The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has an image problem, some officials say, and it's not because of Herbie Husker's weight loss.
Tom Workman, assistant director for Student Involvement, said students at UNL are drinking less than they were eight years ago, even if the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranked Lincoln as the fourth-worst city in terms of binge drinking.
"The annual survey shows we've reduced (drinking) a good 20 to 25 percent as a campus population," he said. "That doesn't happen immediately."
The difference between Lincoln's high drinking rates and UNL's decreasing drinking rates, he said, is caused by many factors.
One of them, he suspects, was a cultural shift in the students who attend UNL.
He said the "millennial generation" has had a reduction in alcohol and drug use in general.
"I think our students today are thinking it doesn't need to be 'Animal House' to have a good time," he said. "That's a really antiquated film."
Workman also said UNL groups, such as NU Directions, have helped students recognize the high risks associated with binge drinking.
He said they're not trying to punish the individual, but rather help create an environment for students to make a choice towards moderation if they do drink, and still have viable alternatives if they don't drink.
Research shows that students drink based on their misperception of the levels of alcohol abuse at the campus level, Workman said.
Because of this, he said, NU Directions has worked to communicate the actual drinking rates of students so they know binge drinking isn't the norm at UNL.
Robert Schroeder, the University Health Center alcohol and drug program coordinator, said drinking is highest during students' first year of college and then decreases with a temporary increase at age 21.
"About 80 percent of students who drink a lot will drink less after graduation and end up fine," he said. "About 20 percent will continue to drink heavily and have problems, and one half of the 20 percent will become alcoholic."
Schroeder says college drinking measures have not changed much for several years, but there is one exception: college women are drinking more now.
"Traditional roles for women are pretty much gone now," he said. "The cultural pressure on women to drink less has diminished dramatically."
Diem Le, senior business administration major, said she doesn't think Lincoln is that much of a "drunker" town. But she doesn't think NU Directions' message about the levels of student drinking is true.
"Freshmen are drinking more," she said. "I don't think it's less at all."
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Police Capt. Carl Oestmann said even though the statistics might show that drinking-related citations on campus are either up or down, they're really tricky to show whether or not student drinking has increased or decreased.
He said a range of factors could change the statistics, too.
New police procedures and higher awareness levels, he said, could change how many citations or arrests are made. But that doesn't necessarily mean the level of student drinking increased or decreased.
Workman said the sad part is heavy partiers often have a louder voice than the students who understand moderation - leading to the perception that UNL is full of heavy drinkers.
"My hope is that we can find a way to balance that voice," he said. "It's hard because it's dramatic.
"What good is it going to class Monday with an 'I was so sober' story?" he said. "It doesn't make for good Facebook."
