10 Common Myths About High-Risk Drinking Programs and Why Unions Should Ignore Them

Linda Major2009 ACUI Annual

ConferenceApril 6, 2009

Student Involvement

Student Involvement Infrastructure

-Administrative Support

-Information Strategies

Gender Programs/Women’s Center

Student Organizati

ons

University Program Council

East Campus Programs

and Services

Leadership Developm

ent

Service Learning and Volunteer Services

and Midwest Consortium for

Service Learning in Higher Education

LGBTQ and Ally Programs and Services

Motivating Factors

• Several high profile deaths at colleges and universities around the country

• College Alcohol Study receives national attention

• Data supports need for intervention

• Pressure from surrounding neighborhoods

• Fairly recent high profile alcohol-related injury on campus

1. Nothing works – high-risk drinking is part of the college experience.

2. Lowering the legal drinking age will solve the problem.3. Employing a comprehensive approach means an

increased workload for already stretched staff.4. Visibly addressing the problem is bad PR for the

university or college.5. Visibly addressing the problem will impact recruitment.6. Alcohol can no longer be served at university functions.7. Impacted stakeholders will never reach consensus.8. The problem is “owned” by one or two primary

stakeholders.9. What works on one campus works for all.10. There is an absence of student support for increased

alcohol policy and enforcement.

Common Myths

“A Matter of Degree”• $700,000.00 five-year grant funded by the

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; $500,000.00 four-year extension

• Administered by the American Medical Association

• University of Nebraska-Lincoln one of 10 universities selected nationwide to pilot new strategies

• Evaluated by the Harvard School of Public Health

• Directed by a campus-community coalition• Environmental approach• Visible and vocal campus and community

leadership

Coalition Philosophy

• Focus efforts toward reducing high-risk alcohol consumption across undergraduate population, with a special emphasis on the first and second year

• View high-risk drinking as a shared responsibility

• Utilize an inclusive process, student participation essential

• Adopt a comprehensive approach incorporating both individual and environmental strategies

Resources Guiding Transformative Process

• Deep Change: Discovering the Leader Within, Robert E Quinn (1996)

• Building the Bridge As You Walk On It: A Guide for Leading Change, Quinn (2004)

• Change the World: How Ordinary People Can Achieve Extraordinary Results, Quinn (2000)

• The Speed of Trust, Stephen Covey (2007)• The Art of Engagement: Bridging the Gap

Between People and Possibilities, Jim Haudan (2008)

Level 3:The Participating Strategy

Level 2:The Forcing Strategy

Level 1:The Telling Strategy

Level 4:The Transforming Strategy

Robert Quinn’s Model of Four Change Strategies (2000)

Rational persuasion; emphasis on facts

Leveraging behavior; emphasis on authority

Open dialogue; emphasis on relationship

Transcend self; emphasis on emergent reality

Strategies in Action: Traditional AOD Prevention

• Alcohol & other drug education programs• Peer education• Epidemiology-driven reports• Social norms marketing

Level 1:The Telling Strategy

Strategies in Action: Traditional AOD Prevention

• Substance prohibition/control• Zero tolerance policies• Hospitality beverage control• Increased enforcement efforts• Adjudicating AOD-related behaviors

Level 2:The Forcing Strategy

Emerging Strategies: AODV Prevention

• Campus-Community task forces and coalitions

• Public forums on AODV• Broad stakeholder involvement in

addressing issues

Level 3:The Participating Strategy

• A process where stakeholders are educated around a set of data and perspectives about a problem

• Perspective sharing broadens understanding for all stakeholders

• All stakeholders participate in collaborative problem-solving with new understanding of the issues

Informed Deliberation

• First step to transforming a community is transforming my own thinking as a leader

• Fundamental paradigm shift about the community and its issues– My understanding of the problem from

multiple stakeholder perspectives– My vision and beliefs about the outcome of

change– My collaboration with a broad range of

others by identifying the talents, skills and interests they bring to the table

– My comfort with chaos– A matter of integrity: clarifying my

motivations and my own perspectives

The Transformational Perspective

The Participating Strategy

The Forcing Strategy

The Telling Strategy

TRANSCENDING FRAME

Employing Quinn’s Perspectives to Create A Model of Community Organizing for AODV Environmental Change

All threeStrategy choicesare viable when appropriate to the situation and objective

