ERIC ED537671: Catalyst. Volume 11, Number 2, Spring 2010

2010·0.96 MB·English

by  ERIC

A Publication of the U.S. Department of Education’s
Higher Education Center for Alcohol and
T
Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention
Redefining Resources
S
For Prevention
I
n the current economic climate, with many state All told, Hancock and her staff visit classes 60 to 100
Y
budget deficits rising and drastic cuts being imple- times every year.
mented, it may seem like a challenge to enhance At Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J., students
a campus alcohol and other drug abuse or violence also serve as a resource for prevention programs.
prevention program or, in some cases, even to keep one Recognized in 2000 as a model program by the U.S.
going. But at colleges and universities across the coun- Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Drug-Free
try, innovative prevention professionals are expanding Schools, the university gives college seniors the oppor-
L
their resources by redefining how they think about tunity to develop a social norms marketing campaign
them. They are finding new resources that, previously as part of the regular curriculum in a course titled
overlooked, can be inexpensive, accessible, and effective. Advanced Health Communications. After an analysis of
“Students are brilliant. Even
Students and Staff as Resources
A
One such resource is students. At Virginia Common- if you have lots of money,
wealth University (VCU) in Richmond, students from
it doesn’t make sense not
various departments fulfill their service learning
to use students ...”
requirements by working in concert with preven-
tion professionals at the Wellness Resource Center.
Linda Hancock, the center’s director, interacts with student survey data, the students create the campaign,
T
professors to identify service learning activities that complete with posters, flyers, and other material. They
will benefit students and enhance the campus’s then move into the interpersonal component of the
prevention programs at the same time. One of the course, where they design and run a fun event for
most successful occurs in the Communication Arts first-year students at a residence hall. In the process,
Department. Hancock goes into a class, and acting they develop relationships with these students who are
A
like a client, she describes for students the type making the sometimes difficult transition from high
of alcohol prevention campaign she wants. The school to college. Alcohol Jeopardy, a beanbag toss, even
students work in teams to design communication cupcake decorating are examples of past activities.
strategies and create accompanying graphics. They “It may sound cheesy, but in some ways, it [working
present their strategies and graphics to Hancock, with first-year students] is a life-changing experience,”
who chooses a winner. says course instructor Lea Stewart, professor of commu-
“Students are brilliant. Even if you have lots of
C
(Continued on page 2)
money, it doesn’t make sense not to use students; they
are the target group,” says Hancock.
Inside
Hancock also works with students in nursing
school courses. Every semester, she delivers a guest Environmental Management Strategies:
lecture on techniques for evaluating prevention Low-cost Prevention 4
programs. Students apply what they have learned Going Grantless 6
by administering a survey designed by Hancock and
Students as a Resource for Prevention
entering the collected data. In this way, students
Research and Evaluation 7
get hands-on learning experiences and Hancock
Prevention on a Shoestring at Montana State
acquires valuable information to inform VCU’s
University: A Q&A With Jenny Haubenreiser 9
prevention activities.
Spring 2010 Vol. 11 No. 2
(Continued from page 1)
Redefining Resources for Prevention
nications and director of the Center for Com- “Sharing data is the way we do business,” says share PDF files, Word files, PowerPoint presenta-
munication and Health Issues. “Students realize Healy. “We need to have cooperation if we are tions, and e-mails.
what kind of role models they are.” going to have an impact.” “It’s the best thing we’ve done in a decade,”
In addition to students, staff members can be At the University at Albany, State University of says Farmer. “The response has been incredible.”
a resource for prevention programs. At Gonzaga New York, it is the off-campus police that expand For the smaller group of about six people that
University in Spokane, Wash., prevention profes- the school’s prevention resources. Every day, the comprises the CCSAP steering committee, the
sionals have partnered with residence life staff for Albany Police Department sends a report con- webinar is enhanced, enabling participants to
the past two years. The resident directors (RDs), taining the names of all those arrested, as well communicate via headsets and microphones,
who are full-time professionals, keep track of as all victims of crime, to Tom Gebhardt, director rather than using their keyboards to text chat.
alcohol-related infractions that occur in their resi- of personal safety and off-campus affairs for the Farmer urges prospective webinar users to
dence halls. They identify problem halls or floors university. Gebhardt checks the names against a shop around for a commercial company that can
and share the data with prevention professionals. student database and if a student is involved, he provide the products and technical support they
“Instead of waiting and reacting, we can requests an electronic copy of the arrest report.
do preventive education or social norms cam- By reading the report, he determines whether Use of technology is driven
paigns targeting a particular hall or floor,” alcohol was a factor. Thus, he has a “barometer
more by a desire to conserve
says Karen Contardo, manager of the Student of what is going on off campus.”
time than to conserve money.
