Engaging University Communities in Environmental Change Programs to Reduce High- Risk Drinking Matt Hecker Linda Major 2008 ASJA 20 th Anniversary Conference February 8, 2008

“A Matter of Degree” $700, five-year grant funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; $500, 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

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

Coalition Membership Community Law Enforcement (City and County) Prevention/Intervention Professionals Parents Retailers Government Officials Advocacy Groups Neighborhood Representatives High School Administrators Campus Senior Administrators Student Judicial Affairs Substance Abuse Professionals Students Greek Affairs Faculty Housing Staff Greek Advisors Campus Law Enforcement

Coalition Philosophy Focus efforts toward reducing high-risk alcohol consumption across undergraduate population, with a special emphasis on the first and second year Recruited campus and community members representing a broad spectrum constituencies and perspectives 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

ENFORCEMENT EDUCATION POLICY Codifying community standards Consistent consequences when community standards are violated Increase skills, knowledge and awareness necessary to comply with community standards

20% 60% 20% Always act ethically Open to Influence Never act ethically Source: Dr. Janice Lawrence, Associate Director of the Program in Business Ethics and Society, UNL

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

Reported Location of Alcohol Consumption

Response to Campus Disruption Policy: Revised Campus Sanction Policy Consistent Sanctioning Policy Applied to all Students Revised University Approved Housing Agreement and Aggressively Enforced Penalties for Violation Adopted Good Samaritan Policy Enforcement: Community Service Officer (CSO) Contract with Greek Living Units Increased Professionalism for CSO Program Enhanced Continuing Education and Training Program for UNLPD Officers Turnover in UNLPD Leadership Cooperative Agreement among Area Enforcement Agencies Increased Sophistication in Technology Education: Implemented Research-Based, Developmentally Appropriate Alcohol Education Conducting Research to Determine Appropriate Alcohol Education Response Legal Liability Education for Greek Chapters Increased Parent and New Student Education about Alcohol Policies in Residence Halls and Greek Living Units

North Bottoms Neighborhood Density of Party Complaints Near Campus

Response to Neighborhood Disruption Policy: Community alcohol violations adjudicated on campus Consequences for violating municipal ordinance Red Tag Policy Enforcement: Wild Party Patrol Landlord’s cited for Disorderly House Education: “We Agree” Campaign Lincoln Police Department website for landlords

Alcohol-Related Problems by Time of Day

Last Drink Data Number of Admissions Percent of TotalAverage BAC Bar A9316%.169 Bar B499%.183 Bar C438%.160 Bar D438%.160 Bar E336%.159 Bar F326%.169 Bar G315%.181 Bar H234%.165 Bar J224%.163 Bar K193%.179 Total (403) 388/56969%.169

Response to Irresponsible Sale and Service Policy: Digital Driver’s License Additional conditions attached to licenses in high dense areas Bottle Club Ban Special Designated Permit restriction on game day Enforcement: Special emphasis on sales to intoxicated Increased tavern checks Education: Online Seller/Server Education Program “Support your Server” Campaign Birthday Bar Crawl Alternatives Last Drink Data

Game Day

Response to Alcohol-Related Problems on Game Day Policy: Loss of season ticket for chronic problems Special Designated Licenses limited on game day Enforcement: Obvious violations prosecuted Intoxicated fans barred from entry into stadium or ejected Education: Tailgate Campaign e.g. mailing, parking lot promotions, signage

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

Drinking Trend for All Students

Drinking Trend for Freshmen

Drinking Trend for Seniors

Drinking Trend for Student Who Live On-Campus

Drinking Trend for Students Who Live Off-Campus

Drinking Trend for Greek Members

Drinking Trend for Non-Greek Members

Drinking Trend for High School Students

Primary Harms

Five or More Alcohol Related Problems

Suggested Reasons for NU Directions Success Coalition staff and members understood and appreciated community organizing and environmental management Coalition staff and members never wavered from the agreed upon purpose, “reduce high-risk drinking among college students” The focus remained on reaching consensus among stakeholders though meaningful dialogue Commitment to continuously scanning the environment for emerging trends and/or opportunities To accommodate the fluid environment, strategic plans remained flexible Coalition members took advantage of unanticipated opportunities to forward agenda Strategic use of communications critical to coalition success Full utilization of resources available on campus and in the community The coalition publicly celebrated positive change

Common Misperceptions Increased workload Bad PR for the university or college Alcohol can no longer be served at university functions Consensus is impossible among diverse stakeholders Good vs. Bad One size fits all Large budget necessary

Resources NIAAA Task Force Report – “A Call to Action: Changing the Culture of Drinking at U.S. Colleges” askForce/TaskForce_TOC.aspxhttp:// askForce/TaskForce_TOC.aspx Harvard School of Public Health – College Alcohol Study and “A Matter of Degree” Program Experiences in Effective Prevention: The U.S. Department of Education’s Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention Models on College Campuses Grants prevention.pdfhttp:// prevention.pdf U.S. Department of Education’s Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention NU Directions Campus/Community Coalition

Slide design © 2007, The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska. All rights reserved. Matt Hecker 402/ Linda Major 402/ NU Directions