New coalition targets alcohol, drug abuse prevention
Released: February 14, 2003
A new community-university coalition at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater will explore ways to reduce the harmful effects of alcohol and drug abuse.
The Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Prevention Coalition, which met for the first time Thursday (Feb.13), includes about 30 members of the campus and region, including officials from city and county government, schools and law enforcement.
Chancellor Jack Miller, who addressed the group, said binge drinking is a national problem on college campuses and UW-Whitewater is no exception. Any time you bring thousands of young people together, most of whom are first experiencing independence, you will see problems related to decisions and judgment, he said.
Miller said the challenge is not to “change the course of a river,” but to “divert the stream” by helping students make better choices and recognize consequences.
“I would like us to focus on the issue of respect for others,” Miller said. “Alcohol and drug abuse is not just about what it does to the individual. A lot of the problems we see relate to the respect level that you have for other people.”
Miller stressed that alcohol and drug problems can impact academics as well by reducing the university’s ability to retain and graduate students.
Amy Margulies, coordinator of drug and alcohol prevention programs and coalition leader, said the primary goals of the group are to involve the community and to develop and evaluate programs that work for students.
Some approaches include “social norms” marketing, which addresses the fact that students overestimate the amount their peers drink. In fact, Margulies said the majority of problems stem from “a small group of high-risk users.”
Other strategies may involve creating more alcohol-free social options, peer education and preventive law enforcement techniques.
A 2002 study by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Prevention provided national estimates on the problems related to drinking. Among the findings:
• 500,000 college students ages 18 to 24 were hurt or injured;
• 400,000 had unprotected sex, and more than 100,000 had sex when they were too drunk to consent;
• 70,000 were victims of a sexual assault or date rape.
A large percentage of legal, academic or health problems students that encounter have a link to alcohol, some coalition members noted. Mike Mealy, a local attorney who represents students through Whitewater Student Government, said 44 percent of his student cases last year related to alcohol or drugs. Mary Beth Mackin, assistant dean of students, said she has seen an increase in recent years of interpersonal violence stemming from alcohol consumption.
Future meetings of the group will be in smaller subcommittees that focus on the campus curriculum, policies, media campaigns, student programming and other issues. For more information, contact Margulies at (262) 472-1305.
- Brian Mattmiller ,npa@uww.edu
