Women are better than men. At least, according to a recent study done by Counseling Service’s Dick Boyum.

His survey stated that women at UW-Eau Claire fair better academically than men.

The reasons Boyum gave as possible explanations are that men typically drink more often, stay up later and don’t study as hard.

Anyone observing the typical college life would agree with Boyum’s suggestions. Of course, not all men fall victim to these vices and exceptions exist for everything.

But it is clear that Eau Claire men generally do not perform as well as women on an academic scale.

This information should be compared with other University of Wisconsin schools as well as national research. Perhaps a pattern to academic success can be found.

If the researchers discover that other UW schools face the same gender gap as Eau Claire, then perhaps universities should consider fixing the problems at the high school level.

But if the research is inconclusive, then Eau Claire should be analyzed more carefully.

Any university is going to have slackers, and there isn’t really much anyone can do. College students are adults and don’t need to be spoon-fed through school.

However, if the university wants to make some difference in the academic performance of a student, it should catch problems early. Especially because, according to Boyum’s research, men coming to Eau Claire on average have higher ACT scores than women.

The university does a fairly good job with advising students and catching problems early. But the university should make these gender gap findings clear to incoming freshmen.

Only so much can be done to help students achieve academic success at the university. But every little bit helps.