Michaela Caracio

Professor Jean Schwind

American Adolescence
6 May 2016
When Coffee Isnt Enough: The Cocaine Culture at Elon University

Intro
As the end of my junior year as an undergraduate student at Elon University
approaches, I have a better understanding of the campus culture compared to my first year. I
have a better understanding of the substances the students at Elon use, as well as the patterns
of who, what, when, and where these substances are used.
The Why? of the 5 Ws is the one that still perplexes me, though. At such a prestigious
university, where the tuition is nearly $45,000 annually and where many students come from
wealthy backgrounds, why do students use illegal substances, especially cocaine? Many people
believe Elon Universitys cocaine culture is derived from its common student demographic.
The 2015-2016 Elon University Fact Book states that 81.6 percent of undergraduates
identified as White. Although the average income for a students household is not provided
online, it is well known that the majority of the students come from a financial background that is
stable or very wealthy. This is also evident through the very limited amount of scholarships that
Elon provides, as the majority of students have to pay full tuition. As a member of sorority and
fraternity life, I have also seen how Greek life plays a role in the increase of cocaine use at Elon.
This may be because Greek lifes demographics exemplify the stereotype of the rich white kid
and has a large presence on Elons campus. According to the Fraternity & Sorority Life Chapter
Report in the Fall of 2015, 28.9 percent of undergraduates are in Greek life. This percentage
does not include new members that join Greek life at Elon in the spring semester. Most people,

like Elons newspaper, The Pendulum, estimate that the undergraduate student body is 40
percent Greek (The Pendulum).
This topic interests me particularly because of how I have processed my observations of
the cocaine culture at Elon. I was taught in high school that drugs are bad and have never
thought of using an addictive drug like cocaine. After being surrounded by the cocaine culture at
Elon, and when its presence is imminent, I find myself questioning my values and beliefs. When
I hear of my friends using cocaine, I wonder how bad it would be in reality to just try it once. I
quickly shoot this idea down. Isnt that how people get addicted to the drug- by thinking it will
just be a one-time deal? Then I think of my friends and how they dont seem to be addicted, so
what contributes to the culture of the use of cocaine at Elon?
I believe that the cocaine culture exists at Elon for many reasons. College is a time for
experimentation. Its a time to try new things without parents present to limit risky behavior as
well, so curiosity will naturally overcome some adolescents. There are a few theories and my
own research that I will use to explain why adolescents use illegal substances and cocaine
specifically on Elons campus. Most users at Elon will use cocaine as a social substance, which
the actual/ought self discrepancy theory supports. This is when the person you are is not the
person others think you ought to be (Crosnoe, 139). People at Elon are thought to be very
involved students and society values extroverted people. This leads to students on Elons
campus self-medicating with cocaine to become less tired from their vigorous schedules and to
become more sociable and extroverted to realign their identitys with what they ought to be.
Elons demographics also add to the cocaine culture, specifically the prevalence of Greek life,
individuals with an upper middle class background, and a vast majority of Caucasians.

Field Research
To conduct primary research, I made a survey using Qualtrics. The survey consisted of
the following 15 questions:

1. What is your age?

2. What is your academic level?
3. What gender do you identify with?
4. What race do you identify as?
5. What is your average parental household income?
6. Where do you live at Elon?
7. Are you in a fraternity or sorority?
8. What risks of using cocaine are you aware of?
9. Do you know a student at Elon who uses/ has used cocaine?
10. Have you ever used cocaine (any location)?
11. Have you ever used cocaine specifically at Elon?
12. If you have used cocaine, why do you/ did you use it?
13. Did you think about the risks before using cocaine?
14. Describe the frequency of your cocaine use.
15. In your own words, describe the culture of cocaine use at Elon, regardless if you use it or not.

All questions were required to be answered by the respondent, unless No was selected
as an answer to, Have you ever used cocaine specifically at Elon? in which case the
respondent would be directed to the last question, In your own words, describe the culture of
cocaine use at Elon, regardless if you use it or not. since the questions between would be nonapplicable.
The survey was sent out to the Facebook groups of all four current classes (of 2016,
2017, 2018, and 2019) at Elon University at around 5:30 p.m. on Monday, April 25, 2016. The
survey was closed at around 2 p.m. on Tuesday, April 26, 2016 when an equal number of
people in Greek life and not in Greek life were reached. Ninety responses were recorded.

