New Study of College Drinking and Community Responses

The following article was distributed to BSU faculty and staff as part of the daily higher-education news clippings. It highlights the need for comprehensive responses from colleges and host communities.

“Report: colleges don’t do enough to stop student drinking” – from USA Today (Wednesday, July 28, 2010):by Robert Preidt
     U.S. colleges aren't doing enough to limit student access to alcohol, a new study contends.

     College administrators do recognize that student drinking is a major problem, but they focus on individual interventions and campus-based alcohol restrictions.
       They need to do more work with communities to develop policies to reduce excess drinking by students, such as monitoring of illegal sales of alcohol and limiting the number of retail alcohol outlets, according to study author Toben Nelson.

     Nelson, an assistant professor in the epidemiology and community health division at the University of Minnesota, and colleagues analyzed the answers given by 351 college administrators who responded to an online survey in 2008. The respondents were asked if they were following recommendations from the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism's college drinking task force 2002 report on the best strategies for reducing student drinking.

      The 2008 survey showed there was "very little action on the task force recommendations and very little implementation," Nelson said in a news release from the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. "Very few had even had conversations in the communities."

      Many of the college administrators knew about the task force recommendations, but more than 22% did not know about them, according to the survey.

     Previous studies had shown that community-based alcohol control is effective in reducing college student drinking through policies such as monitoring of illegal sales of alcohol, limiting the number of alcohol outlets, increasing prices, and mandatory training for servers.

     But Nelson and colleagues found that only one-third of college communities performed compliance checks for illegal alcohol sales, only 15% mandated server training, only 7% restricted the number of alcohol outlets, and only 2% raised alcohol prices.

     Among the study's other findings:

    • Education about the consequences of excessive drinking was given to students at 98% of the colleges. The methods included lectures, meetings or workshops, poster campaigns and computer-based programs.

     • Two-thirds of colleges provided interventions for problem drinkers or those at high risk, either on campus or by paying for off-campus services.

     The study findings were released online in advance of publication in the October print issue of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

University Status

Moments ago, employees of the college recently received an update on university status from President Mohler-Faria. The following is copied from that memo. It mentions a web site about the transition; when that site is available, I will be posting it on this blog.
From Dr. Mohler-Faria:

I am overjoyed to announce that, following years of sustained advocacy and the tireless efforts of so many, our shared dream of becoming Bridgewater State University is about to become a reality.  Governor Patrick has signaled his intention to sign the university status legislation into law and a formal ceremony has been scheduled for 1:00pm on Wednesday, July 28, at the State House. 

No further action by the Board of Trustees or the Administration is required to actualize this change, though it is important to note that all non-emergency bills signed into law in Massachusetts are subject to a 90-day waiting period before they officially take effect.  For all intents and purposes, however, we will become Bridgewater State University on that day and a year-long transition will begin.  This year’s incoming class will be attending Bridgewater State University and, beginning with the January 2011 commencement exercises, all graduates will receive diplomas adorned with the university name and seal.

Obviously, there will be many questions surrounding this historic change and what it means for both the longer-term trajectory and day-to-day operations of the institution.  As we have said all along, this transition will not in any way change Bridgewater’s overarching emphasis on quality teaching and learning nor will it compromise our sustained commitments to affordability and accessibility.  The change in name recognizes and celebrates what we have already been for many years – a teaching university in everything but name.

Early next week, we will be launching a special website to be updated regularly and detailing important information regarding university status.