Game over
By: Allison Abney
Staff Reporter
Issue date: 11/28/06 Section: The Game of Life
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When Jason Radish pledged Kappa Sigma in the fall of his freshman year of college at The University of Memphis, he was well aware of the infamous fraternity lifestyle.
"My brother was already a member," said Radish. "I wanted to be a part of the good times."
By the time he was initiated in the spring of his freshman year, he was already in the process of moving into the fraternity house.
"I would call that the turning point," said Radish.
There are more than 12 million students who currently attend the nation's 3,600 colleges and universities. Of these students, 18 to 24 year olds make up about 57 percent or 7.1 million, a percentage that has been steadily rising for the last 50 years.
According to experts, this rise in enrollment has accompanied a significant rise in the prevalence of participation in health-risk behaviors among college students nationwide. Furthermore, there continues to be an increasing amount of data that indicates that many college students throughout the United States engage in behaviors that place them at risk for serious health problems or severe injury.
"One night, I remember passing out drunk on one of the wooden benches on our deck," said Radish. "One of my pledge brothers thought it would be funny to push that bench over. I jumped up in an angry rage and ended up breaking my foot when I chased him down the front porch steps."
Accidents are the leading cause of death in college students, and each year thousands of students die or are severely injured because they have car accidents, make bad or hasty judgments, engage in binge drinking, fall and fatally injure themselves or drown while swimming drunk. Any type of frivolous or risky behavior, especially when it is coupled with excessive drinking or use of recreational drugs, can potentially be deadly.
According to Radish, living at his fraternity's house meant that there was always someone who wanted to hang out. Even on nights when he "stayed in," there would usually be at least four or five of his fraternity brothers on the deck drinking beer.
"My brother was already a member," said Radish. "I wanted to be a part of the good times."
By the time he was initiated in the spring of his freshman year, he was already in the process of moving into the fraternity house.
"I would call that the turning point," said Radish.
There are more than 12 million students who currently attend the nation's 3,600 colleges and universities. Of these students, 18 to 24 year olds make up about 57 percent or 7.1 million, a percentage that has been steadily rising for the last 50 years.
According to experts, this rise in enrollment has accompanied a significant rise in the prevalence of participation in health-risk behaviors among college students nationwide. Furthermore, there continues to be an increasing amount of data that indicates that many college students throughout the United States engage in behaviors that place them at risk for serious health problems or severe injury.
"One night, I remember passing out drunk on one of the wooden benches on our deck," said Radish. "One of my pledge brothers thought it would be funny to push that bench over. I jumped up in an angry rage and ended up breaking my foot when I chased him down the front porch steps."
Accidents are the leading cause of death in college students, and each year thousands of students die or are severely injured because they have car accidents, make bad or hasty judgments, engage in binge drinking, fall and fatally injure themselves or drown while swimming drunk. Any type of frivolous or risky behavior, especially when it is coupled with excessive drinking or use of recreational drugs, can potentially be deadly.
According to Radish, living at his fraternity's house meant that there was always someone who wanted to hang out. Even on nights when he "stayed in," there would usually be at least four or five of his fraternity brothers on the deck drinking beer.