Reasons For Use

In his book, The Age of Opportunity, Laurence Steinberg reveals the science behind
adolescents and how and why they act in certain ways. One important concept that he talks
about is how adolescents have a higher sensitivity to rewards. This is crucial because this
means that adolescents will take more risks if there is a possibility of a reward, even when they
are aware of possible consequences. In this case, according to this research, the reward can be
perceived as different things for different people when using cocaine.

Twenty-one respondents have used cocaine at Elon. In response to If you have used
cocaine, why do you/ did you use it?, there were a variety of answers, as seen in Table 1.
Image 1: If you have used cocaine, why do you/ did you use it? survey responses

When split into categories, you can see the common reasons why students at Elon have
used cocaine. Seven respondents use cocaine because it is fun, one respondent uses to self
medicate for a mental disorder, seven respondents use it for energy or to become more awake
or social, two used it because it was offered to them, and four people used it because their
friends were doing it. A lot of these reasons play into the actual/ ought identity discrepancy,
which I elaborate in the Greek Life section. People use cocaine to get energy to socialize and
be the person that society idealizes. There is a person on campus that uses cocaine to have a
social life in general. At times she feels that without using cocaine she wouldnt have the energy
to socialize with people and be the typical college student that society glorifies because she is
so busy with all that she is involved in.

Another important reason for why adolescents would use cocaine at Elon is due to what
Steinberg explains as the social brain and not wanting to disappoint your friends, which will be
discussed and explained further in the Greek Life section.

Risk Perception
Of the 21 respondents that have used cocaine at Elon, 76 percent, or 16 of the 21
respondents have thought about the risks before using cocaine. Twenty-four percent, or five of
the 21 respondents did not think about the risks before using cocaine. This shows that even if
college students are informed about the risks of using cocaine, a majority will use the substance
anyways.

Greek Life
Greek life has a large presence on Elons campus. The current total undergraduate
enrollment is 5,903 students. As mentioned before, 40 percent of undergraduates are involved
in Greek life, which would be about 2,361 undergraduate students in Greek life. Out of 90
responses to In your own words, describe the culture of cocaine use at Elon, regardless if you
use it or not, 20 people mentioned Greek life in their answer. Zeta Tau Alpha (ZTA) was
specifically mentioned in 7 of those 20 responses. When ZTA won second place at this year's
highly competitive Greek Week Dance, someone remarked on Yik Yak that ZTA would make it
snow that night from all the cocaine theyd be doing later that night.
There is no clear reason why this sorority specifically has a reputation for members
using cocaine at Elon, unless it is generally true. One of ZTAs symbols is a five pointed crown,
which explains their saying, Only the best get crowned. Their motto is Seek the Noblest. One
explanation for their reputation is that because their saying and motto leans towards being the
best and having a high status, they may use cocaine as a marker of their perceived high status
in the Greek system.
Table 1: Have you ever used cocaine at Elon? survey responses by Greek life participation

Greek

Non-Greek

Total

Yes

14

21

No

31

38

69

Total

45

45

90

Table 1 shows that 14 out of 45 Greek respondents have done cocaine at Elon whereas
7 out of 45 non-Greeks respondents have used cocaine at Elon. This research shows that 31
percent of Greeks have used cocaine at Elon and 16 percent of non-Greeks have used cocaine
at Elon. This suggests that the chance that a student at Elon has done cocaine doubles if they
are a member in Greek life. Research done by Sean Esteban McCabe found that members of
fraternity and sororities engage in significantly higher rates of substance use relative to their
college peers (517-519).
The increase in cocaine use at Elon with Greek member may be due to a few reasons.
Because of the dues that come with participating in Greek life, it can be assumed that Elon
Greek members fall in the middle to upper class and are financially sound. Greek students could
have more of their own money to use on activities of their choice, or they could have some
money given to them from their parents to use how they would like to, like on cocaine.
Another reason for an increase in cocaine use at Elon among Greek members could be
because of pressures felt from people like us or PLUs. Crosnoe found from his in depth
research at a high school that PLUs are a reference point telling a teenager as well as other
peers what his or her social location and, therefore, general profile was (146). He also
observed that PLUs are where all of the pressure to conform and the exclusion happened
(147). This is important because if a Greek members main PLU is their fraternity or sorority,
their peer group is large and has many members in it and there is a higher probability that they
will know someone that uses cocaine. If they interact directly with peers that use cocaine,
especially at a party when using is more frequent, they will compare their choices and behavior