The transcending frame enables

members to think broadly about collaborating

between interests, recognizing the

needs and concerns of others, and

operating from a vision of abundant

opportunity

Data Driven Strategic Planning Process

• Data driven planning process-Behavioral, attitudinal and environmental scan

• Explored best practices and theoretical models from national AOD literature

• Organized four workgroups based on identified goals-Policy and Enforcement, Social Environment, Neighborhood Relations, and Education

• Adopted a set of measurable objectives impacting individuals, the campus, the community and the state

• Workgroups charged with task of monitoring progress and revising when necessary

• Communications strategic plan developed to support coalition goals and objectives

Using the Power of Data

• Police Reports/GIS Maps• Student Self-Report Data• Neighborhood Complaints• Focus Groups• Market Trends• Student Retention Data• Last Drink Data• Anecdotes and Stories

ENFORCEMENT EDUCATION

POLICY

Codifying community standards

Consistent consequences when community standards are violated

Building knowledge and efficacyof community standards

Strategy Development Model

Self-Reported Drinking by Location

1999 2002 2004 20080

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Residence HallGreek HouseOff-Campus PartyBar or Restaurant

Campus Prevention Initiatives • Revised University Approved Housing

Agreement • Adopted Good Samaritan Policy (student

government)• Radical Shift in Law Enforcement Philosophy

and Sophistication– Private Security Contract with Greek Living

Units– Continuing Education and Training

Program– Turnover in UNLPD Leadership– Cooperative Agreement among

Enforcement Agencies– Increased Use of Sophisticated Technology

• Back to School Welcome Event (Student Involvement)

Campus Prevention Initiatives• Implemented research-based, developmentally

appropriate alcohol education– Alcohol Skills Training Program– BASICS

• Implied mandate online alcohol education policy for first year students– Three curriculums to be assessed including one with

a sexual assault prevention module• Collaborative research with counseling

psychology faculty• Intensive initiative involving Greek community

(leadership development)• Increased parent and new student education

about alcohol policies • Campus Night Life Program (student

programming council)• Social Norms Campaign (information

strategies)

Problem Students and Student Groups

• Revised sanctions for violating policy• Increased consistency of sanctions and

consequences• Aggressive enforcement of policies• Adopted a Parental Notification Policy• Use of more intense alcohol and other

drug services when appropriate including evaluation

Game Day

Response to Alcohol-Related Problems on Game Day

• Student sponsored tailgate (student organizations)

• Loss of season ticket for chronic problems

• Special Designated Licenses limited on game day

• Obvious violations prosecuted• Intoxicated fans barred from entry into

stadium or ejected• Tailgate Campaign e.g. mailing, parking

lot promotions, signage

2007 Wild Party Density

2007 Wild Party Dispatches by Day of Week

2007 Wild Party Dispatches by Time of Day

2007 Wild Party Dispatches by Month of the Year

Prevention Initiatives

• Resident Roundtable Project• Conflict mediation• Tenant education including social host

responsibilities• Revised Tenant/Landlord Contracts• Landlord access to web-based police

information• Community-based service (service

learning)• We Agree Campaign (student

government)

Problem Tenants and Landlords• Student Code of

Conduct– Maintaining a

disorderly house– Selling alcohol without

a license– Procuring for minors

• Parental Notification Policy

• Wild Party Patrol – Identify locations– Process, policies and

procedures– Reporting the results

• Fines/Consequences• Social Host Legislation

• Maintaining a disorderly house citation to problem landlords

• Contact between landlords, law enforcement and city officials

• Contact with the city’s Internal Liquor Committee

• Voluntary landlord intervention initiative

Disorderly House Citations

Liquor License Density

• Liquor Licenses are geo coded

• Calls for Service• Direct to on line

report

Hotspot of assaults and cluster of bars near campus

Downtown Area

Hotspots of Violent Crime

College Bars

N

Haymarket

Number of Admissions

Percent of Total

Average BAC

License A 93 16% .169

License B 49 9% .183

License C 43 8% .160

License D 43 8% .160

License E 33 6% .159

License F 32 6% .169

License G 31 5% .181

License H 23 4% .165

License J 22 4% .163

License K 19 3% .179

Total (403) 388/569 69% .169

Last Drink Data

Prevention Initiatives

• RHC, Community Forums, Community Covenant for Responsible Beverage Service

• Mandatory Manager Training• Internal Liquor Committee• Web-based Seller/Server Education

Program• Practical Guide to Responsible

Hospitality• Bar walks• Option to apply additional conditions to

licenses in high density areas

Underage Access and Availability

• Badges in Bars• Local ordinance – presenting false

identification• State policy – digital driver’s license

system• Voluntary Compliance Check Program

(service learning and student organizations)

