ERIC ED418633: Making the Link: Faculty and Prevention.

38 Pages·1998·0.68 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
HE 031 162
ED 418 633
Ryan, Barbara E.; DeJong, William
AUTHOR
Making the Link: Faculty and Prevention.
TITLE
Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug
INSTITUTION
Prevention, Newton, MA.
Department of Education, Washington, DC.
SPONS AGENCY
1998-00-00
PUB DATE
NOTE
37p.
SS95013001
CONTRACT
Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug
AVAILABLE FROM
Prevention, Education Development Center, Inc., 55 Chapel
St., Newton, MA 02158-1060; phone: [phone]; fax:
617-928-1537; e-mail: [email protected]; World Wide Web:
http://www.edc.org/hec/
Non-Classroom (055)
Guides
PUB TYPE
MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage.
EDRS PRICE
Academic Achievement; Active Learning; *Alcohol Abuse;
DESCRIPTORS
College Environment; College Faculty; *College Students;
Departments; *Drug Abuse; Health Promotion; Higher
Education; Prevention; Student Adjustment; *Substance Abuse;
Teacher Motivation; Teacher Participation; *Teacher Role;
Teacher Student Relationship
ABSTRACT
The guide presents concepts and approaches to prevention of
alcohol and other drug (AOD) abuse among college students, focusing on the
role of faculty in prevention efforts. Sections discuss why faculty should
get involved, the impact of AOD abuse on academic performance, the rationale
for taking an environmental approach to prevention, helping students who are
experiencing problems, motivating faculty interest in prevention, ways in
which academic departments can support prevention, active learning
opportunities through service learning, and using academics to generate
student involvement in prevention efforts. Lists of publications,
organizations, and relevant World Wide Web sites that can be used as further
resources are appended.
(MSE)
********************************************************************************
Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made
*
*
from the original document.
*
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iftrra0,4:-
U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office //f Educational Research and Improvement
M
EDUDATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION
CENTER (ERIC)
This document has been reproduced as
received from the person or organization
originating it
Minor changes have been made to
improve reproduction quality
Points of view or opinions stated in this
document do not necessarily represent
official OERI position or policy
I\
Barbara E. Ryan/William De Jong, Ph.D.
A publication of the Higher Education Center
for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention
Funded by. the U.S. Department of Education
PE
3
Acknowledgments
We wish to thank the individuals listed below for reviewing draft manuscripts of this publication. We
appreciate the comments they provided to help us assure that this publication has a solid scientific founda-
tion and contains clear messages. To the extent that we achieved that goal, the credit is theirs. To the extent
we did not, the fault is ours.
Mich Barbezat, Elgin Community College
Nancy A. Gleason, Stone Center, Wellesley College
Ron Glick, Network for Dissemination of Curriculum Infusion, Northeastern Illinois University
Judy Hearsum, University of California
H. Wesley Perkins, Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Matthew Toth, The College of the Holy Cross
For further information contact:
The Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention
http:/ /www.edc.org/hec/
[phone]
Fax: [phone]
[email protected]
This publication was produced with funding from the U.S. Department of Education under contract number
SS95013001 with Education Development Center, Inc. Views expressed are those of the contractors. No official
support or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education is intended or should be inferred.
1998
The Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention
Education Development Center, Inc.
55 Chapel Street
Newton, Massachusetts 02158-1060
Cover design by Kay Baker
Making the
Contents
Preface
Introduction
1
Why Should Faculty Get Involved?
2
Impact of AOD Use on Academic Performance
4
Environmental Approach to Prevention
6
Helping Students Experiencing Problems
7
Motivating Faculty Interest in Prevention
11
Academic Departments That Can Support Prevention
15
Active Learning Opportunities
20
Using Academics to Generate Student Involvement
24
Making the Link
27
Notes
28
Resources
Center Publications
30
Making the
Preface
The Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention was established by the U.S.
Department of Education in 1993 to assist institutions of higher education in developing and carrying out
alcohol and other drug (AOD) prevention programs that will promote campus and community safety and
help nurture students' academic and social development.
To accomplish this mission, the Center seeks to increase the capacity of postsecondary schools to develop,
implement, and evaluate programs and policies that are built around environmental management strategies.
Environmental management means moving beyond general awareness and other education programs to
identify and change those factors in the physical, social, legal, and economic environment that promote or
abet alcohol and other drug problems.
Clearly, stemming the use of alcohol and other drugs is not something that college administrators alone
their success will
can achieve. Top administrators, especially presidents, must exercise leadership, but
depend ultimately on their ability to build a strong coalition of both on-campus and community interests.
The better AOD prevention programs are campuswide efforts that involve as many parts of the college as
possible, including students, staff, and faculty. For this reason, the Center emphasizes team-focused training
and technical assistance work.
Building coalitions with local community leaders is also key. College campuses do not exist in isolation.
