HomeMy WebLinkAbout2000-12-04 Correspondence 12-04-00
owa City_
Public Library
Susan Craig, Director · Information (319) 356-5200 · Business (319) 356-5206 · Fax (319) 356-5494 1/62 ~ 8 Z088
' NOV
CITY MANAGER'S OFFIC[
November 27, 2000
City Council
Civic Center
410 E. Washington
Iowa City, IA 52240
Dear Council Members,
The Library Board wants to thank the City Council for your support in placing the
library referendum before the voters. Your efforts to work with the Board to put
together a project that Iowa City voters would support were very successful. In
an election marked by strong feelings on every side of several issues, the library
expansion project received an overwhelming 67% yes vote city-wide. Many
factors contributed to this voter endorsement, but without the support of Council it
would not have been possible. Your approval of a purchase agreement for the
necessary property has locked in a fair price for the City and assured we can turn
our attention to other important planning details.
We look forward to completing final designs by spring and hope for a successful
bid opening next fall. The Iowa City Public Library Friends Foundation is ready to
kick off their fundraising campaign shortly after the first of the year and we
anticipate raising $1.5 million to support furnishing and equipping the new
building. We will keep you apprised of these efforts and look forward to your
participation in a ceremonial groundbreaking next year.
Sincerely,
Mark Martin,
President, Library Board of Trustees
THE IOWA CITY/CORALVILLE JAYCE
"Leadership Through Involvement"
P.O. BOX 2358 -- IOWA CITY, IOWA 52244
November 14, 2000 C'~,
Ernie Lehman --.
City Council Member ,
Civic Center :-_,:
410 East Washington Street '~:
2'-
Iowa City, Iowa 52240 -~" -
Dear Mr. Lehman:
The Iowa City/Coralville Jaycees would like to again provide a July 4 communi~ celebration.
This celebration brings people of all ages together for a day of community spirit and fellowship
and family activities whi~ ~ncludes with a spectacular fireworks demonstration.
Many positive comments were made after last year's event and we would like to continue the
tradition set fodh. In order to continue this tradition and to provide a celebration, expanding on
the festivities, we are requesting from you a budget of $12,500.
As of the writing of this letter, we have yet to select a chairperson from our chapter to head up
the festival and like the federal government, we will be changing the leadership in our chapter.
This will all be in place by the first of the year and the plans will begin to be put in place.
We would like to thank the city for their consideration in this request. Should you have any
questions, please feel free to contact me.
Since~
Christopher J. Piper
2000 President
Iowa City/Coralville Jay~es
CJP:mj
Stephen Atkins
City Manager
Civic Center
410 East Washington Street
Iowa City, Iowa 52240
12 -04-00
Marian Karr 2d(3)
From: Clark Adams [adamsck@home.com]
Sent: Monday, November 20, 2000 8:17 AM
To: council@iowa-city,org
Subject: leaf pick-up problem
I have this problem with my neighbors on Westgate St every year. They
seem unable to read the leaf pick-up map, because every year they place
their leaves out on the curb the weekend before the last scheduled date
for the whole leaf pick-up. (When you are on the east side of town, not
on the west side). I am not sure what the problem is, but this has gone
on for the past 4 years for sure. After most of those leaves have blown
into my yard, they finally realize the city is not coming to pick up the
leaves (this generally is in January or February) I would like the city
to do something about this.
Thanks for your time.
Clark Adams
1851 Melrose Ave #210
Iowa City, IA 52246
-04-00
2d,
JOHNSON COUNTY JUVENILE JUSTICE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
410 Iowa Avenue Iowa City, IA 52240
(319) 338-9279
November 17, 2000
Juvenile Justice Youth Iowa City Council
Development Program City of Iowa City
Participants:
410 E. Washington St.
Iowa City, IA 52240
Dear Council members:
Johnson County
Board of SupenAsors
As many of you know, the state ended most of its support of the Johnson County Juvenile
Crime Prevention Program at the end of fiscal year 2000. A change in state priorities and
Sixth Judicial Distdct
Jmenile Court Office procedures resulted in a decrease of more than $150,000 of the $200,000 we had been
receiving in grants. For FY 2001, Johnson County stepped in to make up most of the
Iowa city Schod Distdct difference. The county's support this year totals $160,000. North Liberty also increased
its support of the program from $12,000 to $15,000.
Johnson County
Attorney's Office The project has now been expanded to include early intervention and sanctions programs,
as well as those for prevention. Sanctions programs are funded by the court system. The
Johnson County Early Intervention Network has had minimal funding from the state. Chief R.J.
Decategodzation Project Winkelhake has been involved in that project. Thanks to support from Johnson County,
prevention programs operated by the various agencies were able to continue this year,
Youth Homes, a division although inflation has eaten into their resources.
of Four Oaks
The City of Iowa City allocated no funds to prevention programs for FY 2001. The last
MECCA support from Iowa City was $1,400 budgeted in FY 2000, when the state prevention
grant program was still in place. Last year 56 percent of youths and parents involved in
United Action for Youth prevention programs were from Iowa City, where most services are located.
Neighborhood Centers Future funding for prevention programs is tenuous at best. The county continues to be
of Johnson County supportive, but demands for its resources continue to increase. Therefore, we ask the City
of Iowa City to allocate $25,000 for juvenile justice prevention programs for FY 2002.
Mayor's Youth That would seem to be the city's fair share of an intervention and prevention budget of
Employment Program more than $250,000.
B~j Brothers Bkj S~ters Thank you for your consideration of this request.
Lutheran Social SenAces r -. -.,:
I~ion Program Carol Thompson
Policy Board Chair
:~: --
~ , ~ ck~ ~~l/ ~=-o~-oo
' 2d(5)
~~,,~ ~-_.~a,~
Office of Justice Programs
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Environmental Strategies
To Prevent Alcohol Problems.
on Co!'ege Cam Duses
..... Z':' ~I ;.,::7;;
i ~ ....
=: ~ Prepared by
,,' ,:- Pacific Institut. e
F~::}..:.;.,..,.~:.,.::..:..:.:..~.:.?+...~] In support of the
OJJDP Enfo~bg the
,,:~.:....:..., ::
~....,....... .........., ,=,., Unclerage Drinking ~ws P~mm
This document was written by Deborah A. Fisher, Ph.D., of the Pacific
Institute for Research and Evaluation, under a project awarded by the
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice
Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, Award No. 98-AH-F8-Ol14.
Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do
not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S.
Department of Justice.
An earlier version of the document was developed with support from the
Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (Contract//277-93-1013).
Materials developed by the Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other
Drug Prevention were also used in producing the earlier version.
bout This Guide
Alcohol problems on college campuses are serious and often life threaten-
ing. Fortunately, a number of proven effective and promising strategies have
been developed to prevent these problems in our colleges and universities.
This document describes strategies that are used to create healthier campus
environments in which alcohol is less available, more responsibly promoted
and served, and poses less of a threat to the health, safety, and well-being of
all students.
The strategies described in this document accomplish these objectives by
changing conditions on campuses directly as well as by coordinating and
supporting efforts in communities surrounding campuses and fostering bet-
ter legislative and policy structures in states to support campus efforts.
This document can be used to
· raise awareness of the seriousness of alcohol problems on college
campuses
· improve understanding of environmental management strategies
· help in the selection of the most appropriate and effective preven-
tion strategies
· aid in the coordination of strategies at the campus, community, and
state levels
· provide other sources of information and guidance on alcohol pre-
vention for college campuses.
n c t l o n
For decades, colleges and universities have endeavored to prevent problems
of substance abuse and in particular, alcohol abuse, on their campuses.
These prevention efforts have traditionally involved education and other
individually oriented interventions, most often in the forms of awareness
weeks, peer education programs, presentations to incoming students and
campus residential units, and faculty efforts to work prevention material
into coursework (known as curriculum infusion). This guide describes a
different approach--environmental management--that focuses on changing
campus and community conditions that promote substance use among stu-
dents at institutions of higher education.
Environmental Management
Environmental management is based on the fact that people 's behavior,
including their use of substances, is powerfully shaped by their environ-
ment, including the messages and images delivered by the mass media, the
norms of their communities and other social groups, the availabi!ity of sub-
stances, and so forth. Thus, effective prevention requires making appropri-
ate modifications to the physical, legal, economic, and sociocultural
processes of the community at large that contribute to substance abuse and
related problems (Holder, 1999). By targeting environmental factors, this
approach to prevention differs from more traditional, individually oriented
strategies, which tend to accept the environment and the risks it imposes as
given and instead focus on enhancing individuals' abilities to resist its temp-
tations.
Prevention directed at the environment generally relies on public policies
(e.g., laws, rules, regulations) and other community-level interventions both
to limit access to substances and to alter the culture and contexts within
which decisions about substance use are made. Because environmental
management affects whole populations and creates changes in the funda-
mental systemwide processes underlying substance abuse, it has the poten-
tial to bring about relatively quick, dramatic, and enduring reductions in
2 Environmental Strategies To Prevent Alcohol Problems on College Campuses
substance abuse problems. In fact, prevention efforts conducted in commu-
nities have incorporated an increasing number of environmental strategies,
and a body of research has accumulated showing that these strategies can be
effective. (For reviews of this literature see "Alcohol research and social
policy," 1996; Edwards et al., 1994; Holder, 1999; Stewart, 1997.) A brief
summary of the research evidence regarding environmental strategies for
reducing alcohol-related problems is presented in table 1.
Table 1. Evidence of Effectiveness of Environmental Strategies
for Preventing Alcohol Problems
Strategy Effects
Increasing the minimum purchase age · Significant decreases in the number of traffic crashes
to 21 and crash fatalities among young people (National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1995; Toomey,
Rosenreid, and Wagenaar, 1996)
· Reductions in youth homicide (Parker and Rebhun,
1995)
· Reductions in deaths due to suicide, pedestrian
injuries, and other unintentional injuries (Jones, Pieper,
and Robertson, 1992)
Enforcing minimum purchase age laws · Increased retailer compliance with such laws (Lewis et
through the use of undercover buying al., 1996; Michigan State Police, 1989; Preusser,
operations Williams, and Weinstein, 1994)
Increasing the price of alcohol · Reductions in youth consumption (Coate and
Grossman, 1988)
· Reductions in motor vehicle mortality (Grossman,
Chaloupka, Saffer, and Laixuthai, 1994)
· Decreases in driving while intoxicated, rapes, and rob-
beries (Cook, 1981; Cook and Moore, 1993; Cook and
Tauchen, 1984)
Combining the training of managers · Increased refusals of service to patrons who appear to
and alcohol servers in responsible bey- be intoxicated and decreases in the number of arrested
erage service (RBS) techniques with impaired drivers coming from bars and restaurants
enforcement of laws against service to (IV3cKnight and Streff, 1994)
intoxicated persons
Environmental Strategies To Prevent Alcohol Problems on College Campuses 3
Table I (Continuec~
Strategy Effects
Using legal deterrence measures · Reductions in the number of alcohol-related crashes in
designed to prevent impaired driving-- numerous studies (Hingson, 1996; Johnson, 1995)
lower blood alcohol concentration (BAC)
limits for the general population and
zero tolerance laws for youth
The Focus on Alcohol on Campus
Surveys indicate that alcohol is the drug of choice on U.S. college and uni-
versity campuses, with 83 percent of students reporting alcohol use in the
past year, according to both the 1996 Monitoring the Future (MTF) study
(Johnston, O'Malley, & Bachman, 1998) and the 1995-1996 Core Alcohol
and Drug Survey (Presley, Meilman, Cashin, & Leichliter, 1997). These sur-
veys also similarly find that about 70 percent of students report drinking
alcohol within the past 30 days; comparable 30-day prevalence rams are 28
percent for cigarettes and 18 or 19 percent for marijuana, with rates for
other illicit drugs falling off precipitously to less than 2 percent.
