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AODA Resources - UW System

Strategic Plan

UW System Strategic Plan for
Alcohol and Other Drug
Abuse Prevention Initiatives

May 2002

The Challenge of Alcohol Abuse

According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, alcohol consumption is the greatest single problem that America's universities must address. Despite this concern, heavy episodic drinking has historically been viewed as a rite of passage. This view assumes that most heavy drinkers, if left alone, will learn from their mistakes and develop responsible drinking practices. Far from being an innocent rite of passage, high risk drinking poses a significant risk to student academic achievement and personal well being, not only for those who drink, but also for those around them.

While the level of concern with alcohol abuse at the national level is high, as evidenced by the creation of the Drug Free Schools and Communities Act in 1989, recent data suggest that this problem is more acute in Wisconsin than in other states. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported in 2000 that alcohol consumption rates in Wisconsin are the highest in the nation, with 70.4% of Wisconsin adults using alcohol, and 23.2% engaging in binge drinking. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction reported in 2001 that more than 50% of Wisconsin high school students had at least one alcoholic beverage in the previous 30 days. The portion of high school students who indicated having consumed five or more drinks at one time in the previous month increased to 34% in 2001, from 29% in 1993.

Despite the fact that only 54% of college students are of the legal drinking age, national studies have found that 90% of college students consume alcohol and 10% consume 15 or more drinks in an average week. Numerous national studies have reported that between 44% and 56% of college males and between 27% and 39% of college females engage in binge drinking - for a national average of 42%. Survey data from several UW System institutions using a variety of instruments suggest that the percentage of students who engage in high risk drinking is higher than the national average at many UW System institutions.

The elevated and pervasive incidence of high risk drinking is cause for alarm. National studies of college students show that binge drinking is strongly correlated with suicide, personal injury, physical violence, sexual aggression, vandalism, criminal activity, unsafe sexual behavior, and reduced academic performance. Moreover, research indicates that the impact of high risk drinking is felt not only by those who drink, but also by those around them, and includes physical assault, sexual harassment, and interruptions of sleep and studying.

Recent studies have begun to document the relationship between academic performance and alcohol and other drug abuse, a key retention issue for institutions of higher education. The UW System Program Review of Programs and Policies on Student Alcohol Use cites a 1991 study that indicated 7% of freshmen nationwide left school due to problems associated with alcohol. In a national survey of 65,033 college students from two and four-year colleges located in the United States, 22.6% of students reported performing poorly on a test or assignment, and 32.8% said they had missed a class in the previous twelve months due to alcohol use. Higher grades have been correlated with lower levels of alcohol consumption, and in a national study of nearly 94,000 students from 197 colleges and universities conducted over three years, students with D's or F's reported consuming almost ten drinks per week, while those with A averages consumed a little more than four drinks per week.

UW System institutions have been working to curb excessive and abusive alcohol and drug use for many years. These prevention efforts have included a wide range of approaches, but there has been little coordination of such efforts among the institutions. This has resulted in uncoordinated duplication of efforts that makes for inefficient use of the limited amount of funds available for AODA prevention programming. Improved coordination would not only stretch resources, but would encourage the sharing of successful and unsuccessful practices that could help in developing more effective prevention programs. Over the last few years, the UW System has been working to improve the coordination of AODA activities. This strategic plan is intended to provide a blueprint for enhancing this effort.

The Context of Prevention

The Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention was established by the U.S. Department of Education in 1993. Its purpose is to assist institutions of higher education in developing and carrying out alcohol and other drug prevention policies and programs that will promote campus and community safety and help nurture students' academic and social development. The University of Wisconsin System has collaborated with the Higher Education Center since 1998 in the development of an AODA initiative for the UW System.

Historically, institutions of higher education have focused on education and intervention strategies oriented to individual students. Typical prevention efforts consistent with this educational model included awareness programs, special events, peer education, and curricular infusion. Research suggests that while the educational approach is valuable, it is not sufficient.

Recent prevention research identifies the importance of supplementing the educational approach with an environmental management approach that not only addresses the specific educational needs of individuals but also seeks to bring about basic change at the institutional, community, and public policy levels.

The UW System is not alone in its concern with alcohol and drug abuse in Wisconsin. Other state agencies, including the Department of Health and Family Services, the Department of Public Instruction, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Justice are engaged in AODA initiatives. For example, the DOT awards grants to secondary and post-secondary institutions for reduction of drunk driving, and DPI has grant resources to support AODA programming in elementary, middle, and high schools across the state. In addition, the State Council on AODA is advisory to the Governor and includes representation from every state agency.

As a state agency, the UW System has had a long-standing concern with AODA. In October 1984, President Robert O'Neil created a UW System Advisory Committee on Alcohol Education. The committee's charge was to suggest ways that the university might respond to the challenges of alcohol and drug abuse, to identify components of successful approaches for abuse reduction and methods for implementation, to strengthen programs already in place, to suggest how institutions could better communicate with each other on these issues, and to suggest what form a serious commitment by the UW System Administration should take. The committee delivered its report in May 1985, with seven recommendations. The implementation of these recommendations resulted in a new regent policy addressing on-campus marketing of alcohol, changes in the administrative code to give chancellors greater flexibility in controlling the use of alcohol on campuses, initiation of an annual AODA conference, and development of a biennial budget request for 18 FTE for AODA. The 1989-91 biennial budget allocated to the UW System five FTE and concomitant dollars for AODA prevention positions at each UW System institution.

The College Alcohol Study begun in 1993 by the Harvard School of Public Health served to rekindle the UW System awareness of the seriousness and scope of heavy episodic drinking on America's college campuses. In response, the UW System Chief Student Affairs Officers recommended that the UW System initiate a systemwide dialog on this issue. In September 1998, the first UW System AODA Symposium was held with the assistance of the Higher Education Center. Each institution was represented by a delegation with broad representation from multiple constituencies. The 1998 Symposium emphasized development of broad institutional coalitions to develop plans for the reduction of heavy episodic drinking.

In a separate response to nationwide reports showing the high incidence of heavy episodic drinking in Wisconsin, the UW System Office of Internal Audit conducted a review of programs and policies on student alcohol use, which was presented to the Board of Regents in May 2000. The findings and recommendations of this program review were incorporated into the strategic planning process, including strengthening of the Board of Regents policy on AODA, the need to seek outside grant funding for AODA initiatives, establishing a schedule for periodic meetings for AODA professionals and others to share information on AODA programs and initiatives, and the development of a systemwide assessment mechanism to help determine the overall impact of AODA programming and activities.

A direct outcome of the 1998 AODA Symposium was the creation of a UW System AODA Committee to consider how UW System institutions can use outcomes of the AODA Symposium and the insights and recommendations of the AODA Program Review to best work together to address AODA issues. The AODA Committee has focused its efforts in four areas: revision of Regent Policy 85-2, continuation of the symposium process, development of a strategic plan, and identifying potential resources to support AODA strategic initiatives.

In May 2001, the AODA Committee reported on its activities to the Board of Regents and recommended replacing current AODA policy with a new policy, titled Principles for Developing Alcohol Policies and Programs at UW System Institutions. These principles reflect a strategy of environmental management, a collaborative effort by all segments of the university community to develop an environment that supports the responsible use of alcohol and that provides support both for those who are at risk and those who choose not to drink. The policy directs the UW System Administration to coordinate systemwide efforts to support and enhance institutional initiatives. In addition, the board directed the UW System Administration to develop a uniform process of reporting that will allow UW System institutions to assess the impact of AODA programs.

The AODA Committee has set as a priority the development of a UW System AODA strategic plan. The plan, which is contained in this document, is based on the principles contained in the newly adopted policy document. It also proposes steps for the implementation of the uniform reporting process requested by the regents.

In recognition of the gains derived from the first UW System AODA Symposium, the AODA Committee has committed itself to sustaining the symposium process. In October 2001, the AODA Committee, together with the Higher Education Center, conducted a second AODA Symposium around discussion of strategies for environmental management, the strategic planning process, and development of a standard measure for evaluation of AODA programs and assessment of AODA initiatives across the system.

The AODA Committee recognizes that the targeting of funding sources is critical to the implementation of the goals and recommendations contained in the strategic plan. The targeted sources are GPR on one hand, and private and public grant sources on the other. The AODA Committee will continue working with the UW System Administration to develop a budget request for the upcoming biennial budget. In addition, the AODA Committee is working with the UW System Administration to prepare a generic proposal that can be modified to suit the interests and requirements of various funding entities.

Strategic Goals

The UW System AODA Committee has defined a number of goals that provide the framework for this strategic plan. These goals address issues at three organizational levels: the campus, the UW System Administration, and the state of Wisconsin. The principles contained in the AODA policy adopted by the Board of Regents in May of 2001, as well as the two UW System AODA Symposia and the UW System AODA Program Review inform these goals. Each goal has a set of related objectives that constitute the overall recommendations of the Committee and that can be used to measure progress toward achieving the goals.

The following three goals address AODA issues at the campus level.

Goal 1: Engage the greater university community in addressing AODA issues.

Objectives:

  • The Office of the Chancellor assumes leadership of a campus AODA coalition that includes representation from all campus governance groups and constituencies.
  • The AODA coalition solicits city and county involvement.
  • The AODA coalition promotes the visibility of AODA issues and initiatives.

Goal 2: Assist students in making responsible decisions about the use of alcohol and other drugs.

Objectives:

  • Programs provide developmentally appropriate education for students about AODA issues.
  • The institutional AODA coalition promotes curricular infusion of AODA issues in the classroom.
  • The AODA coalition creates mechanisms that support appropriate student behavior regarding the use of alcohol and other drugs.

Goal 3: Establish mechanisms for evaluating program effectiveness.

Objectives:

  • Each program identifies desired outcomes and outcome measures.
  • Programs utilize the analysis of outcome measures to determine future program direction.

The following four goals address AODA issues at the UW System level.

Goal 4: Coordinate systemwide AODA initiatives.

Objectives:

  • UW System provides continued support of the UW System AODA Committee.
  • UW System conducts periodic AODA Symposia.
  • UW System coordinates opportunities for appropriate constituencies including Chief Student Affairs Officers and prevention specialists to interact with counterparts from other UW System institutions.
  • UW System develops mechanisms for the dissemination of best practices, research, and other AODA program information.
  • UW System oversees the development of an AODA website.
  • UW System takes leadership in the development of a state-wide marketing campaign to reduce student alcohol abuse.

Goal 5: Seek support for UW System AODA initiatives.

Objectives:

  • UW System identifies and pursues public and private funding sources at the state and national levels.
  • UW System advocates for increased campus staffing and resources.
  • UW System seeks funding for the creation of a position for the coordination of AODA initiatives and programs across the UW System.
  • UW System works with national organizations to promote high-level AODA initiatives.

Goal 6: Establish a mechanism for assessing student behaviors and perceptions.

Objective:

  • UW System adopts a common survey instrument and administration strategy for monitoring and assessing the changes in alcohol usage at UW campuses.

Goal 7: Provide support and leadership for curricular integration of AODA information.

Objectives:

  • UW System coordinates the development, identification and dissemination of systemwide curricular resources available for classroom use.

The following goal addresses AODA issues at the state level.

Goal 8: Provide leadership for collaboration with other state and community agencies, organizations and institutions.

Objectives:

  • Initiate discussion with selected agencies and organizations for the purpose of developing collaborative initiatives.
  • Ensure reciprocal representation between the UW System AODA Committee and other AODA entities.

Assessment

Although UW System institutions have been working over the years to reduce high-risk alcohol and drug use, it has been difficult to determine if the level of overall abuse has decreased and whether certain prevention efforts have made any significant difference. UW System institutions have used a wide range of assessment strategies but have never sought to coordinate this assessment on a systemwide basis. If the UW System intends to coordinate institutional AODA efforts and share best practices among the campuses, it is important that there be a coordinated assessment strategy.

Recognizing the importance of a common assessment plan, the UW Board of Regents passed a resolution calling for a uniform assessment strategy for AODA programs across the UW System. The UW System AODA Committee is developing a common survey instrument and administration plan that will be ready for use in Fall 2002. This process will establish a baseline level of student alcohol and drug use throughout the UW System, the degree to which students' lives are affected by this abuse, and the factors that contribute to substance abuse. This baseline information will then be later used to determine if the level of overall use and abuse has decreased and whether certain prevention efforts have made any significant difference.

This uniform assessment plan is intended to supplement and not replace existing campus assessment initiatives. Each institution has a different population of students that requires different approaches to AODA prevention. Existing campus assessment plans are tailored to measure the specific populations and prevention efforts developed by the institution. However, there is still much to be gained by looking at data measuring usage levels and prevention efforts on a uniform systemwide basis.

Resources

There is a growing national and statewide concern about the health and safety of students who abuse alcohol and other drugs, and those who are victims of such abusers. This concern is shared among the UW System institutions. In the 1989-91 biennial budget, five of the eighteen requested AODA coordinator positions were funded to help deal with this problem. This provided one full-time position for UW-Madison, 1.25 positions for UW Colleges, and a .25 position for the other UW System institutions, with the exception of UW-Milwaukee, which later funded a 1.0 FTE from program revenue. Given the number of students at each campus and the magnitude of the problem, it is not reasonable to expect these coordinators to organize and implement a comprehensive campus-wide AODA prevention program in addition to their other duties.

In an effort to implement the recommendations called for in this strategic plan, the UW System AODA Committee endorses initiatives to provide additional AODA support to the institutions, system level coordination for AODA planning and programming, and opportunities for inter-institutional collaboration, research, and assessment. These added resources include additional FTE to bring UW-Madison, UW-Milwaukee, and the UW Colleges to 2.0 FTE, and all other UW institutions to 1.0 FTE to supplement campus AODA coordination efforts. Additional resources at the System level would include a 1.0 FTE for coordination, sufficient supplies and expenses for systemwide AODA programming efforts, and the development and implementation of a uniform assessment process.

In order to address the enormity of AODA related issues, it is critical that new prevention strategies be developed and tested to determine their potential impact on reducing alcohol and drug abuse. The AODA Committee recommends that external sources of funding be sought to provide the necessary resources to conduct AODA-related research activities at UW System institutions.

Summary and Conclusion

Alcohol and drug use and abuse among the UW System students are alarming. Over half of all UW students are engaging in drinking patterns that put them at risk for a variety of negative consequences. Moreover, the secondary effects of abusive drinking also diminish the quality of the educational experience of many who do not drink excessively. This has a significant impact on student health and safety and on student retention.

In a recent report of the Task Force on the National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism titled "A Call To Action: Changing the Culture of Drinking at U.S. Colleges" the endemic nature of the drinking culture at college campuses is described. The report states that "the tradition of drinking has developed into a kind of culture-belief and customs-entrenched in every level of college student's environments." To change the culture of drinking, and thereby reduce the consequences of excessive drinking by college students, a three-pronged approach is recommended that includes intervention at the individual-student level, at the level of the entire student body, and at the community level.

A wide variety of intervention approaches that target these three levels is being implemented across the UW System, but funding limitations and limited systemwide coordination and cooperation hinder their ultimate effectiveness. The impact of these efforts is difficult to measure because of substantial variation in the methods and type of data collected across the campuses.

Funding a UW System AODA prevention coordinator and sufficient campus AODA staff, establishing a uniform and consistent data collection process, and facilitating systemwide dissemination of programs and findings would reduce costs, increase external funding opportunities, and increase program effectiveness. In the end, these combined efforts should help to significantly reduce alcohol and drug abuse, one of the most serious problems we face today.

Systemwide AODA Committee

Membership as of
January 9, 2002

Colleges, Nora McGuire, Chief Student Affairs Officer
Eau Claire, Donald J. Mash, Chancellor - Committee Chair
Eau Claire, Robert Shaw, Associate Dean of Students
Green Bay, Marlene Regan, Counseling & Health Center
La Crosse, Mary Torstveit, AODA Task Force Co-Chair
Madison, Susan Crowley, Director, Prevention Services
Milwaukee, Peggy Brown, Health Education Center
Milwaukee, Paul Dupont Sr., Psychologist
Oshkosh, Scott Haywood, AODA Coordinator
Parkside, Marcy Hufendick, Student Health & Counseling
Platteville, Roger Meyer, Director of Counseling Services
River Falls, Alice Reilly-Myklebust, Director Student Health Services
Stout, George Smeaton, Faculty (Psychology)
Stevens Point, Anne Hoffman, Wellness Coordinator
Superior, Tammy Fanning, Director, Student Development
Whitewater, Lynn Mucha, Chancellor's Advisory Committee
UW System, Larry Rubin, Assistant Vice President
UW System, Evan Norris, Senior Academic Planner
UW System, Kristen Hendrickson, Budget & Policy Analyst
United Council, Maggie Brown, Academic Affairs Director
United Council, Terence Boxterman, Student UW-Green Bay
United Council, Stephanie Hilton, Student UW-Superior
DPI, Michael Thompson, Director, Student Services

The Committee will also include three student representatives.

PRINCIPLES FOR DEVELOPING
ALCOHOL POLICIES AND PROGRAMS
AT UW SYSTEM INSTITUTIONS