to their peers and will be more easily influenced. They might think that if their peer chooses to
do cocaine, it is then okay and justifiable to use and so they will feel social pressure to use it
too. They also dont want to disappoint members of their PLU, so they might try it just to fit in
and please their peers. Of the 21 responses to the survey questions If you have used cocaine,
why do you/ did you use it?, five replied with the answer that it was offered to them by a friend
or that their friends were doing it, so peers do have an influence on choosing to use cocaine.
Other factors at play that influence Greek members to use cocaine at Elon are hazing,
ease of access, and group housing. Hazing is a notorious issue for Greek life and it still
happens. Although it may be all speculation, there are rumors that always go around that certain
organizations haze by making new members use cocaine. Hazing is something that new
members will feel that they have to comply with in order to be accepted by this new PLU that
they are vulnerable to. There is also a greater ease of accessibility to get cocaine if you are
looking for it in Greek life. This is because more people use it and if youre looking for it, you
have a greater chance of finding it in a large PLU. Greek members also have greater access to
fellow Greeks that use cocaine because of social mixers and because of the Greek community.
In addition, the Elon on-campus Greek houses fit five to 13 people in each facility. Their version
of a Resident Assistant is a House Captain, who is a member of the organization that houses
the facility. It is hard to avoid peer pressure when you live with some of your PLU. Also, there is
no true supervisor because of the leniency that the House Captain gives.

Race
Table 2: Have you ever used cocaine specifically at Elon? survey responses by race

Yes

Black/
African
American

White/
Caucasian

Hispanic/
Latino

Asian/
Pacific
Islander

American
Indian/
Native
American

Other

Total

20

21

No

63

69

Total

83

90

As evident in Table 2, Elons demographics are represented somewhat typically. There is

a large majority of whites (83 of the 90 respondents) and little diversity. It shows that 33 percent
of African Americans, 24 percent of whites, zero percent of Hispanics, and zero percent of
Asians have used cocaine at Elon.
The crack epidemic in Baltimore in the 80s was discussed when reading The Beautiful
Struggle by Ta-Nehisi Coates. African Americans used crack, which is more addictive, and not
cocaine because it was cheaper and not as pure. African Americans use crack more than
whites, which Chens research supports, finding that More than three times as many AfricanAmerican users (48%) reported using crack as whites (14%) (76). Whites buy cocaine
because they can afford the better quality and a more expensive drug. Because of this, cocaine
has the reputation of being a drug for white people.

Class Rank
Class rank at Elon is a prevalent determiner for chances of having used cocaine.
Table 3: Have you ever used cocaine specifically at Elon? survey responses by class rank

First Year

Second
Year

Third Year

Fourth
Year

Other

Total

Yes

10

21

No

16

10

24

19

69

Total

16

12

34

28

90

As evident in Table 3, class rank increases, the probability to have used cocaine rises as
well. Zero percent of first years have tried cocaine at Elon, whereas 17 percent of second years,
29 percent of third years, and 32 percent of fourth years have used cocaine at Elon. This could

be due to the fact that upper classmen expand their PLU and social network as their class rank
rises, so their connections and access to cocaine increases with it.