The Challenges for Colleges
and Universities in Dealing
With Alcohol Problems
Colleges and universities are in a unique and difficult position when it
comes to dealing with students' use of alcohol. By the time they enter col-
lege, many young people have been drinking for years, albeit illegally. In
addition to established drinking patterns, many students bring to campus
strongly held expectations that drinking alcohol is an integral part of the
college experience and the belief that to do so is their fight. Such beliefs and
expectations are often reinforced by various groups on campus. As one stu-
dent explained in an interview, of all the things he was told to expect about
college, he heard the most about beer ("Higher education without getting
high," 1992).
Aside from the beliefs and behaviors that accompany students to campus,
social and organizational factors also contribute to substance use and related
problems. Enrollment at a traditional residential college or university typi-
4 Environmental Strategies To Preven~ Alcohol Problems on College Campuses
Facts About College Drinking
While most students at institutions of higher education either
do not drink or drink moderately, a sizable minority of stu-
dents report heavy alcohol use. For example,
[] nearly 17 percent of college students who participated in
the Core Survey reported consuming 10 or more drinks
per week (Presley, Mailman, & Cashin, 1996).
In other nationwide studies, researchers found that
[] 43 percent of students reported hinge drinking--defined
as having five or more drinks in a row for men and four
or more for women--during the two weeks prior to the
survey; half of those (or one in five college students over-
all) were frequent binge drinkers, having engaged in
hinge drinking three or more times in the past two weeks
(Wechsler, Dowdall, Maenner, GledhilI-Hoyt, & Lee, 1998).
[] data from the MTF study indicate that while students
who are college bound report consistently lower levels of
binge drinking (five or more drinks for both sexes) during
high school than their non-college-bound peers, this pat-
tern reverses itself after high school, when college stu-
dents catch up and surpass their peers in hinge drinking
(39 percent versus 31 percent based on the 1995 survey)
(Johnston, O'Malley, & Bachman, 1997).
[] binge drinkers report experiencing a variety of negative
consequences as a result of their drinking, such as forget-
ting where they were or what they did, missing a class,
getting behind in schooiwork, arguing with friends,
engaging in unplanned sexual activity, and doing some-
thing that was later regretted (Wechsler et al., 1998).
[] problems associated with alcohol are not only experi-
enced by heavy drinkers, but also by abstainers and
moderate drinkers who have had their sleep or studying
interrupted, have had to take care of a drunken student,
have been insulted or humiliated, have had a serious
argument or quarrel, or have experienced an unwanted
sexual advance (females only) (Wechsler et al., 1998).
Environmental Strategies To Prevent Alcohol Problems on College Campuses 5
cally affords young people increased privacy, decreased adult supervision,
and more liberal norms than they experienced during high school when liv-
ing with family members. Because juniors and seniors are often 21 years
old and older, campuses are home to both students under the minimum legal
drinking age and those who can purchase alcohol and drink legally. Finally,
there is significant ambivalence among administrators, parents, alumni, and
faculty about how to deal with alcohol use among college students. This
ambivalence comes from many sources including
· personal experience (e.g., having been a drinker in college or
attended college when most students could drink legally)
· general attitudes (e.g., drinking is an innocent rite of passage;
experimentation and learning how to moderate alcohol use are a
part of the educational experience of college students)
· specific beliefs about alcohol problem prevention on campus
(e.g., there is nothing institutions can do to prevent students from
misusing alcohol because drinking on campus is a long-standing
tradition or because drinking patterns are already set before stu-
dents enroll; strictly enforcing alcohol policies may alienate
alumni or place schools at a disadvantage in competing for
students).
Despite these challenges, institutions of higher education have faced
increasing legal and political pressures during the past decade to reduce stu-
dent misuse of alcohol and related problems. By 1988, all of the states had
increased their minimum legal drinking age to 21, making alcohol con-
sumption by many college students a violation of state law. The federal gov-
ernment, through the U.S. Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act,
requires colleges and universities to establish and enforce clear standards of
conduct prohibiting the unlawful possession, use, or distribution of alcohol
and illicit drugs by students and employees; failure to meet these and other
requirements can put a school's federal funding in jeopardy. Recent devel-
opments in case law, including court rulings that have been increasingly
sympathetic to victims who have sued third parties for damages caused by
someone who was drinking, increase the potential liability of schools.
Institutions of higher education can face civil lawsuits as licensed vendors
or dramshops when they sell alcohol (as in a campus pub); as social hosts
when their agents, such as administrators or faculty, serve alcohol or
sponsor events where alcohol is served; and as proprietors or property
owners when they fail to maintain safe premises by taking reasonable pro-
tective measures to guard against foreseeable risks (DeJong & Langenbahn,
1997).
6 Environmental Strategies To Prevent Alcohol Problems on College Campuses
These political and legal developments, as well as increased general con-
cern about student misuse of alcohol, have prompted schools to broaden
their search for more effective prevention strategies. Relying primarily on
educating students about alcohol's effects and then intervening individually
with the small number who seek assessment and treatment has not led to
reductions in alcohol problems on campuses. Increasingly, colleges and uni-
versities have come to realize that while education and specialized services
for individuals are necessary, they are not sufficient.
Applying Environmental Strategies
to College Campuses
In the past 10 years, colleges and universities have begun incorporating
environmental management in their efforts to address campus substance
abuse problems, and a variety of promising strategies have evolved. A few
of these are truly unique to college and university settings, such as sub-
stance-free dormitories and interventions with Greek-letter organizations.
The vast majority, however, are creative adaptations of strategies that have
been used in other settings or with other target populations, including
responsible beverage service (RBS) programs (typically used in community
retail alcohol outlets) and restrictions on industry marketing (traditionally
implemented to protect youth in general from messages promoting sub-
stance use).
In order to mount a comprehensive effort, colleges and universities have
been encouraged to take action in three spheres where they have influence:
the institution, the surrounding community, and state-level public policy
(DeJong, et al., 1998). Efforts to address institutional and community fac-
tors typically involve collaboration among different groups, such as the
administration, student health service, and athletic department participating
on a campuswide taskforce, or law enforcement agencies and alcohol retail-
ers as members of a campus-community coalition. Advocating for public
policy changes, on the other hand, is typically undertaken by individuals
connected to the institution, such as administrators and faculty, acting as
private citizens.
It is important to note that while numerous opportunities for environmental
management have been identified for institutions of higher education, the
extent to which they have been implemented varies. Some strategies have
been employed by only a handful of schools, while others, such as policies
prohibiting illegal substance use, are widespread. Regardless of the extent to
which they have been adopted, very few strategies have been formally eval-
Environmental Strategies To Prevent Alcohol Problems on College Campuses 7
uated in the college context. Thus, we are currently in a situation where we
have very strong research evidence that many environmental strategies work
when they are applied generally (e.g., to whole communities, counties, or
states) (as documented in table 1); however, we know relatively little about
their effectiveness when applied to colleges and universities. There is
clearly a pressing need for colleges and universities to conduct rigorous
evaluations of their efforts at environmental management in order to fill this
void and contribute more conclusive evidence. In the meantime, despite this
dearth of outcome data, there are good reasons, on theoretical grounds and
based on results of preliminary studies, to believe that these strategies offer
substantial promise for reducing student substance abuse problems, even if
these effects are not as strong as those produced in the general population.
The following are descriptions of strategies used by institutions of higher
education across the three spheres of influence: the campus itself, the rela-
tionship between the campus and the community, and the state-level con-
text. Where available, brief case study examples are given and research find-
ings are discussed.
nwronmentai Prevention Strategies
for Colleges and Universities
Campus Strategies
The greatest number of strategies have been developed for addressing insti-
tutional factors on campus related to substance abuse. Examples of cam-
puswide processes contributing to student substance abuse include lax
enforcement of school policies prohibiting illegal substance use, campus
social traditions centered on drinking, extensive marketing directed at stu-
dents by the alcohol industry, the availability of alcohol and other drugs,
and campus social norms supportive of use. Strategies to combat these prob-
lems include better policies that are well enforced, provision of more alco-
hol-free activities, RBS programs, restrictions on industry marketing,
changing social norms, substance-free housing, and interventions with
Greek-letter organizations. Table 2 provides examples of the strategies out-
lined below and how they have successfully been implemented at colleges .
in the United States.
Policies
Policies are often the coruerstone of college/university efforts to prevent
substance abuse by students and create a safer campus environment. As
mentioned above, the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act mandates
that schools enact policies for preventing the unlawful use, possession, sale,
or distribution of alcohol and illicit drugs by students and employees.
Further, as a condition of receiving any federal financial assistance, the
institutions must inform students annually of, among other things, their
standards of conduct that clearly prohibit unlawful alcohol- and drug-
related behavior; the applicable legal and disciplinary sanctions for violat-
ing the standards of conduct; and a clear statement that the school will
impose disciplinary sanctions on violators. Other behaviors linked with
alcohol misuse that are frequently covered by student codes of conduct
include hazing, disruptive behavior, vandalism, harassment, and criminal
offenses, such as sexual assault and driving under the influence (DUI) of
alcohol.
8
Environmental Strategies To Prevent Alcohol Problems on College Campuses 9
Table 2 Campus Strategies
Strategy Example
Policies
Clear rules regarding the sale, posses- The University of Arizona provides one example of the
sion, and use of alcohol on campus, as effectiveness of strong alcohol policies. The University
well as consistently enforced penalties limited pregame drinking at Homecoming 1995 and
for violating the rules. enjoyed reductions in traffic citations (202 to 105), neigh-
borhood complaints (10 to 3), stadium ejections (4 to 1),
and verbal warnings about liquor (47 to 0) as compared
to 1994 (Higher Education Center, 1998b).
Alcohol-free alternatives
Venues and events that provide stu- In 1997, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
dents with the opportunity to socialize replaced an informal pre-semester drinking party with
in an alcohol-free environment. Fall Fest, a street festival that offered food, sports, music,
and prizes--all without alcohol. Alcohol-related urgent
care visits, the number of other alcohol-related events,
and reported attendance and volume of business at off-
campus bars all decreased compared to 1996 (Higher
Education Center, 1998b).
