MADISON, Wis. — The University of Wisconsin-Madison's ranking as the nation's eighth-best party school was met Monday not with a toast but a sigh by those who work to curb underage drinking and the problems that go with it.
"It's always unfortunate to make the rankings in a negative way," said Mark Woulf, a 2010 UW-Madison graduate who now serves as the city's food and alcohol policy coordinator. "Yes, we get negative press for the drinking culture in Wisconsin and the university of, but the vast majority of students who do drink do it responsibly."
The University of Iowa was designated by The Princeton Review as the nation's top party school in its annual listing on a list determined by 126,000 students in a nationwide survey. UW-Madison's ranking increased from 13 a year ago to eight, just behind Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, and ahead of Penn State University in Happy Valley, Pa.
Alcohol-related "partying" is only a small part of the college experience for most UW-Madison students, said Dr. Sarah Van Orman, executive director of University Health Services on the UW-Madison campus.
Alcohol-related disciplinary referrals and the number of students taken to detox have been relatively stable for recent years, but "high-risk alcohol use remains a pressing public health problem which negatively impacts campus safety and student's academic progress and well-being," Orman said in an email statement.
City of Madison and university officials have taken a number of steps in recent years to try and address the drinking problem, including passing an ordinance in 2012 designed to crack down on large house parties and working to provide more entertainment options for students who aren't of legal drinking age.
A number of educational efforts have also been undertaken. Starting this fall in Madison, all incoming students will be expected to complete an online education program about alcohol abuse.
Given that changing the college-aged drinking culture is difficult, the focus instead has turned to teaching students to take responsibility for themselves and their friends and knowing the penalties and risks they face for their choices, Woulf said.