FARGO -- The trend, said Jane Vangsness, is that students in general are drinking less at North Dakota State. But male athletes also remain among the top offenders in preliminary findings that expected to be released in two weeks.
"That's concerning," said Vangsness," the alcohol and other drug prevention coordinator at NDSU, said. "But it is also not unique to NDSU. It's something that's shown around the country."
The latest statistics conducted by the school show Bison female athletes average 3.20 drinks per sitting compared to 6.04 for male athletes. That's down from 6.59 in the 2006 survey.
The general student average is 4.15. The highest group on campus is fraternity members, who average 6.06 per sitting according to statistics.
The Bison football team hit the headlines this offseason with three players cited for driving under the influence and another who pleaded guilty to marijuana possession.
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NDSU head coach Craig Bohl said Tuesday that he met with quarterback Jose Mohler and receiver Shamen Washington, both of whom were cited for DUI over the weekend, but said he needed to gather more information and talk with athletic director Gene Taylor before making any comments.
The high-profile arrests go against the trend in recent years of NDSU students drinking less. They averaged 4.92 drinks per sitting in the 2005 analysis and 4.31 a year later. A sitting is defined by the question: The last time you went out, how many drinks did you have?
NDSU calls its educational program "choices" and part of it includes a closed-door meeting between student-athletes and Vangsness. Coaches are not present.
"We have an open and honest conversation and it's proven to be effective," she said. "We examine what is alcohol, what alcohol does to the body and how it impacts athletic performance and how it affects teams."
It affects how fans perceive the program, Taylor said on Monday.
"I'm concerned about the image and what the image of the team is going to be," he said.
The concern is also felt by NDSU Team Makers, the fundraising arm of the athletic department. Chad Stark, this year's president and a former All-American running back, said he's anxious to see how the department handles the latest issues.
"It draws a light on it," Stark said. "I think they'll take care of it through the coaches or the athletic director or it will be tougher to raise money for them. If they don't, the players will. I truly believe the seniors will bust their butt because it's a reflection on them, too."
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Team Makers has been on a roll the last two years. Once stuck at around the $750,000 level for several years, it is now in the $2 million range annually. Football gets the biggest scholarship chunk with 63 full rides, the maximum allowed in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision.
"Me as a fundraiser, I don't want my money to go to bail these kids out and Gene has made it clear we won't do that here at NDSU," Stark said. "I'm always worried about kids making bad decisions. It's part of being a kid. And I'm sure they're the first ones who said they didn't make the best decision."
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