The feeding frenzy regarding the University of Colorado sexual assault scandal has reached levels similar to the rape trial of another athlete under fire in the Centennial State, Kobe Bryant. Experts and pundits are grappling for answers as to why so many allegations of sexual assault are so prevalent at CU. The blame has ranged to everyone from coach Gary Barnett, now on paid administrative leave, to the university’s entire administration under President Elizabeth Hoffman.

Terminating those in charge of a football program or an entire school would appear to the public as taking bold steps, but does it really solve the broader problem afflicting Colorado?

The real question is: Why are so many sexual assaults happening on America’s campuses?

According to a recent national survey released by the Harvard School of Public Health, 4.7 percent of college-aged women reported being raped. An astounding 72 percent of those victims were intoxicated during these incidents. The final results of this report derived from a combination of three surveys conducted over three years involving approximately 24,000 college women from 119 schools. Therefore, of 24,000 of those surveyed, 1,128 report being raped.

"I would say that the vast majority (of sexual assaults) that I have seen, they have involved alcohol or use of other drugs to the degree that both (victim and attacker) are impaired," Cpl. Mark Argiro of the State College, Pennsylvania Police Department told the Daily Collegian, Penn State University’s newspaper. "Most of our victims, they never saw things coming."

Binge drinking is a common term associated with the social fabric of college life. But at the University of Colorado, binge drinking occurs at a much higher rate than the numbers gathered from other surveys across the country.

The Center for Disease Control defines binging as consuming five or more drinks in a row for males and four or more drinks for females, on one or more occasions during a two-week period. About 44 percent of U.S. college students binge drink. At Colorado, the number of binge drinkers jumps to 63 percent.

Given that many of Colorado's students are getting loaded on a consistent basis, guess which school the Princeton Review -- famous for its annual list of best-to-worst party schools -- ranks as the No. 1 party school in the country in its 2003 addition? (Hint: It’s not Princeton.)

Colorado, of course. 

The Review also ranks CU No. 3 in marijuana use and No. 4 in hard liquor. Before any of the recent sex scandals and numerous allegations broke, "Dateline NBC" aired a nationwide segment emphasizing CU's wild binge-drinking lifestyles. (NBC is a partner in the joint venture that runs MSNBC.)

Given what has transpired at Colorado over the past three weeks, the Princeton Review rankings exacerbate an already ugly picture. Although football players are allegedly involved in the recent scandals, student-athletes are only part of the equation nationwide.

According to the National Organization of Men’s Outreach for Rape Education, the second-most likely group to be involved in rape on college campuses are student athletes. The first are fraternity men.

Which takes the focus for reasons why this is happening so often back to the primary catalyst: Underage drinking.

Just because alcohol overconsumption is prevalent and accepted on campuses does not mean that it is right or legal for that matter. A college undergraduate student spends more half of his or her existence on campus under the legal drinking age of 21, but to believe that a majority of students -- enjoying total freedom after 17 or 18 years of living in a rules-based environment with their parents -- don’t start drinking immediately after freshman orientation, is delusional. It may not be legal, but it is as much a part of life at college as Cliff’s Notes and Jansport backpacks.

To change the entire alcohol-fueled culture of college life would be Herculean task. Most binge drinking occurs behind closed doors at dorms and fraternity and sorority houses. As for preventing the purchasing of alcohol itself, personal experience illustrates that it can be purchased for younger students by older ones, or by possessing fake identifications. Liquor stores on the outskirts of college campuses often make their living off of young adults, and in the name of profit will see only what they want to see as far as fake ID’s or when one college senior buys 70 cases of beer in a single purchase.

There are no easy answers for solving this bigger issue of alcohol facilitating conditions surrounding sexual assault. Although the ax may fall on Gary Barnett, there are clearly much bigger problems administrators must face.

Underage drinking, while impossible to completely prevent, must be at least curtailed to help prevent some sexual assaults. Educating potential victims to avoid being in situations that may lead to being assaulted should be mandatory at all freshman orientations as well.

The aforementioned 4.7 percent is an obscene percentage of women being raped on college campuses, particularly in what is supposed to be a civilized and safe environment.

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