NCJ Number
192873
Date Published
2000
Length
23 pages
Annotation
After discussing the scope of the problem of alcohol abuse and other drug abuse on college campuses, this report provides a general description of what colleges are doing to address this problem, followed by profiles of 13 model programs developed on specific campuses.
Abstract
Recent research confirms that college campuses continue to have significant alcohol and other drug-use problems. Although the majority of college students are under the legal drinking age of 21, alcohol is the drug that causes the most problems. Of all U.S. college students, approximately 43 percent have engaged in high-risk drinking, and about 20 percent do so frequently. The rates vary considerably on different campuses. In response to growing awareness of and concern about alcohol and other drug problems, institutions of higher education are implementing policies and programs in an attempt to curb alcohol and other drug use and its associated negative consequences. Momentum is now building for comprehensive prevention approaches that combine traditional educational programs with strategies aimed at changing the physical, social, legal, and economic environment on campus and in surrounding communities. This environmental management approach recognizes that student behavior is influenced at multiple levels: personal, peer, institutional, community, and public policy. College presidents must exert leadership by bringing together faculty, administrators, staff, students, parents, alumni, and local community members to develop and implement strong, effective policies and programs. The goals of these efforts must be to decrease the availability of alcohol, increase the number and variety of alcohol-free social activities for students, and create a climate that discourages high-risk drinking and empowers students who abstain or drink legally and moderately. Through grant competitions held in 1999 and again in 2000, the U.S. Department of Education designated 13 institutions of higher learning as having model programs. Each campus so designated received an award to maintain, improve, or further evaluate its alcohol and other drug prevention efforts, as well as to disseminate information to other campuses where the programs might be replicated. This report briefly describes each of the model programs.