T he "college effect," or so it has been labeled in a recent release from the University of Colorado, is the tendency for newly arrived freshmen to rely on underage drinking and other risky behaviors as the social glue to build new campus friendships.

"A lot of it has to do with there not being enough activities available for students to meet other students and get involved in things they want to do, so they resort to going out to see what kind of fun they can find on their own," said Victor Hsu, CU senior and health and safety director for the University of Colorado Student Union.

According to Hsu, the pressure to find connections in the unfamiliar landscape of university life, combined with a lack of readily available activities, drives many freshmen to alcohol use.

"As a freshman coming into a huge university, it's easy to feel alone," he said. "It's difficult being away from home for the first time, so it's crucial to get students involved with other students who feel the same way -- instead of using alcohol or drugs to deal with loneliness."

In order to curb the popularity of this pattern, CU is ramping up efforts to provide more activities for students to get involved in as an alternative to succumbing to the "college effect."

"Our student engagement program is designed to get our students involved during the first six weeks of school, which is the critical period of time when either you get connected and involved and stay out of trouble, or you don't," stated Jane Curtis, CU-Boulder's director of alcohol and other drugs program, in a release from CU.

As part of the effort to help students create social connections, a survey among incoming students revealed that more than 2,000 are interested in finding out about attending events that do not focus on alcohol -- with hundreds of them expressing specific interest in activities such as bowling, movie nights, live music, karaoke, and dance classes.

"I think that a lot of students would be interested in doing those activities to meet people, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they are against drinking," said Gus Miller, CU freshman. "A lot of people who are thinking about attending a dance sober might want to re-think that before they dance."

Miller went on to say that a more important point incoming students should be taught in orientation are the serious consequences of getting involved with drinking and drugs. Having recently witnessed an encounter between an underage student and the police, Miller said that orientation seems to understate the severity of both police and the university toward students caught drinking.

Other students, such as freshmen roommates Lauren Ladley and Hannah Littlefield, said that they like the idea of the university offering activities to deter drinking, but that orientation focused too heavily on alcohol-related content to actually let them know what else is out there.

"Planned activities are a good idea, but orientation should have more promotion of clubs and stuff to do instead of partying," said Littlefield.

For those interested in warding off the "college effect," Hsu recommends checking out the online "Club Guide" which can be found in the lower-left corner of the UCSU homepage at www-ucsu.colorado.edu.