Gender
When hypothesizing which gender would be more likely to have used cocaine at Elon, I
hypothesized that females would be more susceptible to cocaine use. Steinberg explains that
adolescents change brain regions that are responsible for reactions to other people during
puberty. This region of the brain called the social brain explains why adolescents care more
about what people think of them (Steinberg, 95). He also notes that, from an early age, girls are
more sensitive to interpersonal events (96). Because of this, I thought that since females would
be hyper aware and responsive to feedback from their peers, then they would resort to cocaine
more often than males to manage their identity discrepancy. I assumed females would use
cocaine to deal with an actual/ ought identity discrepancy when they feel they arent being as
energetic or sociable as they are expected to be by their peers, specifically at parties.
Table 4: Have you ever used cocaine at Elon? survey responses by gender
Male

Female

Other

Total

Yes

14

21

No

10

59

69

Total

17

73

90

Based on my research, males have a higher probability to be using cocaine. Table 4

shows that seven of the 17 male respondents have used cocaine at Elon, which is 41 percent.
Contrary, 14 of the 73 female respondents had used cocaine at Elon, which is 19 percent. This
research shows that chances to have used cocaine as an Elon student double for males. This is
supported by previous research done by McCabe as well, which showed that In general,

undergraduate men tend to increase their substance use more than women over the course of
their college careers (521).
Further research shows that Overall, more female (17.2%) than male (12.0%) users
were dependent on cocaine although the reverse gender difference was observed in
prevalence of use. However, the gender difference in dependence was statistically significant
only among adolescent users (Chen, 70). This supports the fact that men are more likely to use
cocaine but women are more likely to form a dependence. Males more frequent use could be
because they are more prone to risk taking due to having to prove masculinity and that they are
real men to their PLUs. An example is Big Bill in A Beautiful Struggle. We see him consistently
take risks like carrying a gun without a license and using it, having unprotected sex, and dealing
drugs.

Economic Status
Typically upper class people tend to use cocaine because they have disposable income
and can afford the expensive drug. Table 3 shows the annual household income trends of Elon
students based on survey responses.
Image 2: What is your average parental household income? survey responses

Image 2 shows that about 16 percent of the respondents, or 14 out of 90, are in the
lower middle class. Sixty-two percent fall into the middle upper class, or 56 out of 90. Four
percent of respondents fall into the upper class, or four out of 90. Eighteen respondents, or 16
out of 90, didnt know their parental average household income, which suggests that they are in
the middle to upper class since they would know this information if they were to fill out financial
aid forms.
Four of the 14 respondents with an average parental household income of less than
$100,000 responded that they have used cocaine (in any location). It is interesting to note that
of the four that have used cocaine, one was offered the cocaine. It can be assumed that this
person did not have to pay for the cocaine. Another of these four said that they had only used it
once, so we can assume that the use did not have a detrimental, long-term effect on this
persons finances.

Conclusion
According to the results from the 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, from
age 12 or older, the 18 to 25 age group was the highest for cocaine usage in the previous month
of the survey (Center for Behavioral, 10). This is important because it means that college aged
students are one of the main adolescent age groups at risk for cocaine use, yet Elon doesnt
recognize the cocaine culture or start a discussion about its prevalence. Because of this, it is
important that colleges take preventative measures to reinforce and warn students about the
illegal substance, just as they would do the same for alcohol use to freshman. I find it hard to
believe that Elon would do that though, due to the fact that to do so would be to acknowledge
that there is a cocaine culture at Elon.
It is also important to note that Steinberg discusses how educating adolescents about
the risks of certain behavior doesnt prevent risky behavior. It is more productive to limit risky
situations to prevent risky behavior. It would be interesting to see the results of a campaign
done by SPARKS, peer educators whose purpose is to promote well being, healthiness, and
safety on campus. I recognize that this would be more like the ineffective way of preventing
risky behavior by using education as a preventative method, but since limiting cocaine use is
hard in a legal context, and college students have a lot of freedom, there does not seem to be a
feasible way to limit cocaine use. It does need to be talked about though, and starting a
conversation is better than ignoring the problem. It would be even more interesting to see a few
Greek organizations sponsor an event against illegal substance use. It would be beneficial to
hear the Director of Greek life, Dan Faills opinion on the matter and how to reduce cocaine use
in Greek life. How can we hold Greek life accountable? It would also be interesting for someone
to do in depth research on why ZTA is specifically known for using cocaine.
Further research also needs to be conducted concerning a few matters. Investigation
needs to be done on how the media influences adolescents cocaine use. Movies like The Wolf
of Wall Street, Pulp Fiction, and Spring Breakers can be used to investigate media influence and