AOD prevention planners need to collaborate with local leaders to limit student access to alcohol, prevent
intoxication, and support the efforts of local law enforcement. The Center therefore seeks to motivate and
train academic leaders to work with local community representatives, while also joining with national orga-
nizations that urge local coalitions to increase their outreach to academic institutions.
Specific Center objectives include promoting (1) college presidential leadership on AOD issues; (2) for-
mation of AOD task forces that include community representation; (3) reform of campus AOD policies and
programs; (4) a broad reexamination of campus conditions, including academic standards and requirements,
the campus infrastructure, and the academic calendar; (5) formation of campus-community coalitions that
focus on environmental change strategies; and (6) the participation of individuals from the higher education
community in state-level and other associations that focus on public policy. The Center also seeks to
increase the capacity of colleges and universities to conduct ongoing process and outcome evaluations of
AOD prevention activities, both on campus and in the surrounding community.
This publication represents one piece in a comprehensive approach to AOD prevention at institutions of
higher education. The concepts and approaches it describes should be viewed in the broader context of pre-
vention theory and the approaches affirmed by the U.S. Department of Education and promoted by the
Center in its training, technical assistance, publication, and evaluation activities.
For information on Center services, please contact:
The Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention
Education Development Center, Inc.
55 Chapel Street
Newton, MA 02158-1060
Tel.: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Website: http:/ /www.edc.org/hec/
E-mail: HigherEdCtr@edc
6
Making the
behavior to violence, injury, and even
Introduction
deathmakes it clear that more
needs to be done to provide students
As parents struggle to pay ever-
"The universities that will be
with collegial, scholarly, and safe
increasing college tuition bills and as
successful in the next century
environments conducive to achieving
higher education critics challenge the
will be those that place the
their education goals.
true value of what college students
student experience at the
The purpose of this guide is to
are taught, public pressure is mount-
heart of their mission and that
describe how faculty can be enlisted
ing for institutions of higher educa-
become genuinely engaged
to participate in comprehensive AOD
tion to cut costs, increase faculty
."
with their communities .
prevention initiatives. Faculty
.
productivity, and improve the quality
Judith A. Rama ley, president
involvement in prevention is key.
of Portland State University
of the academic curriculum.1 In
Students come and go. So do IHE
response, college officials are scruti-
administrators. But faculty, especially
nizing what they do and how they do
those with tenure, have continuity on
it. Truly, reformation of higher edu-
campus over the years. Recognizing
cation is under way.
the importance of faculty, AOD coor-
However, institutions of higher
dinators on campuses across the
education (IHEs) cannot fully achieve
United States have discovered ways
their educational mission unless they
to identify and approach faculty
also take steps to establish an envi-
members to engage their interest and
ronment that discourages student
have collaborated with them in devel-
alcohol and other drug (AOD) use. A
oping prevention activities that can
stream of bad news about problems
make a difference in the community.
related to the alcohol and other drug
This publication summarizes lessons
use of college studentsfrom poor
learned from those experiences.
academic performance and uncivil
r
INN
Oer:
7
are not their responsibility. To
Why Should
counter this reluctance, faculty can be
reminded that alcohol and other drug
Faculty Get
prevention work is vital to their success
Involved?
as teachers.
A focus on faculty makes good
sense. Tenured faculty and alumni
uni-
Teaching faculty at colleges and
drugs were clearly on my
'
.
. .
are the two power sources to be
versities have unique opportunities to
students' minds. This is a complex
reckoned with. Students graduate
influence campus health and safety
subject, open to clarification using
in four or five years, and top col-
through their involvement in alco-
the intellectual tools that one
lege administrators seem to be con-
hol and other drug prevention.
develops from the study of literature
stantly on the move. Faculty have
and culture over all. The students
Faculty can exercise leadership
enormous institutional power, and
wanted to get a larger perspective
through a combination of curriculum
with that, of course, comes institu-
on drugs. They wanted it from me."
reform, the application of interdisci-
tional responsibility.
Mark Edmundson, professor of
plinary approaches to prevention,
There are a number of ways by
English at the University of
and collaboration with student
which faculty can wield institutional
Virginian
affairs professionals.
influence to enhance students' health
Alcohol and other drug prob-
and safety, all of which are compatible
lems constitute a major challenge for
with their roles as teachers and
colleges and universities. This point
researchers:
was highlighted in the Ninth Special
Report to the U.S. Congress on Alcohol
Speak out as advocates for
and Health, which was released in
change and for greater attention
mid-1997 by the U.S. Department of
to AOD prevention.
Health and Human Services.3 Recent
studies have indicated that more
Participate on task forces and
than four in ten U.S. college students
panels to review admissions crite-
can be classified as binge drinkers.
ria, graduation requirements,
Binge drinking is generally defined
policies regarding alcohol adver-
for men as the consumption of five or
tising on campus, and other
more alcoholic beverages at one sitting
issues.
during the past two weeks, four or
Develop new course work that
more for women.4
enables students to learn about
Despite these statistics, some fac-
alcohol and other drugs, includ-
ulty are reluctant to embrace preven-
ing prevention, in the context of
tion. Their reasons are well
courses that meet the students'
knownpressures from their acade-
normal academic requirements.
mic duties; their immersion in what
may seem to be unrelated academic
Set norms and expectations for stu-
specialties; the belief that such matters
dent behavior.
Making the
Asking Faculty to Speak Out
In a letter kicking off the 1997-98 academic year, the president of the University of Rhode Island urged faculty members
and administrators to speak out on the topic of alcohol and other drug use and to make it clear to students that the abuse
of alcohol is not simply some rite of passage to be tolerated on campus.
ii
iiii'
UNIVERSITY OF
RHODE ISLAND
September 1, 1997
Colleagues:
It is
The new semester is about to begin, and the Class of 2001 will begin moving in today.
an exciting class, about 200 students larger than last year, with average SAT scores that are up
It will also have the most racial and ethnic diversity we have yet seen in
some 12 or 13 points.
Kingston. You have all worked hard to bring in this class, and I congratulate you. Despite the
challenges at URI with which we are all too familiar, these students and their families saw the
strengths of the University and made their decisions accordingly.
These first few weeks are obviously very important in setting the standards we expect these
students to meet and in setting the tone of campus community life. This is a class which expects
to be challenged, and I urge you to begin the semester in a way that provides that challenge. The
research on student learning is clear that high expectations by faculty and a corresponding stu-
dent commitment of "time on task" are essential, as are having students actively involved in the
learning process and connected in meaningful ways to faculty in and out of class.
It is also during these first few weeks that local social norms are established. Among the
most significant of these is the perceived norm regarding the use and abuse of alcohol and other
substances. Alcohol abuse by students, especially binge drinking, is one of the most difficult
It is also a sufficient condition for most sexual
problems on college campuses around the nation.
assaults and fighting. Despite recent progress at URI in nudging the norm of student behavior in
the right direction, we can expect to continue to see such abuse in the incoming class.
Again, the research is clear that the most progress is made in dealing with this problem
when it is treated as a matter of "environment," rather than as an individual matter (although
individuals still must be held accountable for their own behavior). We need your help in making
clear to students that the abuse of alcohol is not simply some rite of passage we will tolerate.
You can do that by speaking out on the subject, and I hope you will do that. You have far more
influence than you might imagine! You can also help by articulating your high expectations for
work completed in these first few weeks and by not accepting excuses for work not completed
on a timely basis because of partying. We have made real progress in changing the notion that
the work week is over on Thursday night, but you can reinforce that by assuring that students
have assignments that carry through Friday and require their attention to academics during at
least some part of the weekend. Group work, for example, can often help keep them focused
and provide a positive social interaction at the same time.
In short, let's use these first few weeks of the new semester to affirm the culture for learn-
ing to which we are committed. The entering class is strong evidence of the commitment of this
outstanding faculty to our students, and we need to work together to ensure that they get off on
the right foot, have a successful year and return to us in the fall of 1998 with as little attrition as
possible. Thank you.
Robert L. Carothers, President
Reform the academic calendar
Impact of AOD
and revise academic requirements
in order to keep students focused
Use on Academic
on their studies.
Performance
Supervise service learning activi-
ties, either as course requirements
or as extracurricular events.
Academic administrators and faculty
have little doubt that alcohol and
Conduct research that can be
other drug use has a damaging effect
used to inform campus policy
on academic performance. Efforts to
development.
retain students in college typically
Serve as advisors (and role mod-
include programs to identify and
els) for students.
intervene with students who are in
trouble with alcohol and other drugs.
Identify students who may be in
One national study showed that,
trouble with alcohol and other
at four-year institutions, college stu-
drugs and refer them for inter-
dents with an "A" average consume
vention and possible treatment.
3.3 drinks per week, whereas stu-
dents with a "D" or "F" average con-
The role that faculty can play in
sume 9.0 drinks per week. At
prevention has been largely untried
two-year institutions, "A" students
and untested. In the fields of public
consume 2.6 drinks per week, and
health and medicine, physicians,
"D" or "F" students consume 5.7
nurses, and lawyers have contributed
drinks per week. The same study
to great changes in smoking behavior
showed that sizable percentages of
and injury prevention. People work-
college students also report having
ing in these professions used their
done poorly on a test or project or
knowledge, status, and influence in
having missed class because of their
the community to be advocates for
alcohol or other drug use in the previ-
change. Faculty members can play a
ous twelve months (see table 1).5
similar role. They, more than many
Another national study conduct-
others on campus, can see the
ed at four-year colleges and universi-
impact of AOD use on students' aca-
ties by Henry Wechsler of the
demic performance. They, more than
Harvard School of Public Health
many others on campus, have the
found that, since the beginning of the
power to demand that policies and
school year, nearly one-third of binge
practices change.
drinkers had missed class and 21 per-
cent had fallen behind in their school
work because of their drinking.
1 C
Among frequent binge drinkersstu-
dents who had binged three or more