Underage Drinking on Campus What’s the big deal anyway?

1. Underage Drinking on CampusWhat’s the big deal anyway? Resident Advisor Training

2. Audience • Group of Resident Advisors who will be dealing with underage students on either a alcohol-free campus or one that allows it

3. Purpose & Desired Outcomes • To inform RA’s of the possible risks involved in drinking in general and drinking on campus • To allow RA’s to understand the campus-wide strategies (both good and bad) of decreasing underage drinking to understand the context of the situation • To equip the RA’s with the knowledge & skills necessary to approach and/or confront underage students in the area of alcohol use. • To give RA’s the tools necessary to help establish a healthy non-alcohol environment in their underage areas • To inform RA’s of the legal implications of underage drinking in order that they might share that information with their underage residents

4. Teaching Strategies • Statistics: for purposes of clarifying the reality of the situation • Alcohol Quiz: To measure the level of previous knowledge about the use of alcohol • Case Study/ Participatory Activity • Research Based instruction on the strategies to pick out at risk students and to help alleviate the underage drinking problem

5. Alcohol Quiz

6. Injury & Death Issues Death •  1,825 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including motor vehicle crashes, which accounts for around 1300 of those deaths Non-Fatal Injury • 599,000 students between the ages of 18 & 24 are unintentionally injured under the influence of alcohol

7. Assault & Abuse Issues Assault • 696,000 students between the ages of 18 & 24 are assaulted by another student who has been drinking Sexual Abuse •  97,000 students between the ages of 18 & 24 are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape

8. Health Issues Health Problems/Suicide Attempt • More than 150,000 students develop an alcohol-related health problem • Between 1.2% and 1.5% of students indicate that they tried to commit suicide within the past year due to drinking or drug use Alcohol Abuse and Dependence • 31% of college students met criteria for a diagnosis of alcohol abuse and 6% for a diagnosis of alcohol dependence in the past 12 months. Unsafe Sex • 400,000 students between the ages of 18 & 24 had unprotected sex • More than 100,000 students between the ages of 18 & 24 report having been too intoxicated to know if they consented to having sex

9. Academic Issues Academic Problems • About 25% of college students report academic consequences of their drinking including missing class, falling behind, doing poorly on exams or papers, and receiving lower grades overall

10. Illegal Involvement Drunk Driving • 3,360,000 students between the ages of 18 & 24 drive under the influence of alcohol Vandalism • About 11% of college student drinkers report that they have damaged property while under the influence of alcohol Property Damage • More than 25% of administrators from schools with relatively low drinking levels and over 50% from schools with high drinking levels say their campuses have a "moderate" or "major" problem with alcohol-related property damage Police Involvement • About 5% of 4-year college students are involved with the police or campus security as a result of their drinking • 110,000 students between the ages of 18 & 24 are arrested for an alcohol-related violation such as public drunkenness or driving under the influence

11. What would you do? As an RA on a Thursday, you see a student carrying a bag of trash from their dorm and hear the clanging of cans and bottles. You ask the underage student what’s in the bag? And they reply, “My sodas I drink.” You get a whiff of alcohol, but let it go.

12. On Friday night, you notice the same student returning late one night with a brown bag that is wrapped up as they entered their room. As the student slightly closes the door, you knock and ask if you can come in, and the student replies, “yes.” After entering, you smell alcohol, but see no container. What do you do?

13. Because you decided to confront the situation, the student bursts into an outrage of screaming and cussing. The student begins ranting about all that’s gone wrong in their life and how they hate their significant other. Now what?

14. Because you decided to let the go, sometime after mid-night you are woken up because the same student drank so much alcohol the student put them in the hospital. When you get to the hospital, you remember your counseling skills and the student is willing to listen whatever you tell them? Now what?