possibly how they portray cocaine use as a high social class marker. Further research into
reasons for female addiction would benefit this subject as well.
In terms of this papers primary research, there were a few limitations. More
respondents would be beneficial to get more reliable information on the relationship between
cocaine usage at Elon and race as well as gender. It would also be interesting to see if males or
females have more connections to drug dealers to investigate the relationship between gender
and cocaine use. Also, if in theory upperclassmen would have a more stable identity as they
evolve in their years of college and in their adolescence, it would be interesting to investigate
why they are more likely to use cocaine. It can be assumed that they discover more sources
and places and friends that deal or use cocaine, but exploring a better explanation is necessary.
Further research on risk perception is needed because my findings heavily go against previous
research that states that if students know the risks of substance use, they are more likely to not
abuse substances. This research may be outdated (from the 1990s) and also goes against
what Steinberg says about education not being effective in limiting risky behavior.
Eighty-six percent of respondents know of someone at Elon who has used cocaine. This
statistic cannot be ignored and proves that he cocaine culture at Elon is real and substantial.
This paper will end with a well worded quote that summarizes what people have to say about
the cocaine culture at Elon from a white 20 year old junior at Elon who uses cocaine once a
month, lives off campus, is in Greek life, and is in the upper economic class:

I knew there was a huge cocaine culture at Elon, and often heard that cocaine
was easier to obtain than weed, but I never was in the presence of the cocaine
culture until this year (third year). I think this is because my friend group has
broadened over the years. The cocaine culture is especially prevalent off campus
where there are older students and less supervision from RA's, Elon, etc. I don't
think many people take cocaine that seriously/ as serious as it should be taken.

Since Elon has a plethora and majority of rich white kids (since tuition is so high
you have to be well off to afford tuition) a lot of students are able to easily afford it
even though it costs a lot.

Works Cited
Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. (2015). Behavioral health trends in the
United States: Results from the 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (HHS
Publication No. SMA 15-4927, NSDUH Series H-50). Retrieved from
http://www.samhsa.gov/data/
Chen, Kevin, and Denise Kandel. "Relationship Between Extent Of Cocaine Use And
Dependence Among Adolescents And Adults In The United States." Drug & Alcohol
Dependence 68.1 (2002): 65. Academic Search Complete. Web. 6 May 2016.
Coates, Ta-Nehisi. The Beautiful Struggle. NY: Spiegel & Grau, 2008. Print.

Crosnoe, Robert. "How Teenagers Know What They Know and Why It Matters", Fitting In,
Standing Out. 1st ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011. pp. 130-173.
Cambridge Books Online. Web. 1 May 2016.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511793264.007
McCabe, Sean Esteban, et al. "Selection And Socialization Effects Of Fraternities And Sororities
On US College Student Substance Use: A Multi-Cohort National Longitudinal Study."
Addiction 100.4 (2005): 512-524. Academic Search Complete. Web. 1 May 2016.
Steinberg, Laurence. Age of Opportunity: Lessons from the New Science of
Adolescence. NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014. Print.
The Pendulum. Growing Greek culture creates pressure to conform. The Pendulum. The
Pendulum, 11 February, 2015. Web.
http://www.elonpendulum.com/article/2015/02/growing-greek-culture-creates-pressureconform/

COR 338: American Adolescence

May 2016

Evaluation of capstone research paper

Strongly

Agree

agree

Somewhat

Disagree

agree and

Strongly
disagree

somewhat
disagree
Thesis is clear,
strong, and
presented early
in the paper. It

20 19 18

17 16

15 14

13 12

11-0

both takes a
position and
explains that
position. (20
pts.).
Supporting

25 24 23

22 21 20

19 18 17

16 15 14

13-0

20 19 18

17 16

15 14

13 12

11-0

15 14

13 12

11 10

9 8

7-0

evidence from
secondary
sources is
authoritative,
clearly related
to the thesis,
and properly
cited (25 pts.)
Primary source
research is well
presented and
offers original
insights on an
important
aspect of
American
adolescence
(20 pts.).
Formal aspects

of the paper
style,
organization,
mechanics,
documentation,
use of visuals
(where
appropriate),
etc.enhance
the writers
credibility and
authority (15
pts.).

Total: /80