College Freshmen Cut Booze and Classes

THE WASHINGTON TIMES, Jan. 24—College freshmen are losing interest in smoking and drinking beer but also in going to class, an annual survey of first-year students has found.

A little more than half of the nation's freshmen said they frequently or occasionally drank beer — the lowest level in 34 years, reported the Times.

“Colleges have tried very hard to discourage drinking,” said Linda J. Sax, an assistant professor of education at UCLA's Higher Education Research Institute, which has surveyed freshman views at the nation's colleges and universities every year since 1965.

But the good news on substance abuse is tempered with concerns in the classroom, the Times said.

Researchers noted that academic disengagement is on the rise, with a record number of students saying they are frequently bored in classes and often tardy or absent. The percentage of students taking remedial classes has also hit a 30-year high. “Our findings underscore the need for colleges and universities to find more effective ways to accommodate the growing numbers of students who may be coming to college academically unprepared,” said Alexander Astin, a UCLA education professor and founding director of the survey.

While a record number of freshmen say they finished high school with an “A” average, there is mounting evidence that more schools are holding students back in an attempt to end social promotion. More than one-fourth of all students start college at age 19 instead of the traditional 18, the study found.

Virginia Considers ‘Moment of Silence’

RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH, Feb. 2—Senators waved the Constitution and professed their religious faith during debate Feb. 1 before passing legislation that would require every classroom in every Virginia public school to every day observe “one minute of silent meditation, prayer or reflection,” the Times-Dispatch reported. The Senate's 28-11 vote sends the bill to the House, where the newfound Republican majority is likely to receive warmly the legislation already endorsed by Gov. Jim Gilmore, the Richmond newspaper reported.

Yesterday's emotional debate was fueled by what Democrats deemed the bill's invitation to a legal challenge if signed into law. Still, seven Democrats quietly joined the GOP majority in passing the measure.

“I have no illusions about what's going to happen with this,” said Senate Minority Leader Richard L. Saslaw of Fairfax County. “If you want the worst-case application, if you think religion ought to dominate government at every level, then you ought to move to Iran and get your wish.”

“This is not a religious crusade,” countered the bill's sponsor, Sen. Warren E. Barry, R-Fairfax. “It's about helping students reflect on who they are and where they're going — while trying to do something to stem the spread of violence in schools.

Sen. Kenneth W. Stolle, R-Virginia Beach, recounted how being Catholic made him a victim of religious bigotry as a college student in the Bible Belt. Nonetheless, he said, noting the General Assembly's tradition of opening daily sessions in prayer, “If it's good enough for the Senate of Virginia, a moment of silence is good for our children.”