After consuming enough alcohol this past Friday to be decently intoxicated, sophomore business major Charles Green decided to go on a bike ride through campus. Just two weeks earlier, Green found himself in a fight while under the influence of alcohol, and his opponent walked away with a broken nose.

“[Drinking] is a part of life,” Green said. “I’m not saying it’s a must, but it’s definitely something you’re going to encounter.”

Green began drinking during his sophomore year of high school but said he did so rarely until college.

“Freshman year, I drank every weekend,” Green said. “We would drink right in front of McConnell. We used to make mixed drinks and sit on the steps in front of the C wing.”

Now, Green drinks twice a week on average, despite the fact that he is still underage. Much of this drinking occurs in his room on campus.

Green’s actions are not unlike those of a number of other students living on campus. Alcohol use and abuse on college campuses, specifically in regard to underage students, is extremely prevalent. According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), “nearly half (48 percent) of all the alcohol consumed by students attending a four-year college is consumed by underage students.”

But such behavior is not without repercussions. According to NAU Police Department Community Relations Officer Lance T. Wigley, the crimes most frequently committed on campus are alcohol violations.

“Most crimes on campus involve alcohol use,” Wigley said. “As an example, alcohol is used by one or more involved parties in 90 percent of the sexual assault cases we investigate.”

In 2008, 63 arrests were made by NAUPD and 1,034 alcohol sanctions were recorded, according to Wigley.

As a resident assistant in Wilson Hall, sophomore business major Greg Brown is familiar with the consequences of illegal alcohol use on campus. In the past four months, he has sanctioned seven groups of students who were caught drinking in the residence hall and once called an ambulance after discovering an unconscious resident in the hallway.

While many students do receive formal sanctions for illegal alcohol use on campus, others are never caught. In his two years of living in on-campus residence halls, Green has never been sanctioned for alcohol and said he feels it is fairly easy to get away with underage drinking. Brown said he agrees, noting many students do slip through the cracks when it comes to drinking.

“From experience, I found that it is relatively easy to get away with drinking in the dorms,” Brown said. “As long as the noise is to a low level, kids would get away with it all the time, unfortunately.”

In addition to the legal repercussions of underage drinking, the side effects of alcohol use are potentially harmful. Alcohol can lessen inhibitions and decrease a consumer’s ability to make clear decisions. Green said he witnessed this side effect firsthand when a girl who had been drinking tried to climb up the Walkup Skydome.

“I watched the girl tumble from the top of the Skydome all the way to the bottom, which is a solid 70 feet,” Green said. “She broke her jaw, orbital bone, wrist and femur on top of massive cuts and bruising.”

Despite the risks associated with drinking on campus, students have not been successfully discouraged. According to Green, drinking is a part of college and a great way to meet people and socialize with fellow students.

“[Without drinking,] I would not have met as many people or had the experiences I had — good experiences of friendship, trust and humor,” Green said.

Green said he also uses drinking as a means of relaxation and celebration, often drinking alone in his room.

“It’s like, ‘Oh, I got done with my test, I’m going to go smoke a bowl and have a beer,’” Green said. “It’s a stress-reliever.”