Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Among First-year ... - Victory University

INFOFACTSThe Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention ◆ http://www.higheredcenter.orgOrientation WeekThe National Resource Center for the First-YearExperience and Students in Transition estimatesthat as many as 2,000 IHEs in the United Statesnow offer comprehensiveorientationprogramsthat includeinformationabout theinstitution’salcohol andother drugpolicies andenforcement. 29In that context,during generalassemblies andin written supportResident Assistants andPeer MentorsDuring orientation week or after arrivingto start classes, first-year students on manycampuses will meet their resident assistant(RA) and perhaps an assigned peer mentor.These student advisers also should beequipped with accurate information aboutcampus drinking norms and trained torecognize potential signs that first-yearstudents may be struggling with alcoholor other drugs.materials, the president, dean of freshmen, orother high-level official should deliver the socialnorms message and establish clear expectationsfor student conduct.As part of its “RhodeMap to Safety” campaign,the University of Rhode Island distributesinformation to both first-year students and theirparents. Key messages describe survey findingsabout widespread student support for stricter enforcementof drinking and driving laws; currentstate laws and local ordinances; descriptions ofthe campus’s parental notification and “threestrikes”policy, whereby students with three policyinfractions can be suspended or in some casesexpelled; enhanced driving under the influence(DUI) patrols and other enforcement actionsby local police; and responsible beverage servicepolicies practiced by local alcohol retailers as partof a cooperating tavern program.As an alternative to the standard lecture aboutalcohol and other drug use, the University at Albany,State University of New York, founded a peer theatertroupe called the Middle Earth Players to performbefore first-year and other student groups. TheMiddle Earth Players do an orientation performancethat incorporates social norms data onstudent drinking and misperceptions of drinkingnorms, with the purpose of promoting, reinforcing,and supporting students’ healthy lifestyle choices.An evaluation study found that the performanceis superior to an academic lecture in changingstudents’ knowledge, beliefs, and alcoholrelatedbehaviors. 30Orientation week programs caninclude other activities that helpstudents connect with campusresources and programs thatdirect them away from alcoholand other drug use. BostonCollege, for example, offers acommunity service programand a sports competition duringits orientation week. Recentfindings show that increasingnumbers of college freshmenare interested in volunteercommunity service. 31 Programsthat support this trendreinforce students’ perceptions that they havejoined a healthy academic community.Fall SemesterFirst-year students needbasic information aboutalcohol and otherdrugs—the health, safety,and legal risks that comewith substance use; howalcohol and other drugsaffect brain developmentand learning; howchoices about alcoholand other drug use affectboth academic andpersonal success; andsubstance use normson campus. Thisinformation mustbe presented in thecontext of a comprehensiveprogram thatincludes environmentalmanagementstrategies; standaloneinformational programs have beenshown to be ineffective in preventing alcohol andother drug abuse. 32Students also need a structured opportunityto examine their own patterns of alcohol and5other drug use, to explore how substance usemay affect their life goals, and to discoverwhether their positive expectations about substanceuse (e.g., increased sociability and sexualattractiveness) may be unrealistic. They thenneed to learn ways to reduce their alcohol andother drug use risk, including managing stressand other factors that can result in increaseduse, tracking daily alcohol consumption, anddeciding to adhere to a drinking limit beforethey go to social events.Some institutions meet these needs by havingfirst-year students attend a mandatory life skillscourse. At the University of Rhode Island, allfirst-year students take URI 101: Traditions andTransformations, a one-credit freshman seminardesigned to help students navigate their first yearin a new setting. Most class sections, limited to 25students each, are designed for particular majorsor around other student interests (e.g., athletics,leadership). URI 101’s larger focus is to helpstudents identifytheir personaleducation goals,plan their coursesof study, enhancetheir academicskills, learn aboutavailable resourcesat the university,and explore careeroptions. The seminaralso requiresan inquiry-basedcommunity serviceexperience. Specificcourse units focuson substance useissues. One classconveys the socialnorms message bycollecting data fromthe class and thencomparing the class’sestimates of campusalcohol and other drug use against what thestudents themselves reported.The Rochester Institute of Technologyprovides a first-year enrichment course withPassport ProgramGrand Valley State University in Michigandeveloped the Passport Program for studentswho want “to enjoy the college experiencewithout indulging in alcohol or otherdrugs.” The program has four goals:1. Assign a peer mentor who can serve as apoint of contact for entering students andcan guide them through their first yearon campus.2. Provide a quality living experience forstudents who choose to live with otherresidents who desire not to use alcohol inany setting.3. Offer welcome week activities, monthlysocial outings, and semester serviceprojects for residents living in PassportHousing.4. Provide opportunities for residents tolearn about and develop stronger leadershipskills.(Continued on page 6)