• LPD sponsored compliance checks• Parental Notification – law enforcement

Problem Locations

• Citations to commercial landlords• Contest SDL applications submitted by

problem establishments• Conditions for high-risk establishments• Citations, sanctions and revocation• Increased Attention

from Law Enforcement

Level of UNL Student Drinking: 1997 - 2008

1997 2000 2002 2004 2006 20080

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

AbstainersDrink, does not bingeOccasional binge drinkerFrequent binge drinker

Level of Student Drinking by Binge/No Binge: 1997 – 2008

1997 2000 2002 2004 2006 20080

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Does not bingeBinge

Primary Effects: 1997 – 2008

Hangover Miss a Class Behind in School Work

Unplanned Sexual Activity

Damage Prop-erty

Trouble with Police

5 or more prob-lems

1997 71.8 46.2 28.6 32 16.9 7 34.2

2000 69.3 27 25.1 19.8 11.3 3.6 20.7

2002 69 31.7 22.1 25.4 10.4 7.3 25.4

2006 72.2 26.9 16.6 17.7 8.4 4.8 14

2008 71.5 25.3 18.9 14.5 9.3 9 17.2

5

15

25

35

45

55

65

75

Secondary Effects: 1997 – 2008

1997 2000 2002 20080

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

49.1

35.3

24.2

20.3

66

56.759.2

55.5

58.7

50.4 49.6

45

32.8

25.4

21.5

17.7

Insulted/Humiliated Babysit a Drunken StudentStudy/Sleep Interrupted Unwanted Sexual Advance

High School to College Drinking Behavior: 1997 – 2003

1997 1999 2000 2001 2002 20030

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

31.4

36.938.3

42.1

45.346.6

26

21.1

24.4

22.2

1718.8

7 6.4 6.44.9

6.37.3

35.6 35.7 35.7

30.8 31.3

27.2Did not binge in high school or col-legeDid not binge in high school/binged in collegeBinged in high school/did not binge in collegeBinged in high school and college

The Campus-Community Environment: What is Different?

• Student Involvement – Engaged through active coalition participation, project leadership, curricular assignments, research and early intervention with peers

• Education – Developmentally appropriate programs based on current research and best practices, increasing in intensity meeting the individual needs of students

• University Approved Housing – Living environments more conducive to sleep and study, decrease in vandalism and damage, fraternities no longer serve as on-campus party houses

• Policy and Enforcement – Behavioral expectations codified and communicated to students prior to arrival, consistent enforcement, timely consequences for policy violation

Campus-Community Environment: What is Different?

• Neighborhoods – Improved quality of life, significant decrease in wild party complaints, established collaboration with area colleges and universities

• Game Day Activities – Stadium alcohol policies clearly stated and enforced, meaningful consequences for all ticket holders who violate policy, tailgating activities no longer blatantly visible

• Downtown Entertainment District – Bars actively engaged in improving police relations, eliminating drink specials and high-risk promotions, training staff and using data to improve practices

1. Nothing works – high-risk drinking is part of the college experience.

2. Lowering the legal drinking age will solve the problem.3. Employing a comprehensive approach means an

increased workload for already stretched staff.4. Visibly addressing the problem is bad PR for the

university or college.5. Visibly addressing the problem will impact recruitment.6. Alcohol can no longer be served at university functions.7. Impacted stakeholders will never reach consensus.8. The problem is “owned” by one or two primary

stakeholders.9. What works on one campus works for all.10. There is an absence of student support for increased

alcohol policy and enforcement.

Common Myths

Resources

• NIAAA Task Force Report – “A Call to Action: Changing the Culture of Drinking at U.S. Colleges”

• http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/NIAAACollegeMaterials/TaskForce/TaskForce_TOC.aspx

• Harvard School of Public Health – College Alcohol Study and “A Matter of Degree” Program http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/cas/

• Experiences in Effective Prevention: The U.S. Department of Education’s Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention Models on College Campuses Grants http://www.higheredcenter.org/pubs/effective-prevention.pdf

• U.S. Department of Education’s Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention http://www.higheredcenter.org/

• NU Directions Campus/Community Coalition www.nudirections.org

NU DirectionsLinda Major, Project DirectorStudent InvolvementNE Union, Suite 200Lincoln, NE 68588-0453402/472-2454lmajor1@unl.eduwww.nudirections.org