink large amounts over long periods of time can have serious permanent changes in their brains.”
Binge drinking considerably affects memory, which
Does binge drinking affect test-taking?
See BINGE Page 4
By MICHAEL BODNEV
One might think, amidst the economic woes that have dominated current events, fewer students would be applying to college, especially via early decision. However, a New York Times article in December reported colleges across the country are experiencing sharp spikes in the number of early decision applicants.
Lehigh, like Cornell, Columbia, Duke and Dartmouth universities, is witness to the devel­oping trend.
J. Leon Washington, dean of admissions, said while Lehigh’s number of first round early decsion applications decreased slightly, the second round numbers increased consider­ably. Lehigh’s application process features two rounds of early decision, with decisions coming in mid-December and mid-February.
Washington believes this rising trend is a re­sult of the uncertainty in the economy. Parents want certainty in their child’s education, giving them more time to prepare.
“Parents may say, ‘I’m only going to be able to afford $27,000, so find the program that’s best for your major,’” Frank Gunter, associ­ate professor of economics, said. “Before the crisis, when the economy was booming, if a kid wanted to study medieval poetry, parents would say, ‘Fine, go to Princeton. They have a great program.’ Today, students are more inclined to pick majors like engineering or fi­nance where they will be more likely to get a job after college.”
For many students, the financial crisis has narrowed their options, making them more in­clined to target schools that are attuned to their desired major.
Washington said he sees a similar thought
Early decision applications increasing
See APPLICATIONS Page 2
THE BROWN AND WHITE
Lehigh University’s Student Newspaper Founded in 1894
SPORTS
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LIFESTYLE
Lehigh runs on dunkin’
B&W photo by RYAN NORKETT
Lehigh Police Chief Edward Shupp gets dunked in water by a student Wednesday on the U.C. front lawn as part of Alpha Gamma Delta sorority’s fundraiser for the American Diabetes Association.
Vol. 118 No. 20
Friday, April 16, 2010
‘All the Lehigh News First’
Senate highlights minor clubs in budget review
By LIZ MARTINEZ
In an effort to support all clubs during tough financial times, Student Senate decided to focus its budget al­locations for the 2010-2011 school year on minor clubs, while evaluating major clubs’ impact on campus.
“Right now, based on the university freeze, it’s hard to give our funding to one particular organization,” senate trea­surer Binay Patel, ’10, said. “Instead of having one club host a big event, we’re trying to get a lot of small clubs together to host different events.”
The senate, he noted, wants clubs to collaborate more often so students can form a closer community.
One of the initial changes to combat the 8.5 percent total budget decrease in­herited from last year was to cut senate’s personal budget by $1,500. Patel said the reduction defines senate’s continual support of all the 106 recognized clubs by showing that it is “willing to do more with less.”
“As leaders on campus, we wanted to set a good example,” he said.
In terms of University Productions and the $25,000 budget decrease from last year, Patel said the senate recog­nized UP is “one of the strongest organi­zations” because it appeals to all types of students on campus; therefore it raised UP’s budget based on the amount of work it does. Senate allocated the club $196,250, an increase of $1,250 from last year.
LU Emergency Medical Services’ budget increased by $2,200, of which Patel said $1,200 is going toward its larger operating budget, $500 for a new vehicle and $500 toward a new laptop.
Senate decreased WLVR’s budget because last year, it had given the sta­tion a one-time $5,000 contribution to purchase a new transmitter valued at upwards of $50,000 “to start them off in the right step,” Patel said.
He said the senate “tried to make sure there were no significant changes.”