Wellness Resource Center. The information is used internally to modify
Encouraged by the university, many RDs environmental prevention programs. For exam-
engage in collateral assignments with the ple, if there has been a spike in the number of stu- need. She notes that her initial attempts to find
Office of Student Life. Some choose to work with dents who use false identification, the university appropriate software often resulted in pricey and/
prevention programs. Currently, one RD spends might provide local tavern owners with training or complicated products.
four hours a week in such activities, “making a or technology to spot fraudulent documents. Also accessible via computer are the free re-
big difference,” according to Contardo. Albany Police Department data help Geb- sources of the Network Addressing Collegiate Al-
hardt identify problem blocks in neighborhoods cohol and Other Drug Issues (Network), which is
Law Enforcement as a Resource surrounding the college. At the beginning of supported by the U.S. Department of Education’s
Campus and community law enforcement agen- the academic year, campus and city police go Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools. Members
cies often collaborate with prevention programs door-to-door on these blocks, educating residents can visit http://www.thenetwork.ws for these
and can be an important resource. Steven J. about safety concerns and the legal consequences resources, which include PowerPoint presenta-
Healy, managing partner of Margolis, Healy & of alcohol abuse. tions and brochures. For technical assistance,
Associates, is the former director of public safety members can use the Web site to contact one of
at Princeton University in Princeton, N.J., and Technology Resources 18 Network regional directors.
former member of the Review Group of the U.S. Another resource for prevention programs is the Carla Lapelle, chair of the executive commit-
Department of Education’s Higher Education effective use of technology. Gail Farmer, chair tee of the Network, says that regional directors
Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and of the Washington State College Coalition for and their team of 70 volunteers can provide “al-
Violence Prevention. He says that campus police Substance Abuse Prevention (CCSAP) and direc- most anything you can think of that is involved
have contact with large segments of the campus tor of the Wellness Center at Central Washington with alcohol and other drug prevention.” Among
community and “see things others don’t see.” University in Ellensburg, Wash., says her use of other things, this includes recommendations for
Police at Princeton gather extensive data about technology is driven more by a desire to conserve expert speakers, help with community-coalition
alcohol violations during the normal course of a time than to conserve money. Since fall 2008, building, and participation in site visits and
working day. They “slice and dice” the data and Farmer has held monthly CCSAP professional teleconferencing.
share them with health services and the dean of development seminars online, thus eliminating “Every institution is at a different stage,” says
students. This information enables prevention travel time. A commercial webinar company Lapelle. “Personal contact allows for specific
professionals and campus police to target specific provides easy-to-use software that enables the 17 customized assistance.”
geographic locations or behaviors, working or 18 attendees to view the presentation via com-
together to send students a consistent message. puter and text chat in real time. They also can (Continued on page 3)
Catalyst Spring 2010 Vol. 11 No. 2 2 3
Message From Kevin Jennings, OSDFS Assistant Deputy Secretary
President Obama has set an ambitious goal as being low cost. They can also draw upon the and universities
part of his July 2009 American Graduation Ini- student body itself. Virginia Commonwealth conduct preven-
tiative: By 2020 America will once again have University, Rutgers University, and Gonzaga tion programs
the highest proportion of college graduates in University—all Department of Education more efficiently.
the world. We know that high-risk drinking model program grantees (see http://www2. The Washington
and drug use by college students contribute to ed.gov/programs/dvpcollege/awards.html)— State College
numerous academic, social, and health-related provide examples of how to involve students Coalition for
problems—and this must be addressed if we in a wide range of prevention activities. At the Substance Abuse
are to achieve the president’s goal. University at Albany, State University of New Prevention now
In the face of mounting budget problems York (a 2009 model program grantee) and conducts its
related to rising costs and shrinking funds, San Diego State University (a 2001 model monthly profes-
colleges and universities across the country are program grantee), students play an important sional development seminars online.
looking for ways to expand alternative resources role is supporting prevention evaluation and While preventing alcohol and other drug
to support their alcohol and other drug abuse research. Other campuses look to the school’s abuse and violence on college campuses
and violence prevention programs. This issue senior administrative leadership and to law depends on resources, it turns out that when re-
of Catalyst includes a number of articles on enforcement officials to help set the campus sources are tight, those working on prevention
how campuses are leveraging alternative culture around behavior related to alcohol find creative ways to come up with new ways to
resources—both on and off campus—to keep and other drug abuse. support their work. n
prevention alive and well. At Montana State University, relationships
For example, campuses can focus on an and coalitions both on campus and in the
environmental management approach to community expand prevention resources. And
prevention, which has the key advantage of emerging technologies have helped colleges
(Continued from page 2)
Redefining Resources tor of the Division of Systems Development at Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism [NIAAA]) that de-
the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention). “It’s tails what senior administrators can do can help.
