Alcohol and Other Substance Use/Abuse 

Priority Action Group

”Binge drinking is a problem that is highly visible and troubling to those who drink responsibly. “
-Marcia Kelley, UND's First Lady

 “The abuse and binge consumption of alcohol has been an issue on campus for decades. It has the potential to have monumental negative long-and short term health consequences, and it causes students to engage in behaviors that they otherwise wouldn’t [engage in] when not under the influence. It does nothing to promote health and wellness.”
- Samuel Lohstreter, UND's School of Medicine & Health Sciences Student

Rationale

“There are elevated risks for alcohol-related educational problems among binge drinkers.” ¹

“Excessive alcohol use is the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States and is a risk factor for many health and societal problems.” ²

“It is estimated that about 25 percent 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.” ³ 

“Research shows that several carefully conducted community initiatives aimed at reducing alcohol problems among college-age youth have been effective, leading to reductions in underage drinking, alcohol-related assaults, emergency department visits, and alcohol related crashes.”⁴

Description
This Priority Action Group composed of student, faculty, and staff members meets monthly at UND to evaluate environmental factors, analyze problems, share best practices, establish goals, create SMART objectives, develop recommendations and strategies, and ultimately create a campus-wide action plan. This action plan will be submitted to UND’s President for final consideration and when approved, it will serve as a guide for all UND health and wellness initiatives until the year 2020.

Agendas

September 2010
October 2010 - Problem Analysis
November 2010
January 2011 - Developing Goals and Objectives
February 2011 - Ideas for Objectives
March 2011
April 2011

Minutes

September 2010
October 2010
November 2010
January 2011 - Inventory of Programs, Services, and Policies (Draft)
February 2011 - "We Need" Results from the Joint Meeting - Goals, Objectives, and Strategies
March 2011
April 2011

Best Practice Articles
Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention on College Campuses 
JMU Looks to Change Alcohol Culture on Campus 
Alcohol and Other Drugs on Campus The Scope of the Problem 
Redefining Resources For Prevention: Page 4 Environmental Management Strategies 
What Colleges Need to Know Now An Update on College Drinking Research 
Environmental Policies to Reduce College Drinking: An Update of Research Findings 
Developing a Web-Based Health Promotion Intervention
Risk Reduction and Fraternal Organizations 1 
Risk Reduction and Fraternal Organizations 2 
Risk Reduction and Fraternal Organizations 3 
Surveying the Damage: A Review of Research on Consequences of Alcohol Misuse in College Populations 
The Effects of Heavy Episodic Alcohol Use on Student Engagement, Academic Performance, and Time Use 

References
1. Wechsler H, Dowdall GW, Maenner G, Gledhill-Hoyt J, Lee H. “Changes in binge drinking and related problems among American college students between 1993 and 1997: Results of the Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study.” J Am Coll Health.1998; 47

2. “Preventing Excessive Alcohol Use.” The Community Guide to Preventative Services. Community Guide Branch, National Center for Health Marketing (NCHM), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 15 June 2010. Web. 7 Jul 2010.

3. “Statistical Snapshot of College Drinking.” National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, n.d. Web. 7 July 2010.

4. Hingson, R.; Heeren, T.; Winter, M.; and Wechsler, H. Magnitude of alcohol-related mortality and morbidity among U.S. college students ages 18–24: Changes from 1998 to 2001. Annual Review of Public Health 26:259–279, 2005. Web. 2 July 2010.