Drinking Study

FRIDAY MORNING CLASSES AT THE U-I MAY BE KEEPING STUDENTS OUT OF THE EMERGENCY ROOM THURSDAY NIGHT. DAILY IOWAN TV'S SARAH FERGUSON TELLS US HOW THE CLASSROOM PLAYS A MAJOR FACTOR IN DETERMINING THE AMOUNT OF ALCOHOL UI STUDENTS DRINK.

:00 CG Sarah Ferguson Reporting
An independent study by a university assistant professor found that UI students are filling these classrooms on Friday mornings instead of their cups on Thursday night.
:00 Take PKG Runs 1:34

Dr. Michael Takacs arrived at these results after a 2 year study on UIHC patients when he compared the relationship between the amount of students admitted to the UIHC and their Friday class schedules.

Takacs found--in the 2008-2009 academic school year Students admitted to the UIHC for alcohol related emergencies decreased by 25% compared to the previous school year.

Takacs credits the University's class scheduling for this-

:39 CG Michael Takacs
Something was done and of course the university had an initiative to have more Friday classes so that can be attributed to this.

But Takacs found the amount of underage drinkers admitted to the emergency room to be most shocking.
:55 CG Michael Takacs
That caught me by surprise--the number of freshmen and sophomores. They’ve counted for 80% of the patients.

Alex Heinen, a sophomore at the UI, is no stranger to Friday classes and says they don't factor into his decision of whether or not to drink.
1:09 CG Alex Heinen
I've had class on Friday every semester since being here, and really if I'm going to go out it's not going to stop me.

---But it may make him think twice about refilling his drink
1:21 CG Alex Heinen
If I had say a 9:30 or earlier, that
would definitely depend on how much I
drank.
Thirsty Thursday now may be a
thing of the past for students with Friday morning classes. Sarah Ferguson, Daily Iowan TV

1:34 CG Take Outcue
Anchor on camera: (Anchor Tag)
DR. TAKACS PLANS TO EXPAND HIS STUDY THIS SUMMER BY COMPARING BINGE DRINKING RATES OF IN 2006 TO THE 2010 SCHOOL YEAR.