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Environmental Strategies for the College Environment. OJJDP National Leadership Conference –August 13, 2009 Mary Hill, Gaylyn Murer and Emily Caldwell Mahill@gvtc.com. Environment First Contacts. Family. Community. Church. Nature. Peers. School.
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Environmental Strategies for the College Environment OJJDP National Leadership Conference –August 13, 2009 Mary Hill, Gaylyn Murer and Emily CaldwellMahill@gvtc.com
Environment First Contacts Family Community Church Nature Peers School
An individual’s environment helps shape decisions Job Family Volunteer org. Community Individual School Faith Community Peers Media/Movies Government None of Us Lives in a Vacuum
Factors of Decision Making Personal Policy Community Community Institutional
Breaking it Down What does Environmental Management Mean? Watering the Garden? Stop the snow from falling? Getting rid of pollution? OR Mandate Wearing of Seat Belts to Save Lives OR –you decide!!!
The Common Sense Behind Environmental Management We expect students to say “no” to underage and high risk alcohol use When their environment tells them “yes” (Environmental Management: An Approach to AOD Prevention by Jerry Anderson, College of Health & Safety – Austin, Tx. 2004)
Factors in the Environment • Many students have unstructured free time with too few social, recreational, extracurricular, and public service options. • Society and culture perpetuate the belief that high-risk alcohol use is a normal part of the campus experience. • Alcohol is abundantly available and inexpensive. • Bars, restaurants, and liquor outlets use aggressive promotions to target underage and other college drinkers. • State and local laws and campus policies are not consistently enforced.
Confusing Environment • Drink Alcohol under 21 against Law But – Stores do not check for ID • Go to Parties - Beer Flowing Freely But- no one questions underage student before drinking or DUI. • Brain and other research indicate affect on judgment and coordination • But- Advertising make look like soft drinks
Other Confusing Environment • Law says Do not Drink and Drive But- Get in car after driver has been drinking • Urged to find recreational opportunities where alcohol is not available But - Social and recreational alcohol free options are not available. • Make Healthy Lifestyle Choices But - Friends think everyone is drinking
What do we do now?What are Proactive Environmental Prevention Strategies?
Environmental ManagementWHAT IS IT? Prevention strategies that provides a foundation for policies, and programs to reduce underage and high risk alcohol use through changes in the physical, social, legal or economic environment. “Everything that affects the student’s decision to use or not use alcohol and other drugs”
EnvironmentalStrategies • Create an environment that supports health-promoting norms • Restrict marketing and promotion of alcoholic beverages • Limit alcohol availability and access • Offer social, recreational, public service, and other extracurricular options • Consistently enforce campus policies and local, state, and federallaws
Assumption(Environmental Management: An Approach to AOD Prevention by Jerry Anderson, College of Health & Safety – Austin, Tx. 2004) Changing environmental contributors to AOD problems will result in individual behavior change. Change in environment Change in individuals Environmental change activity 8
NIAAA National Institute on Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism A Call to Action: Changing the Culture of Drinking at U.S. Colleges • Tier 1 Evidence of Effectiveness Among College Students • Tier 2: Evidence of Success With General Populations That • Could Be Applied to College Environments • Tier 3: Evidence of Logical and Theoretical Promise, • But Require More Comprehensive Evaluation • Tier 4: Evidence of Ineffectiveness
Reducing Underage Drinking: A Collective ResponsibilityKey Recommendations • Residential colleges and universities should adopt comprehensive prevention approaches including environmental changes that limit underage access to alcohol. • Local police, working with community leaders, should adopt and announce policies for deterring and terminating underage drinking parties. • Congress and state legislators should raise alcohol taxes.
Surgeon General’s Call to Action To Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking Taking Action: A Vision for the Future • Five principles directed or influenced goals of the report • Six goals outlined in the report to create a healthy America. • Nine measures for colleges and universities to consider to change campus culture
Develop, enforce and adjudicate all campus policies and laws • Enforce and adjudicate all federal, state and local laws, policies and state and federal mandates. (DFSCA, biennial review & Jeanne Clery Act – Texas Risk Management Law) • Develop additional campus AODV policies and sanctions to reduce AODV on and off campus
Limit alcohol availability and access • Restrict or ban alcohol on campus • Ban or restrict open parties and enforcement campaigns where alcohol is served • Alcohol service guidelines on and off campus • Restrict at athletic events
Restrict marketing and promotion of alcoholic beverages • Restrict or ban advertising on campus • Restrict or ban AOD party announcements • Campus and Community (especially Liquor Control Board) work with retailers to restrict low-priced specials and advertising on campus
Offer social, recreational, public service, and other extracurricular options • Substance free residence system & student organizations • Keep substance fee recreational facilities open after hours • Service learning activities
Create an environment that supports health-promoting norms • Social norms marketing campaigns to correct misperceptions • Increased student, faculty, parent & community contact to change the norms • Substance-free housing • Enhance Holistic Wellness model to make healthy choices
Selecting the RightEnvironmental Strategy(Activity to review handouts) What are your presently doing? What do you plan to do? What resources are needed?