for Prevention
true that a prevention program coordinator is the “You are not going to be in that meeting
driving engine of programs and we don’t want to where budget decisions are made,” says Mackay-
All of this is accomplished in close partnership change that focus. But that person’s work moves Smith. “But leadership may remember that your
with the Higher Education Center for Alcohol, forward by leaps and bounds with informed sup- program contributes to the goals of the college.
Drug Abuse, and Violence Prevention. From Sept. port of senior staff.” So if you get them on your side, they will do a lot
1, 2007, to Aug. 30, 2008, Network volunteers How does one get that support? Knowing the of your work.”
provided assistance to colleges on 3,100 occa- concerns and priorities of leadership and present- Preventing alcohol and other drug abuse on
sions. Lapelle’s goal is to “get the word out” and ing prevention program information in those college campuses depends on resources. When
increase these numbers. terms is critical. traditional resources contract, it’s up to preven-
“There is no way a strong prevention program tion professionals to find new ones. These may be
Leadership as a Resource does not advance the goals of the institution,” as near as the computer on a desktop, as unusual
One of the most important resources and one says Mackay-Smith. as the student who decorates cupcakes as part of a
that affects every other resource in a prevention Once leaders understand this, they will be class, or as inspiring as the college president who
program is leadership from senior staff of the more likely to support prevention activities. Still, understands that a healthy campus environment
college or university. prevention program coordinators must keep contributes to academic excellence. But whatever
“Senior leadership is key, crucial, indispens- senior leadership up to speed. A short paper (such the resource, if it enhances prevention programs,
able,” says Virginia Mackay-Smith, then director as What College Presidents Need to Know About it is worth considering. n
of the Higher Education Center (and now direc- College Drinking from the National Institute on
2 Catalyst Spring 2010 Vol. 11 No. 2 3
Environmental Management
Strategies–
Low-cost Prevention
by William DeJong
M
ost academic budgets for substance campus officials must communicate clear
abuse prevention are inadequate, expectations regarding student conduct. But it
especially when compared with the also means providing institutional support—
financial costs of student alcohol and other for example, by increasing the number of early
drug abuse. This is a long-standing problem, morning and Friday classes, bolstering academic
of course, which moved the Presidents Leader- standards, promoting greater faculty-student
ship Group (established to underscore the contact outside of class, and improving faculty
important role university presidents play in mentoring. The cost: $0.
successful alcohol and other drug prevention Health-promoting norms can also be sup-
efforts on campus and in the larger com- ported through a social norms marketing
munity) to declare in 1997 that colleges and campaign that corrects misperceptions of student
universities need to demonstrate their com- drinking norms and reducing alcohol-related
William DeJong
mitment to fighting this problem by boosting problems, including missed classes and dropping
their spending on prevention. out. Model campaigns have relied on posters, substance-free recreational options they
With the recent downturn in the economy, newspaper ads, giveaway items, and other costly identified were going to movies, listening to
however, campus administrators are instead media channels. The fact is that a campaign can music, and being somewhere just to “hang
combing through their budgets, seeking be run with adequate impact using the college’s out.” Bringing frequent entertainment to
places to make cuts. That is unfortu nate, but existing communications infrastructure, includ- campus costs money, but students can be
for many institutions unavoidable. This is an ing residence hall workshops and meetings, charged small admissions fees to cover that.
apt time, then, to remember a key advantage e-mail, the college Web site, computer screen Creating an attractive place for students to be
of the environmental management approach savers, text messages, stadium scoreboards, and with each other can be a low-cost affair. Even
to prevention: most of the work that needs so forth. Local merchants can also advance the the dingiest campus space could be made at-
to be done costs little or no money but only college’s social norms message through their tractive using donated furniture and volunteer
requires staff to realign their priorities and signage, menus, packaging, and advertising. student labor.
refocus their energies. Developing additional student service
Enrich Campus Life learning or volunteer activities can also be
Reinforce the Academic Mission The environmental management approach done inexpensively. Every community has
It is especially critical that the college presi- also entails offering and promoting social, businesses, community programs, health
dent take a more visible stand against student recreational, extracurricular, and public centers, and nonprofit organizations that
alcohol and other drug abuse by announcing service options that support healthy decision- are eager to work with students. Given the
that solving this problem is a major priority. making. Several institutions have built new present generation’s interest in community
Doing so can galvanize every academic office student centers and given funding to student service, administrators should have a real
and department to think about how it can groups to support substance-free events and incentive for identifying and training student
make the fight against substance abuse a activities, but a lot can also be accomplished volunteers to coordinate these efforts.
