Concerned that many students still engage in harmful drinking and use of other drugs, Cornell is developing an environmental approach to substance abuse prevention.
"An environmental approach seeks to create a campus culture that supports individuals in making safe and healthy decisions around alcohol and other drugs," said Tim Marchell, the university's new director of Substance Abuse Services. "This model of substance abuse prevention uses multiple strategies and involves the active commitment of administrators, faculty, staff, students, alumni, parents and the Ithaca community."
"The issue of binge drinking and other drug abuse continues to challenge us here at Cornell," said Susan Murphy, vice president for student and academic services. "While progress is being made in both policy and programming, there is more that can be done. My hope is that we will continue to make alcohol and other drug-abuse prevention a priority, working collaboratively on the development of new initiatives."
To learn about the new approach, more than 50 campus leaders from across the campus gathered at the Statler May 13 for a seminar facilitated by Michael Rosati, training director for the Massachusetts-based Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention. Cornell's lead will be tracked with great interest by other colleges and universities, said Rosati, whose center is supported in part by funding from the U.S. Department of Education.
"Binge drinking -- defined as having five or more drinks in a sitting -- at Cornell rates somewhat below national norms, but it is still quite high," Rosati said. That relatively low one-third of Cornell students who self-report binge drinking nevertheless amounts to 6,000 individuals, he noted, and pointed to one message students get from peers in their environment. "Most students think alcohol and other drug use at their school is higher than it actually is. If we can correct that perception, we can reduce use."
The seminar was offered as part of the Project Challenge initiative, which is funded by a grant to Cornell from the U.S. Department of Education's Drug-Free Schools Program. Project Challenge is a campuswide program sponsored by University Health Services that stresses action and supports model drug-abuse and violence-prevention programs with a goal of strengthening the social, cultural and learning environment.
In the past two years, Project Challenge has sponsored training programs addressing substance abuse and violence for students and staff in residence halls, clinical volunteers at University Health Services and the coaching staff in the Department of Athletics and Physical Education. More than 15 mini-grants were awarded to student organizations, faculty and staff members for programming aimed at reducing violence and drug abuse on campus. For example, mini-grants:
Counting the thousands of students who have been reached so far by collaborative programming among campus groups and departments, Murphy said: "We are proud that Cornell is taking this proactive approach toward creating a safe and healthy environment for every member of the community."
| Cornell Chronicle Front Page | | Table of Contents | | Cornell News Service Home Page |