In a May 4 conference on the University Park campus, nearly 150 administrators, state leaders and community representatives met to develop strategies to deal with alcohol abuse on Penn State campuses. Some of the concepts discussed to curb alcohol use include:
* Increase the number and kind of non-alcoholic events on campus and in the communities;
* Be clear on the consequences and tighten the enforcement of underage drinking, violence and vandalism; and
* Send incoming freshmen the early message that Penn State is not a party school.
During the statewide Penn State-Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board "Partnership for Prevention" conference, participants developed campus-community teams to plan, create and implement strategies for collegiate alcohol problems prevention and intervention.
"Alcohol abuse is one of the most serious problems faced by our institutions of higher education, and by our youth, their families and communities. With this conference, we are taking a very important step in addressing this challenge together," President Graham B. Spanier said in his welcoming remarks.
Attending were administrators from all Penn State undergraduate campuses, student affairs directors and health educators; bar, restaurant and night club owners; public school district representatives, chiefs of police, judges and leaders of statewide organizations. They will meet again in September 1999 to share their experiences of what works and what doesn't.
"The actions of Penn State and other college students affect not only their campuses but also the communities around each campus. For example, local high school students are influenced by the drinking behavior they see, and think it's the expected thing that college students do," said Judith Vicary, professor of biobehavioral health and chair of the PSU-PLCB Partnership planning committee.
First Lady Michele Ridge; William DeJong, director of the Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention; Nelson Cooney, president of Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America; Roberta Leis, Robert Wood Johnson Join Together Program; Cheryl Presley, director, and Philip Meilman, co-director, of the Core Institute at Southern Illinois University, also addressed the group.
At the end of the conference, participants identified evidence of problem student drinking, such as vandalism, public drunkenness, academic problems, emergency room statistics, violence and arrests. They then identified social acceptance, availability, the lack of rules and enforcement, peer pressure, being away from home for the first time, and continuing high school behaviors as factors contributing to the problems of underage and binge drinking. They also identified possible prevention efforts
The campus-community teams are now refining their plans -- looking at what other agencies or groups should join in the effort, identifying technical assistance and other resources they will need and developing strategies appropriate to each campus area. They will to work with the partnership planning committee on implementation throughout the summer and next academic year.
In addition, the Division of Student Affairs and the Commission on the Prevention of Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Abuse at all Penn State locations are establishing education, prevention and intervention programs. University-wide, faculty, staff and students have begun projects to address health and behavioral issues related to excessive use of alcohol.
"I am particularly excited about our partnership with Penn State and its potential to establish models and strategies that can be used by all Pennsylvania colleges and universities to deal with this complex and difficult problem," said PLCB Chairman John E. Jones III. This partnership is a three-year plan for prevention and will be carefully evaluated throughout to determine the most effective methods, and for which groups of students.