This is it: the week we learn the fate of Veishea. Ironically, it’s also Alcohol Awareness Week.

Regardless of whether we keep Veishea, Iowa State students do have a problem with alcohol.

Statistics released by the Department of Public Safety report alcohol violations have skyrocketed in the past two years. DPS reported 29 public intoxication offenses in 1994, but reported 156 in 1996.

That’s an increase of 538 percent.

Even more incredible are the operating while intoxicated statistics. DPS reported five OWI offenses in 1994, but they reported 143 violations in 1996, an increase of 2,860 percent.

What is going on here?

There were 138 more documented cases of drunk driving at ISU last year.

ISU students are actually getting more idiotic when it comes to drinking and driving. This shouldn’t be an issue anymore.

We should all be intelligent enough to know not to get behind the wheel of a car after partying.

We’re college students. We should have this figured out by now.

And how many binge-drinking deaths (or near-deaths) will it take to make us think?

With all of the recent student alcohol-poisoning deaths, including a U of I student last year, we should know better.

Last week, the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education voted to ban alcohol on all state college campuses in that state.

This drastic action came after alcohol-related deaths at MIT and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Do we need to consider the same kind of ban?

Use your head when you drink. Don’t allow these statistics to climb any higher.