major, yearlong focus, while also sending a with little or no funding.
clear signal to students, parents, and alumni Based on responses from nearly 400,000 Focus on Policy Enforcement
that the college is intent on changing its students participating in AlcoholEdu for Col- Campus officials can enforce policies that
campus culture. lege, an online alcohol course for first-year limit the times and places that alcohol is
A hallmark of the environmental manage- students (K. Timpf, “Effectively Engaging available to students on campus. Key strate-
ment approach is creating a social, academic, Students in Prevention,” a presentation at gies include prohibiting delivery or use of kegs
and residential environment that supports the 2010 NASPA Annual Conference, Chicago, or other common containers, controlling or
health-promoting norms. This means that March 8, 2010), the three most popular eliminating alcohol sales at sporting events,
(Continued on page 5)
Catalyst Spring 2010 Vol. 11 No. 2 4 5
(Continued from page 4)
Environmental Management Strategies: Low-cost Prevention
and disseminating and enforcing guidelines purchases, survey alcohol-related arrestees
Increase
for registered parties. Campus officials also about place of last drink to identify problematic
have wide latitude to ban or restrict alcohol outlets, and mandate merchants to implement
Student Fees?
advertising on campus and to limit the con- an RBS training program.
tent of party or event announcements. Campus officials can also work with town
When economic times are tough, college
In addition, officials to impose
and university administrators are reluctant
administrators stricter local laws
Many effective environmental to increase student tuition or fees, but this
should take greater and regulations to
may be an option that many institutions
advantage of every- prevention strategies involve deal with student
will want to consider in order to improve
day opportunities little or no expenditures. misbehavior and
prevention of alcohol and other drug abuse
to remind students violence off campus.
What they do require, and violence.
about the college’s Options include
however, is the political will If each undergraduate or graduate
alcohol and other stricter penalties for
student were charged a tuition surcharge or
drug abuse and to move forward and time. creating neighbor-
fee of $20 per semester, how much money
violence prevention hood disturbances;
could that provide? On a campus of 4,000
policies and ongoing working with land-
students, that would add up to $160,000.
enforcement efforts. Publishing the policies in lords to develop stricter leases; community
On a campus of 10,000, the total would
a student handbook or posting them online is mediation and student ambassador programs;
be $400,000.
not enough. Without violating student privacy, and targeted law enforcement strategies. Also
Is that too much for students to pay?
the college’s judicial affairs office can notify important is for the college to extend campus
There are two ways to think about this.
the student body about classmates who have jurisdiction to include off-campus behavior.
First, $20 is not very much money. In many
been disciplined for violating specific policies.
communities, it costs $20 for two movie
The point of having strictly enforced policies is Work at the State Level
tickets. Second, the financial costs incurred
to deter students from alcohol and other drug Several states have statewide initiatives
by colleges and universities due to student
abuse and violence, but that deterrent effect to promote alcohol and other drug abuse
alcohol and other drug abuse are huge,
cannot be fully realized unless students are prevention in higher education. These initia-
considering the administrative, health, and
told what’s being done. tives are concerted efforts by institutions of
security staff that are required to handle
higher education, state government officials,
the problem, plus higher insurance and
Collaborate With Local Officials and community organizations in a state to
property repair costs. Shouldn’t students
Another tenet of the environmental manage- change aspects of the campus and commu-
help defray these costs?
ment approach is to limit the availability nity environment that contribute to high-
of alcohol in the community. At little or no risk drinking and other drug use by creating
financial cost, campus officials can work with and mobilizing campus and community
alcohol-related problems on campus by low-
local restaurant and bar owners to encourage coalitions to local action and collaborating
ering underage students’ access to alcohol
responsible beverage service (RBS), with an on state policy change. They can enhance
and decreasing its misuse. Examples include
emphasis on checking for fake IDs, adhering to campus work in several ways—generating
the following:
the age 21 law, refusing to over-serve alcohol, media coverage that brings attention to the
eliminating low-price alcohol promotions, and issue, helping build the case for environ- • Requiring distinctive and tamper-proof
running specials on nonalcoholic beverages. mental prevention strategies, and attracting licenses for drivers under age 21.