Responsible beverage service (RBS)
Training for managers, alcohol servers, Stanford University's RBS program includes training for
and social hosts to reduce the risks of student bartenders, sober monitors who help oversee
sales to minors, intoxication, and parties, and escort coordinators who ensure that guests
impaired driving. travel home safely. The RBS program is credited with
changing the drinking environment on campus--there are
fewer open parties, more frequent ID checks, more par-
ties with food served, and a posted alcohol policy
(DeJong, 1995).
Restrictions on industry marketing
Limitations on the amount and type of The student newspaper at University of Northern Iowa
pro-drinking messages that students reacted to a post-Homecoming riot in 1996 by changing
see on campus and in association with the focus of its entertainment coverage. The earlier
campus events. emphasis on local bars and drink specials gave way
to expanded coverage of other entertainment options
such as the fine arts and athletic events (Northern Iowa,
1998).
( Contin ued)
10 Environmental Strategies To Prevent Alcohol Problems on College Campuses
Table I (Continued)
Strategy Example
Social norms interventions
Efforts to establish positive social Northern Illinois University used a print media campaign
norms and expectations about alcohol to inform students about positive and moderate drinking
use, including strong intolerance for norms on campus (for example, most NIU students drink
alcohol misuse. five or fewer drinks when they party). The trend data for
six years of this campaign show a 35 percent reduction
in hinge drinking, 31 precent reduction in alcohol-related
injuries to self, and 54 percent reduction in alcohol-
related injuries to others (Haines, 1996).
Substance-free housing
On-campus residences set aside for stu- The University of Michigan began its substance-free
dents who are committed to living in an housing program with just E00 students. Within five
environment free of illicit drugs, and years, 30 percent of the school's undergraduates living
often alcohol and cigarettes as well. on-campus were voluntarily living in substance-free set-
tings.
Western Washington University reaped thousands of dol-
lars in savings when it created a drug-free setting in a
dormitory with a notorious reputation for vandalism.
Interventions with campus Greek
organizations
Strategies focused specifically on frater- The National Interfraternity Council urges its members to
nities and sororities, organizations often plan parties with well-controlled alcohol distribution.
associated with high levels of binge Using a licensed caterer, for example, can prevent service
drinking and alcohol-related problems. to underage guests and those who appear intoxicated.
(New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance
Abuse Services, 1996).
Campus-community collaborative
strategies
Efforts to ensure that schools and their The University of Nebraska at Lincoln worked with the
surrounding communities work local Responsible Hospitality Council to bring a voluntary
together to enforce relevant alcohol- end to the "birthday bar crawl," a tradition that encour-
related laws and establish consistent aged hinge drinking as bars provided free drinks to cus-
messages about responsible hospitality. tomers on their 21st birthday (Peters, 1997).
Environmental Strategies To Prevent Alcohol Problems on College Campuses 11
Aside from unlawful substance use, schools also establish policies govern-
ing the conditions of alcohol use and sales on campus for those over 21. For
instance, schools that permit students over 21 to use alcohol on campus can
designate specific locations where drinking is permitted, such as faculty
housing, private dormitory rooms, fraternity or sorority houses, or a variety
of public venues such as common spaces in residence halls (e.g., hallways,
lounges). Policies can also designate the locations where alcohol can be
sold on campus, such as the faculty lounge, athletic stadiums, the student
union, or a campus pub.
Schools can also place restrictions on the use of alcohol at certain types of
events. For example, at the University of California at San Diego, when
problems were created by large, outdoor keg parties that distributed free
beer to students every Friday evening, the school eventually decided to shut
down the "thank God it's Friday" celebrations (TGIFs as they were known)
("Campus police," 1998). Boston College instituted a number of changes to
its policies on tailgate partieswincluding establishing time limits before and
after the game and prohibiting large quantities such as kegslthat have been
associated with a reduction in alcohol-related problems at events where tail-
gating is permitted (Higher Education Center, 1998b). The University of
Arizona set up new regulations to limit pregame drinking at Homecoming
1995 and found that there was a decrease in alcohol-related problems com-
pared to Homecoming 1994, including reductions in traffic citations (from
202 to 105), neighborhood complaints (from 10 to 3), stadium ejections
(from 4 to 1), and verbal warnings on liquor (from 47 to 0) (Higher
Education Center, 1998a).
No single set of policies works best across all institutions. Therefore,
schools must individually develop their rules and regulations pertaining to
alcohol based on factors including characteristics of the student body, the
prevalence and types of alcohol-related problems on campus, religious affil-
iation of the school, mission of the institution, and philosophical concerns
of administrators regarding restrictions (e.g., whether too many restrictions
will cause more harm by pushing drinking off campus where it is harder to
control).
One point on which there is consensus, however, is that for policies to be
effective, they must be strongly enforced. Thus, schools are urged to
develop their policies and sanctions carefully. Any ambivalence that results
in uneven enforcement can lead to mixed messages about what is acceptable
behavior, as well as resentment if some groups are held accountable while
others are not. The Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug
Prevention recommends that firm and consistent enforcement on campus of
the minimum legal drinking age and DUI include
12 Environmental S~rategies To Prevent Alcohol Problems on College Campuses
· establishing a zero tolerance policy for the use of fake age-identifi-
cation cards (IDs)
· taking meaningful disciplinary actions against those who serve
alcohol to minors on campus as well as those students who drive or
commit other infractions such as assault, theft, and vandalism
while under the influence of alcohol (DeJong, n.d.; Wechsler,
Moeykens, & DeJong, n.d.).
Further, it advises schools to use such penalties as fines, probation, commu-
nity service, suspension, and expulsion rather than relying so heavily on
issuing warnings and referring violators to alcohol education programs. At
Chico State University, students convicted of driving under the influence are
denied on-campus parking permits, and the school notifies parents of the
conviction (DeJong, n.d.). Some schools revoke campus housing of students
found guilty of having committed alcohol-related offenses. Schools are
urged to use their own judicial systems to investigate charges and impose
school penalties against perpetrators of alcohol-related offenses even if
criminal justice charges are not filed (Finn, n.d.).
Provision of Alcohol-Free Alternative Activities
Another way to take the focus off alcohol as a central activity at colleges
and change campus alcohol norms and expectations is through the provision
of alcohol-free leisure activities. Schools can provide places on campus for
students to socialize in an alcohol-free atmosphere, such as "dry" pubs, cof-
feehouses, cafes, and arcades. They can also ensure that sport and recre-
ational facilities such as gyms and bowling alleys are open at times when
students report they often drink because there is nothing else to do.
Administrations can also assist recreational clubs on campus to plan events,
such as wilderness challenges, for which participation and alcohol impair-
ment are incompatible.
Several schools have tried replacing alcohol-involved social traditions with
new events. At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), the
Sunday before classes began in the fall had become a traditional occasion
for thousands of students to gather and drink heavily in the on-campus fra-
ternity courtyard as well as at off-campus bars and parties. In 1997, UNC
organized Fall Fest--an alcohol-free street festival with free drinks and
food, sports activities, carnival games, music, and prizes--as an alternative
way for students to meet and begin the new academic year. The success of
the first Fall Fest was measured not only in terms of high student participa-
tion, but also in decreases compared to the same time the previous year in
alcohol-related urgent care visits at the UNC student health services (8 ver-
Environmental Strategies To Prevent Alcohol Problems on College Campuses 13
sus 0), the number of alcohol-related events held both on and off campus
(30 versus 19), and reported attendance and volume of business at off-cam-
pus bars (Higher Education Center, 1998a).
Initial reports indicate that starting new alcohol-free traditions can be an
effective way of reducing alcohol-related problems. However, organizers
must be sure to solicit input from and involve students in the planning of
events to ensure that they will appeal to their intended audience.
Responsible Beverage Service Programs
RBS programs provide training to managers and alcohol servers in commer-
cial establishments in order to reduce the risks attendant with the way alco-
hol is promoted and served. Programs often have three objectives: to pre-
vent the service of alcohol to minors, to reduce the likelihood that drinkers
will become intoxicated, and to prevent those who are impaired by alcohol
from driving. Training for alcohol servers focuses on increasing their aware-
ness of the social and legal responsibilities associated with serving alcohol
and teaching them service intervention techniques such as how to recognize
fake IDs and signs of intoxication, how to slow or refuse service to patrons,
and how to find alternative transportation for impaired patrons. Training for
managers focuses on ways of providing an environment in which excessive
alcohol use is not encouraged (such as through restrictions on alcohol price
reductions and other promotions) and on supporting the interventions of
alcohol servers.
RBS programs are catching on at colleges and universities. A variety of
management policies, such as pricing strategies, can be instituted at on-
campus outlets (such as pubs) to eliminate inducements for students to
drink heavily. One policy approach is to prohibit discounts for alcoholic
beveragesBsuch as happy hours, two-for-one specials, and "all you can
drink for a fixed price" promotions. Another approach is to "price up" alco-
holthat is, make sure that alcoholic beverages are at least as expensive, if
not more expensive, than nonalcoholic drinks. One method for keeping
alcoholic drink prices higher than nonalcoholic ones is to tax alcohol sold
on campus by assessing a surcharge. The Campus Alcohol Policies and
Education program (Hart, McCready, Simpson, & Solomon, 1986) recom-
mends a number of pricing policies including
· price nonalcoholic beverages lower than the least expensive alco-
holic beverage
· price drinks according to alcohol content (i.e., charge less for low-
alcohol beverages)
14 Environmental Strategies To Prevent Alcohol Problems on College Campuses
· ensure that complete price lists are available to allow patrons to
clearly understand price differentials between types of beverages
(nonalcoholic, low-alcohol, regular alcohol).
In addition to management policies, many schools that have on-campus
alcohol outlets require RBS training for servers as one way to try to reduce
their liability as alcohol vendors. The TIPS (Training in Intervention
Procedures by Servers of Alcohol) program has been offered at more than
200 colleges and universities nationwide.
Colleges and universities are also adopting RBS programs for social
hosts--faculty, students, and social organizations holding events where
alcohol will be served. Many schools require that social events involving
alcohol that are hosted by students be registered with a designated school
office. In addition, DeJong and Langenbahn (1997) identified a number of
rules or requirements that can be applied to social hosts regarding
· pre-event planning (including developing an invitation list that
identifies each expected guest, designating an explicit beginning
and ending time, and requiring promotions for the event to include
a statement regarding the minimum legal drinking age and the
organizers' intent to enforce it)
· entrance to the event (including limiting admission to the guest list,
not admitting anyone who is intoxicated, and requiring proof of
age to attend the event and to be served alcohol)
· alcohol access (including using bartenders and prohibiting self-ser-
vice by guests, limiting the amount of alcohol at events as well as
the number of drinks guests can be served at one time, using wrist-
bands to identify guests over age 21, and banning alcohol as a
prize for any contest or party game)
· personal conduct (including prohibiting the misrepresentation of
alcoholic beverages as being nonalcoholic and banning drinking
games or other potentially dangerous drinking activities)
· ending the event (including stopping the service of alcohol 1 hour
before the event ends and not allowing guests to leave with alco-
holic beverages).