15. Legal Implications: University Sanctions • Can Include: • Loss of on campus housing • Mandatory alcohol testing • Mandatory counseling • Fines • Academic Probation • Other limitations on your ability to participate in campus life

16. Legal Implications: DUI • Court System • Zero Tolerance • Penalties • Jail Time (not mandatory) • Misdemeanor on record • Suspension of License up to 2 years • Fines • Community Service

17. Legal Implications: Law Firms • It is not a good idea to simply plead guilty and hope that your case will go away • Law Firms: • Make sure your rights are protected • Help you understand the penalties you face and help you make an informed decision about how to respond to conviction • Try to gain a more favorable resolution to your case • If police violate rights, charges may be dropped • Demand video of the field sobriety test

18. Warning Signs • Behavioral Changes • Emotional Changes • Mental Changes • Physical Changes

19. Factors That Influence Use… • Gender • Race/Ethnicity • College vs. Non-college Status • Military Service • Peer Influences • Personality Characteristics • Alcohol Expectancies • Family Influences • Genetics

20. Things to Look out for • Individual factors that may play an important role in alcohol use and risk-taking behavior include a number of pre-college variables. These include • Family history of alcoholism; • Parental alcohol use; • Age at first drink; • Use of tobacco and marijuana in high school or middle school; • Regular church attendance prior to college; • Personality factors • Untreated depression, anxiety, bipolar disorders and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder; • Alcohol and drug use among peers and the student's home community.

21. More possible factors… • Untreated mental health disorders; • Current tobacco, marijuana or other drug use; • Untreated medical problems such as chronic pain, GI problems, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), etc; • Lack of knowledge about the risks of heavy drinking, such as accidents, STDs, relationship issues, risk of being asked to leave the university; • Risk of alcohol problems following college; • Misconception of normative levels and patterns of alcohol use on campus; • Severe academic stress due to heavy academic load, poor study habits etc; • College expectations; • Lack of awareness of alcohol-free activities on campus

22. Interventions…that may not work • Just say "no"; • Educational programs not linked to other methods; • Inconsistent policies and procedures; • Required courses

23. Interventions…That could possibly work • Work with the Greek system • Provide alternative social activities • Train drink servers • Mass media campaigns • Increase taxes on alcohol

24. Interventions…That seem to be working • Clinician-delivered screening and brief interventions; • Changing university norms; • Reducing the number of liquor licenses in campus area; • Increasing penalties for alcohol use in college settings; • Having the active support of parents and alumni; • Administrative leadership.

25. Interventions…One that is known to work • Alcohol eCheckup TO GO

26. What You Can Do To Help • Host educational events about the realities of alcohol • Have your residence take the quiz given earlier • Be consistent when reporting alcohol incidences to your RD • Be a role model for your residents • Offer alternative events when large alcohol events are going on either on campus or off campus

27. Webliography • Government Websites • National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (January 2006). Underage drinking. • Retrieved from http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/AA67/AA67.htm • National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (April 2006). Young adult drinking. • Retrieved from http://pubs.niaaa.nig.gov/publications/aa68/aa68.htm • Sober truth on preventing underage drinking act. (2006, December 20). Retrieved from • http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgibin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=109_cong_public_laws&docid=f:publ422.109.pdf • United States Department of Health and Human Services. (2010, July 8). Too smart to start. • Retrieved from http://www.toosmarttostart.samhsa.gov/community/teachin/lessonplan.aspx • Zimmerman, R. & DeJong, W. (2003). Safe lanes on campus: A Guide fro preventing impaired • driving and underage drinking. Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/safelanes.pdf