Beyond that, administrators can work with additional funding. Especially vital, however, • Passing “use and lose” laws that impose
town officials to pass regulations that limit the are the opportunities these kinds of initia- driver’s license penalties on minors
number of alcohol outlets near campus, restrict tives create to affect policy at the state level. who purchase or are found in possession
the days or hours of alcohol sales, require keg There are several policy proposals that of alcohol.
registration, prohibit home delivery of alcohol could have a sizable effect in reducing
(Continued on page 11)
4 Catalyst Spring 2010 Vol. 11 No. 2 5
Going Grantless
my Kiger of the University of Central
Missouri (UCM) knows a thing or two
about grants. For example—don’t
take them for granted!
Kiger is the assistant director of health
services at UCM with responsibility for violence
and alcohol and other drug abuse prevention.
The university’s current program to reduce
sexual assault, domestic violence, and stalk-
ing is a tribute to making the best of things
when anticipated grant support fails to come
through.
This saga goes back to 2003 when the
lure of a grant from the U.S. Department of
original plan called for a campus center with conversations, it takes being able to forgive
Justice led Kiger and her colleagues to plan for
a full-time coordinator providing prevention, people when they misspeak and get frus-
developing a center on the campus to provide
education, and intervention services. The plan trated. It takes a lot of time and energy but
prevention, education, and intervention ser-
also called for a violence awareness campaign it’s definitely worth it. That’s how you sustain
vices in the area of violence against women.
in the off-campus community of Warrensburg, projects,” Kiger said.
“We had all these partners who were excited
and for sponsoring a conference to help train The picture changed abruptly for the CMU
about working together, so we started acting as
others in the state to do prevention work. center when word came in 2005 that the
though we already had the grant. We started
Even without the grant, however, the center Department of Justice had approved grants of
planning for what we would do when we got
was able to develop a volunteer sexual assault $100,000 a year for two years to sustain the
the money—even started looking for space
response team to visit assault victims. “We program. This helped ease staffing problems
for our center. Then we found out we weren’t
had a domestic violence center in our town and allowed the development of new activities,
getting the grant,” Kiger told Catalyst.
but victims of sexual assault didn’t have a such as extending educational and prevention
Rather than let this head of steam dissipate,
place to go. We developed a volunteer sexual activities into the surrounding community.
Kiger and her group decided to see what they
assault response team that would be called in “The grant allowed us to develop a more
could accomplish without grant support. The
when there was an assault. They would go to educational focus—to deliver a message that
university administration let the center occupy
the hospital or to law enforcement and meet violence against women is an important issue
an unused storage area on the campus to
the victim for advocacy,” Kiger said. for the community,” Kiger said.
house the center. The university president’s
Going grantless taught Kiger and her group But the additional funding was short lived.
office provided some used furniture it didn’t
the value of partnerships. “We found there After two years the grant was not extended, and
need. The student government association
were many people concerned about violence Kiger and her crew were faced once again with
came through with a promised $5,000 cash
against women and who were willing to work trying to sustain a program with limited funds.
contribution that was part of its commitment
together on the problem. Often it is not people The solution was to juggle positions and
under the proposed grant, and this covered
you would think about as typical partners. You salaries—with an emphasis on part-time and
some expenses.
might have somebody in the history depart- temporary status—and to spread responsibility
“I ended up donating the time of my gradu-
ment who is personally very interested in the for the most critical services to three separate
ate assistant to staff the center,” says Kiger.
topic, but if you only reach out to social work- offices on campus—University Health Services,
“She would have been doing educational
ers or people in psychology or criminal justice with its responsibility for prevention; the Coun-
programs in residence halls, so I wound up
you’re going to miss those folks. It’s important seling Center, which provides counseling and
doing some of those myself.”
to try to engage the entire community. psychological services; and the University Health
The center that finally opened its doors was
“I think the most important thing for us is Center, with its emphasis on clinical services.