Comprehensive Approach to Prevention • Prevention must go beyond traditional awareness, education, and treatment programs to address these environmental factors. • College officials must take an active role in giving shape to a campus and community environment that will help students make healthier decisions about drinking. (Environmental Management: An Approach to AOD Prevention by Jerry Anderson, College of Health & Safety – Austin, Tx. 2004)
Successful Environmental Collaboration in Texas • Emily Caldwell, Project Director, Bay Area Alliance (Community Coalition) in working with San Jacinto Community College • Gaylyn Maurer, Outreach Coordinator, University of Houston in organizing a regional consortium and replicating USDE Model program
Model Environmental Programs to Replicate on Campus and in Community Experiences in Effective Prevention, The U.S. Department of Education’s Models on College Campuses-1999-2004 & Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention on College Campuses Model Programs –1999-2008 www.ed.gov OJJDP Success Stories – www.udetc.org OJJDP Environmental Strategies to Prevent Alcohol Problems on College Campuses – Revised 2006
Model Strategies and Programs to Change Environment (DDRAC –2009) • President appoint policy committee • Alcohol screening and brief Intervention for policy violators • Parental notification for all minors violating the AODV policies • Risk management program for all student and advisors of student organizations
Build a Prevention Infrastructure • Environmental management • Campus • Community • State/Federal Policy • Prevention infrastructure • Permanent campus task force • Campus/community coalitions • Regional and state initiatives
Prevention Infrastructures Campus Risk Management Teams • Campus Team: Top level administration, faculty, staff especially legal counsel, students and parents • Appointed by President • Develop and approve all policies • “Core” Team: Dean/judicial, University Law Enforcement, AOD Coordinator & Director of Housing. Other staff as needed. • Meet weekly or daily when need exists • Review and take action on violations • Develop policies and prepare biennial review
Prevention Infrastructures Campus/Community Coalitions • Administration, community leaders, retailers, parents, enforcement, judicial, students, faculty/staff and others • Plan and implement environmental management strategies, including needs/problems, policies, law reform and ordinances.
Prevention Infrastructures Statewide Initiatives Institutions of higher education, state agencies, campus/ community coalitions and government officials collaborate and reduce high-risk and alcohol and drug use
Planning for Environmental Management Success • Develop vision or mission • Needs assessment of campus and community • Research model programs • Develop an action plan and/or logic model • Continuous program evaluation • Work toward program sustainability
Assessment • What is happening on campus and in community? • What are the consumption and consequence rates? • What are the norms in the campus/community around substance use? • What regulations/policies exist or are missing? • How easy is it to access the substance?
Capacity • What resources are available? • What do people really know, think they know, or need to know? • How many people or organizations can/will help? • What skills are needed and who has them?
Planning • How are we assessing the task at hand? • Are you recognizing all the components to each task we wish to carry out? • Have we examined the strengths and weaknesses of each plan? • Which stakeholders need to have buy-in? • Have we examined the potential effects on each stakeholder? • What is it like to be a campus or community organizer grappling with this?
Implementation • What makes implementation of a plan feasible? • Do you have administration and community leaders support? • Are all resources in place to ensure that the plan can be implemented with fidelity and careful monitoring?
Evaluation • Does the plan include an evaluation component? • Can the chosen strategies be monitored and evaluated? • Are you documenting a plan for evaluating both the PROCESS and the OUTCOMES?
Challenges that Prevent an Environmental Management Approach. • Change in approach from individual (traditional) prevention programs • Lack of administrative support • Lack of funding prevention infrastructures • Unable to work with community coalitions • Lack of state level support – statewide initiatives • Understanding that prevention is everyone’s job • To manage the campus and community alcohol and drug culture takes time & patience (OJJDP/Pacific Institute - Environmental Strategies to Prevention Alcohol Problems on College Campuses – Revised 2006)
Web Sites - Resources • College Drinking: Changing the Culture http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/ • U.S. Department of Education’s Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug and Violence Prevention www.higheredcenter.org • DFSCA – Biennial Reviewhttp://www.edc.org/hec/dfsca/compchek.htm • Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE) www.udetc.org (Success Stories 2004-2005-2007) • OJJDP Environmental Strategies to Prevent Alcohol Problems on College Campuses – Revised 2006