28. Webliography • Law Firm Websites • Edgar Synder & Associates. (2010). Underage drinking statistics. Retrieved from • http://www.edgarsnyder.com/drunk-driving/underage-statistics.html • James D. Garrett & Associates. (2010). Underage drinking continues to plague colleges. • Retrieved from • http://www.jamesgarrettlaw.com/Articles/Underage-Drinking-Continues-to-Plague-Colleges.shtml • The Law Office of David L. Scott. (2010). College Students. Retrieved from • http://www.attorneydavidscott.com/Criminal-Defense/College-Students.shtml • Law Offices of Steven M. Jacoby. (2010). Drunk Driving & College Students. Retrieved from • http://www.stevenmjacobylaw.com/PracticeAreas/Drunk-Driving-College-Students.asp • Taylor and Taylor. (2010). Criminal defense attorney for underage drinking and DUI charges • For college students. Retrieved from • http://www.northwestpalaw.com/Practice-Areas-Underage-Drinking-College-Students.shtml • Underage drinking and DUI. (n.d.) Retrieved from • www.lawfirms.com/resources/dui-and-dwi/dui-laws-and-penalties/underage-dui-zero-tolerance.htm • Verrill Dana. (2010). Higher education. Retrieved from • http://www.verrilldana.com/Higher-Education-Law.html

29. Webliography • Educational Institution Websites • Harvard School of Public Heath. (2005). Underage college students’ drinking behavior, access • to alcohol, and the influence of deterrence policies: Finding from the Harvard school of • public health college alcohol study. Retrieved from • http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/cas/Documents/underminimum/ • Promising practices: Campus alcohol strategies. (2005). Retrieved from • http://www.promprac.gmu.edu/2005/index2.htm • Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. (2006). Core Institute. Retrieved from • http:www.sui.edu/departments/coreinst/public_html • State University of New York, Potsdam. (2009). Underage drinking. Retrieved from • http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondi/UnderageDrinking.html • University of Minnesota. (2009). About the alcohol epidemiology program. Retrieved from • http://www.epi.umn.edu/alcohol/ • University of Nevada, Reno. Best practice: Challenging college alcohol abuse. Retrieved from • http://casat.unr.edu/bestpractices/view.phg?program=17 • University of Wisconsin, Madison. Wisconsin alcohol and law policy blog. Retrieved from • http://hosted.law.wisc.edu/wordpress/walp/

30. Webliography • News Articles • Associated Press. (2006, August 26). Colleges still trying to strike a balance on student drinking. • Retrieved from http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,210629,00.html. • Daley, A. (2007, September 7). Before school starts, freshmen quizzed on alcohol. Retrieved • from http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/personal/09/05/cnnu.alcohol/index.html?iref=allsearch. • Hitti, M. (2006, May 24). ‘Extreme Drinking’ alcohol abuse common among college students. • Retrieved from http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,196857,00.html. • Johnson, J. (2010, February 24). Parent notification policies for underage drinking evolve. • Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2010/02/23/AR2010022302195.html • Managing Board. (2010, September 5). The drinking game. Retrieved from • http://www.cavalierdaily.com/2010/09/15/the-drinking-game/. • Nelson, T. F. & Toomey, T. L. (2009, September 29). Commentary: Drinking age of 21 saves • lives. Retrieved from • http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/09/29/nelson.retain.drinking.age/index.html?iref=allsearch • Study: Underage drinkers starting at earlier age. (2002, February 27). Retrieved from • http://archives.cnn.com/2002/HEALTH/parenting/02/26/teen.drinking/index.html. • Wilson, J. (2008, August 25). Old enough to vote, serve in the military� and drink? Retrieved • from http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/08/21/drinking.age/index.html?iref=allsearch.

31. Webliography • Professional Organization Websites • American College Health Association. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.acha.org • The Century Council. (n.d.). Distillers fighting drunk driving & underage drinking. Retrieved • from http://www.centurycouncil.org • College drinking: Changing the culture. (2007, August 22). Retrieved from • http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov • The Inter-Association Task Force on Alcohol and Other Substance Abuse Issues. (n.d.) • Retrieved from http://www.jatf.org • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (n.d.). Retrieved from • http://ncadi.samhsa.gov/ • United States Department of Education. (n.d.). Higher Education Center: for alcohol, drug • abuse, and violence prevention. Retrieved from http://www.edc.org.hec • University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. (2010). Monitoring the future: A Continuing study of • American youth. Retrieved from http://www.monitoringthefuture.org • University of Virginia. (n.d.) National Social Norms Institute. Retrieved from • http://www.socialnorms.org