more modest in its ambitions than what had
the relationships we’ve been able to build. It “We had to stop doing some of the things we
been envisioned in the grant proposal. The
takes individual meetings, it takes multiple
(Continued on page 11)
Catalyst Spring 2010 Vol. 11 No. 2 6 7
Students as a Resource
For Prevention Research
And Evaluation
C
olleges and universities want to know experience, which is a big selling point for According to Mitch Earleywine, associate pro-
whether their prevention efforts are students. We look for the best and the brightest fessor of psychology, students receive academic
effective when it comes to reducing students and recruit them either in person or credit for their involvement in evaluation efforts
problems related to alcohol and other drug abuse via a letter offering them a ‘golden opportunity’ by registering for research credit in the Psychol-
and violence. But often funds for conducting to do research with us. Most of the students we ogy Department. “Students can bring a lot of
prevention activities themselves are limited, recruit for research take us up on our offer,” said insights to some of the simpler things that we
much less for evaluating those efforts. One way Dolores Cimini, director of the Middle Earth Peer might overlook. When they pretest surveys we
that campuses can meet their need to know— Assistance Program in the University Counseling want to administer, they are quick to point out
and be accountable to others for investment in Center, a U.S. Department of Education 2000 how questions can be misinterpreted, which
prevention—is to engage students in prevention Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention on College items are less likely to elicit truthful responses,
research and evaluation. Campuses model program grantee. how to word items in a way to encourage ano-
Sally Linowski, director of the Center for Drew Anderson, associate professor in the nymity, what approaches to take to assure data
Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Prevention at Department of Psychology, says that involving his are as accurate as possible, and how to increase
University of Massachusetts Amherst, cautions students in prevention evaluation efforts acts as participation in surveys. What looks to us like a
that working with students does pose some chal- a labor multiplier. “In my laboratory I have five great incentive to participate in a survey about
lenges. “Some issues are the need for supervi- graduate students and a number of under- an intervention is often laughably inaccurate
sion and training for students. The turnover in graduate students, all of whom are interested and students are pretty quick to point out ways to
student assistants, including undergraduates and in research. The undergraduates want to go on make improvements.”
graduates, means you are always training new to graduate school and really want to get some For example, one of the first Middle Earth
people so it is quite time intensive, requiring a research experience and, of course, the graduate alcohol assessment questionnaires asked about
lot of start-up time for research projects. For us, students are also interested in research. They wine coolers. “The students let us know that they
often by the time we have a great student trained are available to help with the kind of evaluation are completely un-hip and no longer part of the
and working at peak performance, they are gone tasks that take a lot of time, from data entry to drinking scene,” said Earleywine. “Then there
and you have to start all over again,” she said. giving out questionnaires. When faculty mem- are the little things, such as how best to display
But at two campuses, using students to assist bers are interested in the topic area, everybody online survey questions, such as whether a
in research projects has paid off in a number gets enthusiastic about the project. It is a chance question should ask for a true or false answer or
of ways. to get extra data in areas of interest, so everybody agreement levels on a scale of zero to nine.”
wins. Students get experience. Faculty members Many campuses have competing opportunities
University at Albany, get opportunities to do some additional research for students interested in getting involved with
State University of New York and evaluation. In this case Middle Earth gets research and evaluation activities. But according
The University at Albany uses involvement in help with program evaluation.” to Anderson, issues related to alcohol and other
evaluation as a training opportunity for students “Students who work on evaluation projects drug abuse and violence resonate with both un-
who are entering the social sciences fields, in- for Middle Earth can gain experience in research dergraduates and graduate students at U-Albany.
cluding psychology, social welfare, medicine, and from the beginning to the end, including data “Students can conduct research on some-
other fields where research is important. collection through the administration of surveys, thing that illuminates how the brain reacts to
“It gives them their first experience on what it data analysis, and helping to write publications,” something or on finding something out about
is like to conduct research. Graduate schools look said Cimini. whether an intervention decreases depression
very highly on students who have had research
(Continued on page 8)
6 Catalyst Spring 2010 Vol. 11 No. 2 7
(Continued from page 7)
Students as a Resource for Prevention Research and Evaluation
or suicidal thoughts or binge drinking. What director of the U.S. Department of Education’s
2009 Models of Exemplary,
a surprise—we get a long list of students Higher Education Center for Alcohol, Drug
who want to sign up for the latter. Some of Abuse, and Violence Prevention, some students Effective, and Promising
our colleagues are a bit envious because our get paid, but others work for course credit.
Alcohol or Other Drug Abuse
research opportunities appeal to a wide range of “Research assistants can be either paid or
Prevention Programs on
students,” said Anderson. volunteers. Currently we pay about $10 an hour
But program evaluation poses a real conun- for graduate student research assistants, which is College Campuses Awards
drum at some campuses because prevention staff pretty inexpensive labor for what we get. We also
The 2009 Models of Exemplary, Effective,
think that they do not have the expertise, time, or have paid interns who earn about $3,000 for 20
and Promising Alcohol or Other Drug Abuse
resources for conducting “good” evaluation. Ear- to 25 hours a week during the academic year.
Prevention Programs on College Campuses
leywine thinks that is because faculty in depart- For the level of work and the amount of money,
awards have been made to the following five
ments like psychology or sociology tend to think that’s also a very good investment. We also have
universities: University at Albany, State Univer-
about evaluation in terms of conducting a perfect research assistants and interns who work at the
sity of New York; University of California, Santa
experiment with randomized control trials. center 16 hours a week for a whole semester on
Barbara; University of Florida; University of
“That is just too much to ask, at least in the our projects to get course credit,” said Clapp.