At Stanford University, trained peer educators, called The Party Pro's, con-
sult with students who are planning a party on issues such as budgeting,
fundraising, and event promotion. The RBS component includes training for
Environmental Strategies To Prevent Alcohol Problems on College Campuses 15
student bartenders; enlisting "sober monitors"--student volunteers whose
job is to watch over the guests and party activities; and providing "escort
coordinators," who help ensure that guests are using designated drivers or
have other safe transportation home. In addition to assisting students hold-
ing parties, the Stanford project also helps student groups, including frater-
nities and sororities, develop policies for their social events. According to
DeJong (n.d.), an evaluation of the project indicated that its student training
workshops are having a positive effect on the drinking environment at
school parties, including smaller and fewer "open" parties, more frequent
ID checks, presence of sober monitors, more parties with bartenders, more
parties with food served, and a posted alcohol policy.
Restrictions on Industry Marketing
For years, the alcohol industry has spent an estimated $15 to $20 million
per year aggressively marketing alcohol to college students along with the
image that drinking is fun and an important part of achieving social, ath-
letic, and even sexual success (New York State Office of Alcoholism and
Substance Abuse Services, 1996). Ryan and Mosher (1991) cite the
following methods used by national brand producers, distributors, and
local retailers to send pro-drinking messages to students:
· Paid advertising in print or broadcast media (for example, advertis-
ing inserts in college student newspapers such as Miller's
"Beachin' Times" and fliers on campus kiosks advertising local
ba~s)
· Promotions (such as merchandise giveaways--T-shirts, caps, and
posters bearing brand names and logos; free product samples at
group-sponsored events; entertainment by mascots such as the
Budweiser Clydesdales or Bud Light Daredevils during pregame
and halftime shows at sports events)
· Direct product marketing by paid student-campus representatives
of various brewers and distributors
· Sponsorship of educational, cultural, and sports programs and
events.
As part of their efforts to reduce binge drinking, many institutions of higher
education have established policies to limit the amount and types of pro-
drinking messages to which their students are exposed on campus. Erenberg
and Hacker (1997) reported that among the 330 four-year colleges and uni-
versities tracked by the College Alcohol Survey, 34 percent reported ban-
16 Environmental Strategies To Prevent Alcohol Problems on College Campuses
ning alcohol industry advertising (e.g., brand preference ads), 34 percent
had bans on industry promotions, and 30 percent banned industry official
sponsorship. Other policies that restrict the marketing activities of alcohol
producers and distributors include prohibiting on-campus sales or promo-
tional representatives; industry cosponsorship of fraternity, sorority, or other
student organization events; and the use of schools' logos, insignias, or mas-
cots by the alcohol industry.
In addition to bans on advertising and promotions by national brand produc-
ers and distributors, many schools also restrict advertising on campus by
local bars and taverns. Aside from complete advertising bans, schools that
permit advertising on campus can place controls on the content of ads (e.g.,
refusing to allow bars to advertise drink specials or other promotions that
encourage excessive drinking, such as bar crawls; and rejecting ads with
degrading or sexist images) and on locations where ads and fliers may be
placed on campus (e.g., no posting on campus bulletin boards, no distribut-
ing fliers in dining areas).
One area in which school restrictions on industry marketing can be a diffi-
cult matter is the student-ran newspaper. As Erenberg and Hacker (1997)
pointed out, often student newspapers function as autonomous organiza-
tions, not subject to regulation by the university. Additionally, journalists
may oppose advertising restrictions on both financial and free speech
grounds. Other conflicts may arise when students and faculty perceive
advertising bans as censorship that runs counter to principles of academic
freedom. Aside from formal policies, some administrations have tried less
contentious means of exerting influence, such as having editorial boards
meet periodically with officials, like the dean of students, who can encour-
age more restrictive advertising policies. Many editorial boards have dealt
with the issue explicitly by developing a variety of policies to balance the
papers' financial interests with their campuses' interests in creating a safe
and healthy environment for students. These accommodations include
requiring ads to carry a statement urging students to drink responsibly and
not accepting ads that promote excessive or irresponsible consumption.
As part of the environmental strategies adopted at the University of
Northern Iowa following an alcohol-fueled riot at the 1996 Homecoming
activities, the student-run newspaper changed the way it covered local enter-
tainment in its "After Hours" column. For the most part, the column had
focused on bar entertainment, as well as pointing out drink specials. At the
request of the school's substance abuse education and prevention coordina-
tor, the paper's executive editor instituted significant changes including the
elimination of information on drink specials and the expansion of the col-
umn's coverage of other entertainment options--such as fine arts, athletics,
and other leisure events ("Northern Iowa," 1998).
Environmental Strategies To Prevent Alcohol Problems on College Campuses 17
Social Norms Interventions
Typically, policies and other environmental strategies serve two purposes:
they create changes in areas they were designed to address specifically such
as limiting advertising (primary effects) and as a result of their primary
effects, they foster shifts in social norms and attitudes that are supportive of
abstinence and responsible use (secondary effects). As part of their efforts to
combat binge drinking and overcome reputations as party schools, a number
of institutions have taken actions that have as their sole purpose the estab-
lishment of a new social normalive environment on campus. These norma-
tive interventions fall into three general categories: direct communications
of administrators and faculty, messages from student-run media, and social
marketing strategies.
There are a number of ways in which faculty and administrators can help
establish positive social norms and expectations on campus regarding stu-
dent alcohol use. One method is to use college recruiting and student orien-
tation materials to communicate to prospective students that the school pro-
motes a healthy social and academic environment not denigrated by alcohol
misuse (Wechsler, Austin, & DeJong, 1996). Another strategy is to have col-
lege officials speak out about alcohol issues and explicitly state their expec-
tations for prospective and incoming students. As part of his effort to give
alcohol problems a high priority and set a new tone at Penn State
University, its president has gone so far as to say in some settings that if stu-
dents think they're coming to Penn State to drink, they should go some-
where else ("Prevention progress," 1998). Faculty intolerance of alcohol
misuse can be communicated by not accepting drinking as an excuse for
late assignments and by refusing to schedule classes and exams around stu-
dents' drinking. One effort to stop student drinking from expanding beyond
the weekend to traditional study nights, such as Thursdays, involves sched-
uling tests on Fridays. This strategy is being encouraged at UNC along with
more early-morning classes.
Another way to promote responsible norms on campus is through the stu-
dent-run media such as school newspapers and radio stations. Coverage of
stories on alcohol-related problems and events on campus, as well as edito-
rials, can be used to highlight the intolerance of impairment and the harm it
produces as normalive. These mass media outlets can also participate in
providing warning messages and counteradvertising campaigns designed to
change norms and behavior.
Perhaps the most concerted efforts to change campus alcohol norms has
been through social marketing strategies. Social marketing borrows the
principles and processes from commercial advertising (e.g., market
research, campaigns targeted to specific segments of the population, skillful
18 Environmental Strategies To Prevent Alcohol Problems on College Campuses
use of mass media) and uses them for the purpose of encouraging health-
promoting values, attitudes, and behaviors (Zimmerman, 1997).
A social norms mass media campaign that employs social marketing strate-
gies has been conducted for six years at Northern Illinois University (NIU)
and is one of the few that has been evaluated (Haines, 1996). After an initial
effort in 1989 to reduce binge drinking through traditional prevention inter-
ventions (including posters and fliers with themes supporting abstinence,
encouraging responsible drinking, etc.), which was associated with a slight
increase in the percentage of binge drinkers, a different approach was
implemented in 1990. The NIU social norms intervention focused on chang-
ing students' perceptions of campus drinking norms with messages that
highlight positive and moderate drinking norms.
This approach is based on research conducted by Perkins, Berkowitz, and
others showing that college students tend to overestimate the alcohol (and
other drug) use of other students and that these misperceived norms exert a
powerful negative influence on student drinking behavior (Graham, Marks,
& Hansen, 1991; Perkins & Berkowitz, 1986; Prentice & Miller, 1993). The
more students believe binge drinking is occurring, the more it occurs
(Perkins, 1995; Perkins & Wechsler, 1996). Furthermore, experiments con-
ducted by Hunsen and Graham (1991) demonstrated that reducing percep-
tions of alcohol and other drug use was an effective strategy for reducing
actual use among youth.
In addition to developing a print media campaign featuring normative drink-
ing practices (e.g., most NIU students drink five or fewer drinks when they
party), the effort included student incentives to pay attention to the cam-
paign. Trend data across six years indicate that the social norms campaign
was associated with an overall 35 percent reduction in hinge drinking, a
31 percent reduction in alcohol-related injuries to self, and a 54 percent
reduction in alcohol-related injuries to others (Haines, 1996).
Substance-Free Housing
As part of their overall strategy to reduce student substance abuse and
change campus norms, an increasing number of colleges and universities
are designating some portion of on-campus housing as substance free. A
variety of arrangements have been used--from setting aside a few dorm
rooms, a wing, or section of a hallway to making entire floors or buildings
substance free. Most often, schools have started out with a relatively small
amount of space set aside and a core group of students who are committed
to the concept and then expanded the program over time as demand
increased.
Environmental Strategies To Prevent Alcohol Problems on College Campuses 19
Substance free typically means that alcohol, illicit drugs, and cigarettes are
prohibited; however, some schools have floors or halls where illicit drugs
and smoking are banned but drinking is allowed, while a few others permit
smoking but not drinking. Colleges and universities generally do not
prohibit students in alcohol-free halls from drinking elsewhere, although
several prohibit students from returning to substance-free housing after
drinking elsewhere if their return creates a disturbance for other students
(Finn, n.d.).
Reasons for providing substance-free living options include
· to respond to the demands of students who do not want to be
exposed to secondary effects of other students' drinking and who
want a quiet place to study
· to provide a safe haven for students who may be "at risk" or sus-
ceptible to peer pressure to drink and use other drugs
· to send a message to the campus community that substantial num-
bers of students do not drink or use other substances and thus help
change perceived norms
· to reduce vandalism-related repair costs in dormitories
· to increase the school's attractiveness and favorably affect enroll-
ment (Finn, n.d.).
As with most interventions to alter college environments, substance-free
housing programs have not been formally evaluated. Currently, evidence of
their potential benefits is based on their popularity and on cost data. In
1989, the first year of its program, 500 students at the University of
Michigan signed up for substance-free housing; two years later, more than
2,000 students signed up for 1,462 spaces. By the 1994-1995 academic
year, 30 percent of Michigan undergraduates living on campus were housed
on substance-free floors in 15 different buildings. When Western
Washington University turned the first four floors of a dormitory with the
worst reputation for vandalism into a drug-free living area, costs resulting
from vandalism fell from several thousand dollars a year to $60, while they
remained the same at the university's other residence halls.
Interventions With Campus
Greek-Letter Organizations
Because fraternity and sorority members report high levels of binge drink-
ing and their parties have frequently been linked with alcohol-related prob-
20 Environmental Strategies To Prevent Alcohol Problems on College Campuses
lems on campus, Greek-letter organizations have been the target of special
prevention efforts. Many interventions to reform their alcohol practices have
focused on education and personal development of members. Increasingly
these traditional approaches are being used in conjunction with strategies to
create environmental change.
Among the environmental approaches used with fraternities and sororities,
some are adaptations of more generally applied strategies already discussed,
such as substance-free housing. Spurred by skyrocketing liability insurance
costs, shrinking memberships, and alcohol-related deaths on a number of
campuses, numerous Greek chapters all over the country have become sub-
stance free, and the national headquarters of three fraternitiesIPhi Delta
Theta, Phi Gamma Delta, and Sigma Nulhave ordered their local chapters
to ban alcohol by 2000 (Morell, 1998).
Social norms interventions have also been used in efforts to reduce binge
drinking among fraternity and sorority members. For example, at the
University of California at Los Angeles, an intervention was designed for
use with sorority members that consisted of three components ("Campus
police:' 1998). In addition to intervention groups and cash incentives, a cam-
puswide media campaign communicating a normative message of disap-
proval for binge drinking was developed using social marketing strategies.
In order to ensure that the ads were compelling and would appeal to the tar-
get audience, student focus groups were enlisted to consult on the materials
and the approach. The process resulted in the development of 10 ads that
used student models to communicate the normative message in a humorous
and provocative way that avoided being preachy.
In addition to these more generally applied strategies, those specific to
Greek organizations have included risk management policies and interven-
tions to reduce heavy drinking by partyers. Several organizations, including
the governing bodies of the sorority and fraternity systems and groups that
insure fraternities, have developed risk management policies designed to
reduce potential liability related to the use of alcohol by fraternity and
sorority members. These policies often outline RBS practices, policies on
purchasing alcohol, prohibitions against sponsorship of events by alcohol
vendors, and requirements that all rush activities be dry functions.
One change to fraternity parties promulgated by the National Interfraternity
Council is to adopt a system that allows only catered or "bring your own
beverage" (BYOB) events and parties (New York State Office of Alcoholism
and Substance Abuse Services, 1996). A catered event involves alcohol dis-
tribution by a licensed and insured catering company that would be respon-
sible for checking IDs upon entry, collecting money, refusing to serve alco-
Environmental Strategies To Prevent Alcohol Problems on College Campuses 21
hol to partyers under 21 and those who appear intoxicated, maintaining con-
trol of alcohol containers, and collecting and removing all alcohol from the
premises at the end of the event. At BYOB events, only persons over 21 are
allowed to bring alcohol to the event, and both the quantity and type of
alcohol are limited. Students receive a punchcard or ticket in exchange for
their alcohol, which is collected by the fraternity and dispensed from one
central distribution center. The primary focus of both of these policies is
that chapters do not use their funds to purchase the alcohol, which helps
reduce their risk.
Another intervention to change the drinking environment at fraternity par-
ties and reduce the risk for impaired driving has been to substitute low-alco-
hol beer without partyers' knowledge. In a series of controlled experiments,
Geller, Kalsher, and Clarke (1991) found that partyers given low-alcohol
beer did not compensate by consuming drinks at a higher rate than those
given regular beer in order to achieve the same effect. Thus, they evidenced
significantly less impairment based on average blood alcohol concentration
on leaving a party.
Campus-Community
Collaborative Strategies
Although schools can establish a variety of environmental interventions on
campus, the potential of their prevention efforts will be only partially real-
ized if they fail to address factors in the surrounding community that also
contribute to student substance abuse. Colleges and universities do not exist
in isolation from the larger communities where they are located. Their stu-
dents are influenced by a myriad of environmental factors from outside the
campus, such as the alcohol service and advertising practices of local bars
and taverns, the price of alcohol off campus, and the extent to which state
and local laws and policies are enforced. Thus, it is necessary for campus
and community officials to collaborate in order to rework the physical,
legal, and economic environment beyond the institution. Coalitions can be
used to create partnerships among campus officials and local community
groups, including the police, hospitality industry, liquor control board, com-
munity prevention leaders, and government officials. In Ohio, the organiza-
tion Ohio Parents for Drug Free Youth has been instrumental in developing
collaborative relationships among colleges, state government, and national
agencies to mount a statewide binge-drinking prevention initiative. As a
result of the support and commitment gamered from Ohio's leaders, mini-
grants were awarded to 19 schools across the state to address binge drinking
by building a coalition with their local community and developing an action
22 Environmental Strategies To Prevent Alcohol Problems on College Campuses
plan to change their campus' culture from promoting high-risk and exces-
sive drinking to fostering a safe and healthy environment (Ohio Parents for
Drug Free Youth, 1997).
A chief focus of campus-community coalitions is to curtail student access to
alcohol. Numerous areas for collaboration help achieve this goal including
working for zoning reform to reduce the concentration of alcohol outlets
near campus, supporting the efforts of local law enforcement agencies to
enforce the drinking age laws, lobbying for an increase in the local alcohol
excise tax, and establishing responsible hospitality councils to increase
adherence to RBS practices by local bars and eliminate irresponsible adver-
tising and promotions. For example, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
and Harvard University have not only pledged their support for local law
enforcement efforts to enforce drinking age laws through undercover buying
operations, but also have provided financial support as well. Cooperation
between the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and the Responsible
Hospitality Council of Lincoln/Lancaster County resulted in alcohol
licensees' voluntarily stopping the birthday bar crawl, a tradition where bars
gave free alcoholic beverages to customers on their 21st birthdays (Peters,
1997). Members of responsible hospitality councils can also urge bars not to
entice heavy drinking by competing with one another on the basis of lower
price.
In addition to working to reduce alcohol availability to students, campus-
community coalitions can cooperate to reduce the likelihood of alcohol-
related problems, such as impaired driving. Reductions in impaired driving
can be accomplished through establishing safe rides programs in the com-
munity and enforcing minimum drinking age and impaired driving laws.
Although the exact nature of collaboration will depend on their jurisdic-
tional authority, campus security forces can collaborate with local police in
deterrence efforts, including conducting sobriety checkpoints and under-
cover buying operations on and near campus (DeJong, n.d.).
Campus-community coalitions also can serve an important function by
enhancing relations between colleges and their neighbors. For example, the
University at Albany established a permanent committee open to all inter-
ested community members to deal both proactively and reactively with
problems created between students living off campus and local neighbor-
hoods (Higher Education Center, 1997). Among the steps taken to deal with
alcohol-related problems such as large and unruly parties, noise, and litter,
was a program to inform students in off-campus housing of the laws and
ordinances as well as behavioral expectations applicable to hosts of house
parties. With safety a concern to both students and their neighbors, the com-
mittee also developed a number of personal, property, and fire safety initia-
Environmental Strategies To Prevent Alcohol Problems on College Campuses 23
tives. Among other activities, the committee maintains a hotline for students
living off campus and other neighborhood residents to report problems, and
it participates in the Adopt-A-Block program that organizes work area
cleanup days. Through extensive "town-gown" cooperation, the university
and its neighbors have developed a strong base of support for prevention
efforts that create a safer and healthier environment for all.
State-Level Public Policy
College campuses also exist within the context of state laws and policies.
Legal loopholes or a lack of commitment to enforcement statewide can
make alcohol prevention on college campuses more difficult. Thus, ideally,
the states should provide an appropriate legal framework and strong leader-
ship for responsible alcohol sales and use that supports the efforts of pre-
vention professionals, college administrators, enforcement agencies, and
concerned citizens.
Administrators and faculty often hold significant prestige within the larger
community beyond the school and thus are in a position to lend consider-
able weight to the public discourse on alcohol control policies. As private
citizens, school officials can participate in the policy debate by writing
editorials; being interviewed for television, radio, or newspaper; providing
testimony to state legislatures on alcohol problems and experiences with
problem reduction strategies on campus; and participating in state, regional,
and national associations to present an academic viewpoint on policy pro-
posals. Engaging in these types of advocacy activities is not the sole
purview of college and university offficials--community leaders and mobi-
lized citizens often participate in such efforts as well; however, the input of
college officials to the policy making process can be especially valuable.
Summary
Environmental management is an approach to prevention that seeks to alter
the social, economic, and legal processes of communities that contribute to
substance abuse and related problems. Prevention directed at the environ-
ment generally relies on public policies (e.g., laws, rules, and regulations)
and other community-level interventions to both limit access to substances
and to change the culture and context within which decisions about sub-
stance use are made. Because environmental management affects whole
populations and creates changes in the fundamental communitywide
processes underlying substance abuse, it has the potential to bring about rel-
atively quick, dramatic, and enduring reductions in substance abuse prob-
24 Environmental Strategies To Prevent Alcohol Problems on College Campuses
lems. In fact, prevention efforts conducted in communities have incorpo-
rated an increasing number of environmental strategies, and a body of
research has accumulated showing that these strategies can be effective in
reducing alcohol-related crashes and crash fatalities, injuries, and violent
crimes.
Based on this body of evidence, institutions of higher education have begun
incorporating environmental strategies in their prevention efforts within the
last few years. However, due to the relative recency of their implementation
as well as the fact that formal evaluations of them in the context of schools
are almost non-existent, it is not currently possible to assess their effective-
ness in reducing problems on campuses. Preliminary studies of a couple of
specific strategies indicate great promise for this approach; however, con-
clusive evidence awaits the results of future evaluations.
Environmental prevention strategies have been used most extensively by
colleges and universities to reduce student misuse of alcohol and its conse-
quences for heavy drinkers as well as secondary effects on other students.
To mount comprehensive environmental change efforts, schools have been
encouraged to take action in three spheres where they have influence: the
institution, the local community, and state-level public policy.
Among the strategies for influencing campus or institutional factors, schools
are encouraged to develop comprehensive substance abuse policies that
cover unlawful alcohol- and drag-related behavior and regulate the condi-
tions of lawful alcohol use and sales. Although each school must carefully
develop its own set of policies based on a number of considerations, there is
consensus on the need to enforce policies firmly and consistently. Other
promising strategies for altering campus environments include
· providing alcohol-free leisure activities by establishing "dry" cafes
and coffeehouses, keeping recreational facilities open during times
when students say there is nothing to do, and replacing alcohol-
involved social traditions with new ones that are alcohol free
· promoting RBS practices at on-campus alcohol outlets, such as
campus pubs, and by social hosts to reduce underage drinking and
problems such as DUI
· restricting marketing activities of the alcohol industry on campus,
including paid advertising, promotions, paid student-campus repre-
sentatives, and sponsorship of educational, cultural, and sports pro-
grams
Environmen~;al Strategies To Prevent Alcohol Problems on College Campuses 25
· creating shifts in social norms through the communications of fac-
ulty and administrators, mass media messages, and the application
of social marketing techniques
· providing substance-free housing options
· fostering positive changes in campus Greek organizations, includ-
ing changes in the ways alcohol is purchased and served at frater-
nity parties.
Among these strategies, only a mass media social norms intervention and
the substitution of low-alcohol beer at fraternity parties have been formally
evaluated. At Northern Illinois University, trend data across six years indi-
cate that a campaign designed to correct students' misperceptions of campus
drinking norms was associated with reductions in binge drinking and alco-
hol-related injuries to both self and others. An intervention designed to
change the drinking environment at fraternity parties by substituting low-
alcohol beer for regular beer without partyers' knowledge resulted in less
impairment among consumers of low-alcohol beer as evidenced by signifi-
cantly lower levels of blood alcohol concentration.
Because alcohol use by students at colleges and universities is influenced by
a variety of factors from the surrounding community, comprehensive pre-
vention efforts necessitate campus-community partnerships. Campus-com-
munity coalitions can be used to create broad support for efforts to curtail
student access to alcohol, reduce alcohol-related problems such as impaired
driving, and enhance relations between schools and their neighbors.
Campus environments are also affected by state-level laws and policies.
Those interested in fostering prevention on campuses should also attend to
these aspects the environment. College officials can use their expertise and
prestige in the broader community to work for policy changes at the state
level. As private citizens, they can participate in the public discourse on
alcohol control policies and advocate for measures that will benefit not only
their campuses but the entire state as well.
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DeJong, W., and Langenbahn, S. (1997). Setting and improving policies for
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26
Environmental Strategies To Prevent Alcohol Problems on College Campuses 27
campuses. Newton MA: Higher Education Center for Alcohol and
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Edwards, G., Anderson, P., Babor, T. E, Casswell, S., Ferrence, R.,
Giesbrecht, N., Godfrey, C., Holder, H. D., Lemmens, P., Makela, K.,
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Erenberg, D. F., and Hacker, G. A. (1997). Last call for high-risk barpro-
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Washington, DC: Center for Science in the Public Interest.
Finn, P. (n.d.). Preventing alcohol-related problems on cainpus: Substance-
free residence halls. Newton, MA: Higher Education Center for Alcohol
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Geller, E. S., Kalsher, M. J., and Clarke, S. W. (1991). Beer versus mixed-
drink consumption at fraternity parties: A time and place for low-
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Graham, J. W., Marks, G., and Hansen, W. B. (1991). Social influence
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Grossman, M., Chaloupka, E J., Saffer, H., and Laixuthai, A. (1994).
Effects of alcohol price policy on youth: A summary of economic
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Haines, M. P. (1996). A social norms approach to preventing binge drinking
at colleges and universities. Newton, MA: Higher Education Center for
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Hansen, W. B., and Graham, J. W. (1991). Preventing alcohol, marijuana,
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Hart, D., McCready, J., Simpson, R., and Solomon, R. (1986). Campus
Alcohol Policies and Education (CAPE): A program implementation
guide (pp. 27-30). Toronto, ON: Addiction Research Foundation of
Ontario.
28 Environmental Strategies To Prevent Alcohol Problems on College Campuses
Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention. (1997).
Prevention updates: Campus-community coalitions in AOD prevention.
Newton, MA: Author.
Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention. (1998a).
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Higher education without getting high: Substance-free dorms, new trends
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K. P., Copple, B., and Copple, J. E. (1996). Evaluating the effects of a
Environmental Strategies To Prevent Alcohol Problems on College Campuses 29
community coalition's efforts to reduce illegal sales of alcohol and
tobacco products to minors. Journal of Community Health, 21 (6),
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McKnight, A. J., and Sireif, F. M. (1994). The effect of enforcement upon
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Morell, R. (1998, March 29). Fratemities going on the wagon: Response to
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norms of alcohol use among students: Some research implications for
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Addictions, 21(9/10), 961-976.
30 Environmental S~ra~egies To Prevent Alcohol Problems on College Campuses
Perkins, H. W., and Wechsler, H. (1996). Variation in perceived college
drinking norms and its impact on alcohol abuse: A nationwide study.
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Peters, J. E. (1997). Walk before you crawl. Catalyst, 3(1), 4-5.
Prentice, D. A., and Miller, D. T. (1993). Pluralistic ignorance and alcohol
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Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64, 243-256.
Presley, C. A., Meilman, P. W., and Cashin, J. R. (1996). Alcohol and drugs
on American college campuses: Use, consequences, and perceptions of
the campus environment. Volume IV.' 1992-94. Carbondale, IL:
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Core Institute.
Presley, C. A., Meilman, P. W., Cashin, J. R., and Leichliter, J. S. (1997).
Alcohol and drugs on American college campuses: Issues of violence
and harassment. A report to college presidents. Carbondale, IL:
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Core Institute.
Preusser, D. F., Williams, A. F., and Weinstein, H. B. (1994). Policing
underage alcohol sales. Journal of Safety Research, 25, 127-133.
Prevention progress at Penn State. (1998). Catalyst, 3(3), 1-2.
Ryan, B. E., and Mosher, J. F. (1991). Progress report: Alcohol promotion
on campus. San Rafael, CA: Marin Institute for the Prevention of
Alcohol and Other Drag Problems.
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publication documents (pp. 107-157). Rockville, MD: Author.
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legal drinking age: History, effectiveness, and ongoing debate. Alcohol
Health & Research World, 20(4), 213-218.
Wechsler, H., Austin, B., and DeJong, W. (1996). Secondary effects ofbinge
drinking on college campuses. Newton, MA: Higher Education Center
for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention.
Environmental Strategies To Prevent Alcohol Problems on College Campuses 31
Wechsler, H., Dowdall, G. W., Maenner, G., Gledhill-Hoyt, J., and Lee, H.
(1998). Changes in binge drinking and related problems among
American college students between 1993 and 1997: Results of the
Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study. Journal of
American College Health, 47, 57-68.
Wechsler, H., Moeykens, B. A., DeJong, W. (n.d.). Enforcing the minimum
drinking age law: A survey of college administrators and security
chiefs. Newton, MA: Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other
Drug Prevention.
Zimmerman, R. (1997). Social marketing strategies for campus prevention
of alcohol and other drug problems. Newton, MA: Higher Education
Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention.
,;,i ollege Drinking Resources
Anderson, D.S., and Gleason Milgram, G. (1996). Promising practices:
Campus alcohol strategies. Sourcebook. Fairfax, VA: George Mason
University.
This substantial binder includes descriptions of hundreds of alcohol
misuse prevention programs at work in colleges nationwide. Among
these are several programs using environmental strategies such as
alcohol-free housing, Friday midnight movies, and norms correc-
tion efforts. All descriptions include contact information, the pro-
gram's objectives, and a descriptive narrative that may include
examples of the program's effectiveness. This information is also
available electronically at http://www. promprac.gmu.edu (visited
August 23, 1999)
Bacchus and Gamma Peer Education Network. (1997). The home for peer
education [WWW site]. Available http://www.bacchusgamma.org (visited
August 23, 1999)
The Bacchus and Gamma Peer Education Network Web site pro-
vides information on a variety of student-led environmental initia-
tives on campuses across the country. One example is a normalive
education campaign conducted in conjunction with National
Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week. The program planning calen-
dar at the site gives clubs suggestions for alternative, substance-free
activities. The Bacchus Blast Back-to-School Street Dance at
Indiana University-Bloomington, for example, evolved into a cam-
pus tradition.
DeJong, W., Vince-Whitman, C., Colthurst, T., Cretella, M., Gilbreath, M.,
Rosati, M., and Zweig, K. (1998). Environmental management: A compre-
hensive strategy for reducing alcohol and other drug use on college cam-
puses. Newton, MA: Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug
Prevention.
32
Environmental Strategies To Prevent Alcohol Problems on College Campuses 33
This booklet introduces environmental management as a critical
component of alcohol and other drug prevention on campus. It pre-
sents background information on the public health and legal per-
spectives of environmental management and then suggests specific
spheres of action. These include a campus task force to address
institutional factors such as alcohol availability on campus, infor-
mation campaigns, and disciplinary procedures; a campus and com-
munity coalition to address community factors including advertis-
ing restrictions, media advocacy, and strict enforcement of
minimum purchase age laws; and associations of colleges and uni-
versities to address public policy.
Health Communications. (1999). Training for Intervention Procedures
[WWW site]. Available http://www. gettips.com (visited August 23, 1999)
Training for Intervention Procedures is a popular training program
for alcohol sellers and servers. Better known as TIPS, the program
provides courses tailored to specific types of establishments or set-
tings, including the college campus. TIPS for the university teaches
participants about alcohol effects, legal liability stemming from
alcohol use, how to recognize intoxication, and how to intervene
with others. The program intends to help students foster a responsi-
ble social environment. TIPS training is available throughout the
country. Consult the Web site for details.
Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention [WWW
site]. (1999). Available http://www. edc.org/hec (visited August 24, 1999)
Many publications from the Higher Education Center are refer-
enced throughout the text of this paper. Those documents are just
some the environmental resources available at the Center's web site.
Other features include a link to the work of the Presidents'
Leadership Group(several college presidents who helped describe
the roles their colleagues could take to address alcohol misuse on
campus. The Center also posts a section entitled "This Week"(a
changing informational piece that defines an issue and provides
resources for further research. Environmental strategies may be the
focus of "This Week." Examples of recent issues are social market-
ing, curriculum infusion, and parental notification.
Inter-Association Task Force. (1998). Collegiate alcohol abuse:
Recommendations and guidelines [WWW site]. Available
http://iatf. org/you 1 a.htm (visited August 24, 1999)
34 Environmental Stral~egies To Prevent Alcohol Problems on College Campuses
The Inter-Association Task Force (IATF) is an offshoot of Bacchus
dedicated to eliminating alcohol and other drug abuse among col-
lege students. The organization is perhaps best known as the driving
force behind National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week. IATF
sponsors other events as well, including a National Symposium on
College Alcohol Practices in 1998. This Web page presents the
report from that conference. Among the environmental strategies
covered were campus alcohol policies and alcohol industry adver-
tising on campus.
National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drag Information. (n.d.) Prevline:
Prevention online [WWW site]. Available http://www. health.org (visited
August 23, 1999)
Environmental strategies may not be the primary focus of Prevline,
but the site nevertheless contains many useful resources. Issues of
the NCADI Reporter discuss college-community cooperation to
curb student drinking, as well as the use of alternative activities on
campus. A recent Research Brief examines fraternity drinking. The
site also makes available an electronic version of "Last call for
high-risk bar promotions that target college students," a document
that addresses the environmental problem of alcohol industry adver-
tising on American campuses.
National Interfratemity Conference. (1997). Peer education and risk man-
agement [WWW site]. Available http://www.nicindy.org/peer_risk.htm (vis-
ited August 23, 1999)
The National Interfraternity Council (NIC) is a federation of
national and international fraternities that seeks to provide educa-
tion and support to member organizations. This page from the NIC
Web site describes some of the programming materials that NIC
makes available to Greek organizations throughout the country.
Among the items available are "Our Chapter / Our Choice"(a guide
for looking at individual and chapter norms around alcohol and
drugs; theme party kits to help chapters sponsor substance-free par-
ties; and "BYOB Resource Guide" and "BYOB2"(tools to help
implement alcohol control practices at parties.
National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association. (n.d.). NIRSA
Natural High: It's for everybody [WWW site]. Available
http://www.nirsa.org/nirsa8.htm (visited August 24, 1999)
Environmental Strategies To Prevent Alcoho! Problems on College Campuses 35
This Web site describes NIRSA's Natural High program, an effort to
encourage participation in healthy alternative activities. Program
materials such as a resource manual, posters, and workshop materi-
als are available to NIRSA members at no charge (many colleges
and universities are members). Nonmembers can benefit from the
Web site's program highlights and suggestions on how to involve
many campus departments in promoting substance-free activities.
112-04-00
O U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Strategies To Reduce
Underage Alcohol Use:
Typology and Brief Overview
' i~; .~..~/ "' :,. ~: ~,.,~::, ,,,~.~:, , .
i '~ ::~Y"'::,.:":~.:;'!" Prepared by
:(~ ~~ Pa 'fic l stitute
FOR RESEARCH AND EVALUATION
in support of the
" OJJDP Enforcing the
; Underage Drinking Laws Program
About This Guide
This document provides a conceptual
framework for understanding the array of
strategies available to prevent underage alcohol
use. It also provides a simple assessment of the
level of effect that might be expected from each
strategy, based on existing research and
evaluation. The information provided here can
be used to
· Suggest new strategies,
· Set funding priorities,
· Set priorities for strategy
implementation,
· Suggest effective combinations of
strategies,
· Assess State and community plans and
proposals, and
· Provide support for State and community
plans.
The document also includes a list of research,
implementation, and Web site resources. These
can provide more detailed guidance for selecting
and carrying out strategies. They can be used to
· Provide specific research support for
strategy selection,
· Illustrate the experience of other States
and communities that have used these
strategies,
· Provide detailed instructions for carrying
out selected strategies, and
· Suggest useful contacts in other
organizations and agencies that are
working to prevent underage alcohol
use.
i
ontents
About This Guide ...............................................................................i
Introduction ........................................................................................1
Limitations on Access ..................................................................3
Enforcement of minimum purchase age laws .........................3
Strategies aimed at reducing social availability
of alcohol ................................................................................4
Improvement of laws related to
minimum purchase age ...........................................................4
Controls on availability in general ..........................................4
Expressions of Community Norms ...............................................5
Strategies Based in Schools ..........................................................5
Prevention of Impaired Driving ....................................................6
Comprehensive Approaches ...............................................................6
Summary .............................................................................................6
References ..........................................................................................7
Table 1. Strategies To Reduce Underage Alcohol Use:
Effectiveness and Priority ....................................................9
Table References .........................................................................15
Resources ..........................................................................................17
Related Research Articles ...........................................................17
Published Materials ....................................................................20
Web sites .....................................................................................25
Coalitions with Web sites or an intention
to develop a Web site ............................................................26
iii
This document was written by Kathryn Stewart of the Pacific
Institute for Research and Evaluation under a project
awarded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of
Justice, Award No. 98-AH-F8-Ol14.
Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the
authors and do not necessarily represent the official position
or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Second Printing, June 1999
I ntroduction
Every State, community, neighborhood, and family There is no doubt that underage alcohol use is an
should be concerned about the use of alcohol by extremely serious problem. But it is also a problem
minors and should be involved in actions to reduce that we know how to deal with. Many effective
underage drinking. It is sometimes helpful to be strategies can be adopted to prevent underage
reminded that: alcohol use and related problems.
· Alcohol is the drug most commonly used by These strategies can be applied in all sectors of the
youth--more than tobacco and far more Nation, State, and community--in all areas of the
than marijuana or any other illicit drug social systems that produce, distribute, promote, and
(Johnston, O'Malley, & Bachman, 1998). consume alcohol. These strategies include important
roles for governmental and nongovernmental
· Alcohol is one of the most common agencies and organizations, as well as concerned
contributors to injury, death, and criminal individuals and youth themselves.
behavior among youth (U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services, 1992). The strategies are of several types that can be seen
as interrelated pieces of the prevention puzzle.
· Underage use of alcohol can have immediate These include limitations on access to alcohol,
and potentially tragic consequences as well expressions of community norms against underage
as long-range harmful consequences, such as use, and strategies specifically designed to reduce
increased risk for chronic alcohol addiction underage drinking and driving. In addition, strategies
(Grant &Dawson, 1997). based in schools or youth organizations are
particularly well suited to reaching the target
umitations -apresSions ,
on Access,tl.,mli~t!~,ttl,. '
C Strategies ................
Strategies
Based in
"' .:.iSchools
2 Strategies To Reduce Underage Alcohol Use
population. Each of these strategy types is described
below. The level of research evidence regarding the [imitations
effectiveness of each strategy varies. All can make a
contribution, but it is important to emphasize those '
strategies that have the greatest evidence of the most 0n ACCESS
powerful effects on underage drinking and problems.
Table 1 summarizes the level of research evidence
on the effectiveness of each strategy and suggests a
priority based on the evidence (see page 9).
Strategies that limit access to alcohol by youth---or
by the population in general--are some of the most
Many communities approach the implementation of powerful and well-documented approaches to
strategies through a community coalition. This is reducing underage drinking and related problems.
often a very effective mechanism for improving Some of the strategies listed below have extremely
policies and the general climate in a community. A strong evidence of effectiveness; others do not yet
coalition, of course, can only be as effective as the have research to support them specifically but are
strategies it promotes and supports. based on well-established prevention principles.
Strategies that limit access include the following:
Communities often use the media as a vehicle to
bring about changes in community practices,
programs, and norms. Various forms of media
attention can also be very helpful in strengthening Enforcement of minimum
and augmenting effective strategies. Like coalitions, purchase age laws
though, use of the media is not necessarily an Enforcement of minimum purchase age laws should
effective strategy on its own, but rather is a tool that be the cornerstone of any underage drinking
can be used to promote and support effective prevention effort. Laws establishing 21 as the
strategies. minimum purchase age have been shown to be
extremely effective in reducing alcohol consumption
and consequences (Wagenaar, 1993). More than
17,000 lives have been saved through reductions in
alcohol-related traffic crashes (National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration, 1998). There have
also been reductions in other injuries, homicides,
suicides, and other problems involving alcohol
(Jones, Pieper, & Robertson, 1992).
In general, the most effective and efficient strategies
are aimed at retailers who, after all, are licensed and
presumably responsible adults who should be
obeying the law (Mosher, 1995). In order to be
maximally effective, communities should place
primary emphasis on the vigorous enforcement of
the laws prohibiting sales to minors.
Strategies To Reduce Underage Alcohol Use 3
Enforcement aimed at retailers includes the Strategies aimed at reducing
following key elements: social availability of alcohol
Young people get alcohol from many sources (e.g.,
· Vigorous use of compliance checks, Preusser, Ferguson, Williams, & Farmer, 1997;
Wagenaar et al., 1996). In all too many cases, they
· Application of appropriate sanctions to can simply buy it, but they also obtain it through
violating merchants, other means such as theft (from stores or parents), at
parties, from older siblings and friends, and from
· Education of merchants regarding adults whom.they persuade to buy for them. This
techniques and responsibilities, area is less well researched, but strategies have been
developed to reduce the social availability of alcohol
· Development of community support for to minors. Some of these strategies include
enforcement, and
· Keg registration laws,3
· Dram shop (civil) liability for sales to
minors.a · Enforcement of laws against buying alcohol
for minors,
Some enforcement strategies are also aimed at
youth, and some have shown some promise of · Sales displays that discourage shoplifting,
effectiveness. and
· Special enforcement campaigns to prevent
Enforcement aimed at youth include: parties where alcohol is served to minors.
· Use/lose laws,2
· Special police "party patrols" to contain Improvement of laws related to
underage parties and ticket both minors and minimum purchase age
any adults who provide alcohol to them, Minimum purchase age laws vary from State to State
in ways that can make implementation and
· Penalties applied to the use of false enforcement more or less effective. One key way of
identification, and reducing youth access to alcohol is to strengthen the
existing laws. Laws can be strengthened to
· "Cops in Shops" and similar programs that
allow police to ticket minors attempting to · Improve laws regarding minors in
purchase alcohol. possession of alcohol,
· Require sellers of alcohol to be at least 2 1
years old,
i Laws that allow alcohol outlets to be sued if they serve
alcohol to a minor who later causes injury.
2 Laws that allow for the suspension of the offender's
drivers license even when the offense did not involve 3 Laws that require purchasers of kegs of beer to be
driving, e.g., minor in possession. identified and matched to an identity tag on the keg.
4 Strategies To Reduce Underage Alcohol Use
· Make the manufacture or purchase of false .......................................................2"""'I""7"
identification a crime,
Make the provision of alcohol to ~nors an
offense,
· Prohibit ~nors from entering bars, and
· Make alcohol outlets liable for ham that
occurs as the result of providing alcohol to Strategies designed to express a cornunity no~
~nors. against underage use (or against alcohol abuse in
general) am less well supposed by specific
evaluations but ~e thought to be powerful
approaches, especially as adjuncts to other effoas.
Controls on availability in 9eneral Some of these s~ategies include
The general availability of alcohol in a cornunity
can affect the level of consumption and related · Prohibitions or controls on alcohol use at
problems among all age groups, including youth. co~unity events or in public areas (e.g., at
Cobunifies can reduce youth access to alcohol by county fairs, in p~ks, or at beaches), which
controlling access in general. Strategies for
controlling availability include can also be seen as a control on access;
· Prohibition of alcohol sponsorship of public
· An increase in price through excise taxes, events (e.g., a beer company sponsoring a
boat race);
· Conditional use perils for alcohol outlets,
· Media campaigns, media advocacy, and
· Controls on outlet location and density, and
counteradveaising;
· Controls on hours of sale.
· Con~ols on alcohol advertising (especially
on billboads, sides of buses, and in other
public ~eas);
· Cornunity sponsorship of alcohol-free
activities for youth; and
P~ent coalitions to reduce alcohol use by
their children (Safe Homes coalitions).
10 Strategies To Reduce Underage Alcohol Use
Table 1--Continued.
Strategy ~ Priority I Level of Effectiveness
Enforcement aimed at youth:
· Use/lose laws and other penalties medium This strategy has not been specifically evaluated,
applied to violating youth but it can be part of a general community
expression that youth should not use alcohol.
· Special police "party patrols" to contain medium This strategy has not been specifically evaluated
underage parties and ticket both minors but is consistent with the general finding that well-
and any adults who provide alcohol to publicized enforcement reduces violations of the
them law.
· Penalties applied to the use of false medium This strategy has not been specifically evaluated,
identification but it may be a way of reducing access.
· "Cops in Shops" and similar programs medium This strategy has not been specifically evaluated,
that allow police to ticket minors but it can be part of a general community
attempting to purchase alcohol expression that sales to minors are not
acceptable.
Strategies aimed at reducing social availability of alcohol
· Keg registration laws medium This strategy has not been specifically evaluated
but is consistent with general finding that reducing
access reduces use.
· Enforcement of laws against buying medium This strategy has not been specifically evaluated,
alcohol for minors but it may be a way of reducing access.
· Sales displays that discourage medium This strategy has not been specifically evaluated,
shoplifting but it may be a way of reducing access.
· Special enforcement campaigns to medium This strategy has not been specifically evaluated,
prevent parties where alcohol is served but it may be a way of reducing access.
to minors
Strategies To Reduce Underage Alcohol Use 11
Strategy Priority Level of Effectiveness
Improvement of laws related to minimum purchase age
· Improve laws regarding minors in high States with more stringent laws have been found
4
possession of alcohol to have lower rates of sales to minors.
· Require sellers of alcohol to be at least medium This strategy has not been specifically evaluated,
4
21 years old but it may be a way of reducing access.
· Make the manufacture or purchase of medium This strategy has not been specifically evaluated,
4
false identification a crime but it may be a way of reducing access.
· Make the provision of alcohol to minors medium This strategy has not been specifically evaluated,
4
an offense but it may be a way of reducing access.
· Prohibit minors from entering bars medium This strategy has not been specifically evaluated,
but it may be a way of reducing access. Also, it
expresses community, norms against underage
drinking more clearly.
· Make outlets liable for the harm that medium This strategy has not been specifically evaluated
occurs as the result of providing alcohol in reducing sales to minors. Similar laws have
to minors been found to be effective in reducing impaired
driving crashes.3
Controls on availability in general
· Increase in price through excise taxes very high Increased taxes have consistently been found to
reduce alcohol consumpstion and problems,
especially among youth.
· Conditional use permits for alcohol high This strategy has not been specifically evaluated,
outlets but it may be a way of reducing access.
· Controls on outlet location and density high Higher density contributes to increased alcohol-
related problems. Lower density reduces alcohol-
related robl s
p ems.
· Controls on hours of sale high Effects on youth have not been specifically
evaluated, but, in general, controls on availability
reduce alcohol-related robl z
p ems.
12 Strategies To Reduce Underage Alcohol Use
Table 1--Continued.
Strategy Priority Level of Effectiveness
Expressions of Community Norms Against Underage Use
· Prohibitions or controls on alcohol use high This strategy has not been specifically evaluated,
at community events or in public areas but it can be a strong expression of community
(e.g., at county fairs, in parks, or at norms and can reduce alcohol access.
beaches), which can also be seen as a
control on access
· Prohibition of alcohol sponsorship of high This strategy has not been specifically evaluated,
public events (e.g., a beer company but it can be a strong expression of community
sponsoring a boat race) norms.
· Media campaigns, media advocacy, high Media campaigns have been found to be very
and counteradvertising important components of enforcement efforts,
greatly magnifying their effectiveness.
Counteradvertising has been found to be effective
in reducing use of tobacco; similar campaigns may
be effective for alcohol.e
· Controls on alcohol advertising medium Exposure to alcohol advertising has been found to
(especially on billboards, sides of have an effect on attitudes toward alcohol and
9
buses, and in other public areas) intentions to use.
· Community sponsorship of alcohol-free medium This strategy has not been specifically evaluated,
activities for youth but it can help to establish community norms
against underage use.
· Parent coalitions to reduce alcohol use medium This strategy has not been specifically evaluated,
by their children (Safe Homes but it can be an expression of community norms.
coalitions)
Strategies To Reduce Underage Alcohol Use 13
Strategy Priority ~ Level of Effectiveness
Strategies Based in Schools and in Other Youth Organizations
· School policies regarding alcohol use high This strategy has been found to reduce substance
on school property or at school- use problems.to
sponsored events (These policies are
especially important in high schools,
but are even more important in
colleges and universities.)
· Media literacy programs to make youth medium Some effects on attitudes have been found."
more sophisticated about the
manipulative techniques of advertisers
· Prevention curricula. Sometimes the low In general, research and evaluations have found
content of these or similar curricula are that these programs have weak and inconsistent
12
delivered in other venues, e.g., youth effects on alcohol use.
clubs
Prevention of Impaired Driving
· Establishment and enforcement of very high All States now have these laws. They can be very
"zero tolerance" laws for drivers effective in reducing alcohol-related traffic crashes
under 21 (as much as 50-percent reductions), especially if
well publicized and enforced.~3
· Sobriety checkpoints for impaired very high This strategy can be very effective in reducing
drivers (especially important as a impaired driving and crashes. Sp, ecific effects on
method of enforcing zero tolerance youth have not been evaluated.
laws)
· Vigorous and well-publicized high This strategy has a strong effect on impaired
enforcement of impaired driving laws in driving. Sp,escific effects on youth have not been
general, as well as other traffic evaluated.~
enforcement (e.g., speeding, running
red lights)
· Responsible beverage service medium Some studies have shown improvements in ID
techniques that can reduce sales to checking as a result of training. Stronger effects
minors as well as reduce sales of have been shown on reducing service to
alcohol to intoxicated persons intoxicated patrons, especially when combined with
1
enforcement.
Strategies To Reduce Underage Alcohol Use 15
Table References
1. See for example, Preusser, D. E, Williams, A. E, 6. See for example, Scribner, R. A., MacKinnon.
& Weinstein, H. B. (1994). Policing underage D.P., & Dwyer, J. H. (1994). Alcohol outlet
alcohol sales. Journal of Safety Research, 25(3), density and motor vehicle crashes in Los
127-133. Angeles county cities. Journal of Studies on
Alcohol, 55(4), 447453.
Wolfson, M., Toomey, T. L., Forster, J. L.,
Wagenaar, A. C., McGovem, P. G., &Perry, C. Alaniz, M. L., Parker, R. N., Gallegos, A., &
L. (1996). Characteristics, policies and practices Cartmill, R. S. (n.d.). Final progress report:
of alcohol outlets and sales to underage persons. Alcohol outlet density and Mexican American
Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 57(6), 670-674. youth violence. Unpublished manuscript.
2. See for example, Altman, D. G., Rasenick- 7. Smith, D. I. (1988). Effect on traffic accidents of
Douss, L., Foster, V., & Tye, J. B. (1991). Sunday alcohol sales in Brisbane, Australia.
Sustained effects of an educational program to International Journal of the Addictions, 23(10),
reduce sales of cigarettes to minors. American 1091-1099.
Journal of Public Health, 81(7), 891-893.
Olsson, O., & Wikstrom, P. H. (1982). Effects of
the experimental Saturday closing of liquor
3. Wagenaar, A. C., & Holder, H. D. (1991). retail stores in Sweden. Contemporary Drug
Effects of alcoholic beverage server liability on
Problems, 11(3), 325-353.
traffic crash injuries. Alcoholistn: Clinical and
Experimental Research, 15(6), 942-947.
8. Blomberg, R. D. (1993). Lower BAC limits for
youth: Evaluation of the Maryland .02 law. In
4. Preusser, D. F., Ferguson, S.A., Williams, A.F., Alcohol and other drugs: Their role in
& Farmer, C. M. (1995). Underage access to
transportation (Transportation Research
alcohol: Sources of alcohol and use of false Circular No. 413, pp. 25-27). Washington, DC:
identification. Arlington, VA: Insurance Institute
for Highway Safety. Transportation Research Board.
Wallack, L., & DeJong, W. (1995). Mass media
5. See for example, Saffer, H., & Grossman, M. and public health: Moving the focus from the
(1987). Beer taxes, the legal drinking age, and individual to the environment. S. E. Martin & P.
youth motor vehicle fatalities. Journal of Legal Mail (Eds.), In Effects of the mass media on the
Studies, 16, 351-374. use and abuse of alcohol (NIAAA Research
Monograph No. 28, NIH Publication No. 95-
Manning, W. G., Blumberg, L., & Moulton, L. 3743, pp. 253-268). Bethesda, MD: National
H. (1995). The demand for alcohol: The Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
differential response to price. Journal of Health
Economics, 14, 123-148.
16 Strategies To Reduce Underage Alcohol Use
9. Grube, J. W., & Wallack, L. (1994). Television 13. Blomberg, R. D. (1993). Lower BAC limits for
beer advertising and drinking knowledge, youth: Evaluation of the Maryland .02 law. In
beliefs, and intentions among schoolchildren. Alcohol and other drugs: Their role in
American Journal of Public Health, 84(2), 254- transportation (Transportation Research
259. Circular No. 413, pp. 25-27). Washington, DC:
Transportation Research Board.
10. Moskowitz, J. M., & Jones, R. (1988). Alcohol
Hingson, R., Heeren, T., Howland, J., & Winter,
and drag problems in the schools: Results of a
M. (1991). Reduced BAC limits for young
national survey of school administrators.
people (impact on night fatal crashes). Alcohol,
Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 49(4), 299-305.
Drugs and Driving 7(2), 117-127.
11. Slater, M. D., Rouner, D., Murphy, K., Beauvais, 14. Ross, H. L. (1992). The deterrent capability of
F., Van Leuven, J., & Domenech-Rodriguez, M. sobriety checkpoints: Summary of American
M. (1996). Adolescent counterarguing of TV
literature. Washington, DC: National Highway
beer advertisements: Evidence for effectiveness Traffic Safety Administration.
of alcohol education and critical viewing
discussions. Journal of Drug Education, 26(2),
143-158. 15. See for example, Ross, H. L. (1988).
Deterrence-based policies in Britain, Canada,
Canzer, B. (1996). Social marketing approach to and Australia. In M. D. Laurence, J. R.
media intervention design in health and lifestyle Snortum, & E E. Zimring. (Eds.), Social control
education. Dissertation Abstracts International of the drinking driver (pp. 64-78). Chicago:
57(2), 647A. University of Chicago Press.
Austin, E. W., & Johnson, K. K. (1995, May).
Direct and indirect effects of media literacy 16. See, for example, Holder, H. D., & Wagenaar, A.
C. (1994). Mandated server training and reduced
training on third graders' decision-making for alcohol-involved traffic crashes: A time series
alcohol. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting
of the International Communication Association, analysis of the Oregon experience. Accident
Albuquerque, NM. (ERIC Document Analysis and Prevention, 26(1), 89-97.
Reproduction Service No. ED384930)
McKnight, A. J. (1991). Factors influencing the
effectiveness of server-intervention education.
12. See, for example, Gorman, D. M. (1996). Do Journal of Studies on Alcohol 52(5), 389-397.
school-based social skills training programs
prevent alcohol use among young people? Wolfson, M., Toomey, T. L., Forster, J. L.,
Addiction Research, 4(2), 191-210. Wagenaar, A. C., McGovern, P. G., &Perry, C.
L. (1996). Characteristics, policies and practices
Donaldson, S. I., Piccinin, A. M., Graham, J.W., of alcohol outlets and sales to underage persons.
& Hansen, W. B. (1995). