on Campus Alcohol Issues

College campuses often recognize drinking problems and behaviors among their students. But they also are often hard-pressed to find ways to deal effectively with these concerns. Action and success are much more likely when top college and university officials are involved in defining the problem and developing solutions. Michigan recognized the need to convene university presidents to discuss campus alcohol issues in a meaningful way.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The Michigan University Presidents' Summit on Campus Alcohol Issues was a conference to address alcohol issues from a variety of perspectives and to provide opportunities for interaction among university policy makers.

The goals were to:

• Convene a group of individuals dedicated to addressing the problem of illegal youth access to alcohol
• Present "case studies" that addressed the following issues:

- Risk Management and Liability

- Creating Collaborative Partnerships for Community and University

- Personal and Institutional Consequences

- Challenging Next Steps.

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES

The Michigan University Presidents' Summit on Campus Alcohol Issues was held on November 7, 1995. The planning committee was chaired by the Michigan Alcohol Issues Forum and consisted of representatives of the:

• Department of Police
• Department of Public Health
• Center for Substance Abuse Services
• President's Council for State Universities of Michigan
• Michigan Liquor Control Board
• Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals.

The summit was attended by high level personnel. If the president could not be present, a vice-president for student affairs or the public safety officer represented the college or university. The summit was an interactive event. Presentations were made by representatives from several of Michigan's institutions of higher learning that had instituted alcohol policies. The presentations described the current policy, how the policy was developed, who was involved in the planning and what the future plans were. The presentations were designed to stimulate other institutions to develop their own action plan for creating and instituting an alcohol policy. Policies included, among others, alcohol-free events, alcohol-free dorms, no alcohol tailgating and no fraternity/sorority house having alcohol.

RESULTS

The summit was a forum to share ideas, observations, successes, challenges and lessons learned. It was attended by 100 people with representation from all but two of the colleges and public universities in Michigan. Evaluations indicated that it was a very relevant program. Institutions without policies are now developing them; institutions with policies are working to strengthen them. A follow-up summit is scheduled in 1997. The evaluations also called for greater inclusion of involved university participants, such as resident advisors, counselors, faculty, staff and student leaders.

Th Office of Highway Safety has been asked to help universities explore other ways to address the alcohol problem. One response has been instituting the Cops in Shops program.