North Carolina Wilmington; and University
beginning. Instead, campuses can first get a feel Those who work at the center for course credit
of West Florida. Abstracts of funded projects
for what students think about one particular are seniors taking independent study classes in
are available online at http://www.ed.gov/
issue by adding a couple of items to a survey that public health, social work, and psychology. Center
programs/dvpcollege/fy09awards.html.
is already going out to students. Maybe a sample staff provide two to three hours of supervision a
of students are willing to fill out something for month. Students work on a range of activities, such
free on the Web,” said Earleywine. “Information as data collection and literature searches. They data, getting more interviews or more sub-
gained in even a small survey can open up the can also do data analysis, which for a number jects in research projects, or helping with the
conversation and generate enough hypotheses to of students is an opportunity to get some applied development of new proposals to bring in new
really get things going.” research experience. Other benefits for students resources that we otherwise would not have the
Cimini also recommends that those working include a reference letter for graduate school. time to do ourselves,” said Clapp.
in prevention look for other offices on campus “Master-level students want recommendations But there is another benefit beyond
that can help with evaluation, particularly with so that they can get into a doctoral program, and expanding resources to getting students
obtaining in-class samples or random samples undergraduates want recommendations for mas- involved in center activities. “Students get
of students. “Most schools have an office of ter’s programs,” said Clapp. “Another benefit for exposed to alcohol prevention research projects.
institutional research or an enrollment office graduate students is a chance to get published in Because they like the experience, a good number
that maintains lists of enrolled students. To get a scholarly journal. In fact, postdoctoral fellows of them want to end up working in the area,
a stratified random sample with an equivalent have approached me to volunteer on projects so either professionally or academically,” said Clapp.
number of freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and they can get publications. For example, currently “It ends up putting more people in the alcohol
seniors, they can draw the sample as well as two individuals who are postdoctoral fellows in and other drug abuse prevention field.” n
provide contact information for the students.” psychology at the University of California, San
Diego are working at the center because they like
San Diego State University the applied nature of our work. They see better
The Center for Alcohol Studies at San Diego professional potential for them in this field, so
State University makes good use of students they offered to write manuscripts for free.”
in its research and evaluation projects as well. Clapp points out that involving students in
Both graduate and undergraduate students the work of the center—especially during a
work at the center as research assistants and time of limited funding and resources—allows
interns. According to John Clapp, center director staff to do things that they might not otherwise
and professor at the School of Social Work and be able to do. “Students are collecting extra
Catalyst Spring 2010 Vol. 11 No. 2 8 9
Prevention on a Shoestring
at Montana State University
A Q&A With Jenny Haubenreiser
Jenny Haubenreiser is the director of Health Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention has
Promotion at Montana State University long benefited the field by helping us develop
(MSU) in Bozeman, Mont., a member skills and knowledge around environmental
campus of the Network Addressing Collegiate management strategies. I think it is less about
Alcohol and Other Drug Issues. MSU has been funding and more about the strategy. For me
able to sustain its prevention initiatives with it’s a matter of asking what kind of relation-
and without grant funding, and regard- ships can we foster on campus and beyond.
less of the source of funding. Haubenreiser One example of this strategy has been my
describes those efforts for both campus and work with the local Mothers Against Drunk
community prevention efforts. Driving board in Bozeman. Through this rela-
tionship, I became involved in state legislative
Q: What has been the history of funding for efforts and had a number of new doors open
Jenny Haubenreiser
Montana State University’s Health Promotion in the community. The then-president of the
program? board set up meetings with MSU’s president to
Fortunately, we have many allies on campus,
discuss campus efforts. At that point I would
including the dean’s office, residence life staff,
A: MSU has always had some funding for be brought in to talk about effective collegiate
and health service providers. Those who vol-
health promotion from student health fees. prevention, including the importance of using
unteer at these events realize such events are
In addition, we have had a few small grants environmental strategies that are based on
important for the campus culture. We can then
and one large U.S. Department of Education collaboration, which require little in the way
build broader buy-in, which helps promote
grant, which helped us build momentum that of funding.
all our work. In short, we need to constantly
continued once the grants ended. It is also very important to stay visible
educate stakeholders in creative ways.
But often with outside funding, the funder within the campus community, especially
I also teach sociology classes, which helps
directs the work by setting goals that may during times of limited funding. Some people
me see prevention work as part of broader so-
or may not be feasible. Ultimately, we need on campus may think, “Oh they’re doing some
cial systems. Many goals and agendas compete
to work toward self-sustainability, no matter big event with pizza and sumo suits.” We need
within any system. Health promotion is not
what the source of funding is. The most basic to communicate better that such activities are
the primary goal of other entities, such as the
way to do this is by building strong relation- part of a strategic environmental intervention.
administration, athletics, or residential life.
ships on campus, in the community, with state Providing alternative social and recreational
Financial concerns seem to trump everything
agencies, and nationally, essentially creating a events are an important element of campus
right now, even though we know the impor-
larger web of relationships and resources. For environments. If we do not communicate
tance of prevention and health promotion
example, the U.S. Department of Education’s clearly what we are doing and why, people may
Higher Education Center for Alcohol and think that these efforts are a waste of money.
(Continued on page 10)
8 Catalyst Spring 2010 Vol. 11 No. 2 9
(Continued from page 9)
Prevention on a Shoestring at Montana State Join the Network
University: A Q&A With Jenny Haubenreiser
in the enhancement of personal, social, and includes 10 Montana state agency direc-
Welcome New
academic success. That means we have to tors, Children’s Trust Fund, the lieutenant
realize that the best way to reach others is to governor—an ex-officio member—and two Network Members
frame our goals to reflect their goals. persons appointed by the governor who have
The vice president for student affairs and experiences related to the private or non- Developed in 1987 by the U.S. Department
I recently discussed the impact of substance profit provision of prevention programs and of Education, the Network Addressing
abuse and violence on retention rates and services. Higher education had long been Collegiate Alcohol and Other Drug Issues
costs at MSU. While I generally do not take excluded from this group, but after I had an (Network) is a voluntary membership orga-
the perspective that health promotion has cost opportunity to give a presentation on NIAAA’s nization whose member institutions agree
benefits, it does tie our work into the institu- A Call to Action to a group of stakeholders to work toward a set of standards aimed at
tional goal of increasing retention and main- in Helena (the state capital), I was invited to reducing alcohol and other drug (AOD)
taining the financial viability. Unless health be involved in some of the state prevention problems at colleges and universities.
promotion is seen as a tangible financial asset efforts. The Network welcomes new members
for institutions, it might be the first program from across the nation, representing all
to go. In fact, some time ago we changed the Q: What recommendations would you make types of institutions of higher education,
mission statement of Health Promotion to to others who are attempting to support pre- from community colleges to universities. A
reflect how it supports the academic mission vention efforts “on a shoestring”? list of new members who have joined since
of the institution. the last Catalyst issue was published is
A: I recommend reaching out to other available here.
Q: What types of alternate support has your departments because they are likely facing The Network develops collaborative AOD
office developed for carrying out its mission? similar challenges. Recently I had a very prevention efforts among colleges and
motivating conversation with the director universities through electronic informa-
A: Students are our biggest resource. Student of student activities. We both agreed that tion exchange, printed materials, and
interns can do amazing things. It is helpful it is important to create a positive campus sponsorship of national, regional, and state
to connect with specific faculty on campus to environment for students. Like the adminis- activities and conferences. Each Network
identify strong students. MSU offers a degree trators, students are stressed about the economy member has a campus contact who, as
in health and human development. Faculty and their personal finances, which makes part of the constituency of the region, helps
members in that department have referred creating a positive campus environment even determine activities of the Network.
some very sharp students to us as interns. We more important. To communicate this, we As of January 2010, Network membership
all get energy from and are motivated by the need to pull together a collaborative voice stood at 1,622 postsecondary institutions.
creativity that students bring to the office. from many departments. Finding even one To learn more about the Network, visit
Students can also ask questions directly to top like-minded colleague can make a big the Network’s Web site. n
administrators on campus, including the presi- difference for increasing capacity, creativity,
dent. Since they do not have to follow the same and morale.
channels of authority as staff members, they can Keep in mind that working on a shoe- and creative with limited resources can force
be very effective messengers in communicating string is not always bad. When funding does people out of their silos so that they develop
the importance of this work. Also, senior admin- come in, a program can sometimes get relationships on campus, in the community,
istrators listen to the students differently, so they overextended, to the point where it no longer within the state, and at the national level. n
can be effective in promoting our work. reflects what is consistent with local needs.
In addition, I work with a group of state Without external funding, it is possible—even
agencies that report to the state Inter- necessary—to step back and reestablish core
agency Coordinating Council. This group objectives and trim fat. To be both strategic
Catalyst Spring 2010 Vol. 11 No. 2 10 11
(Continued on page 5)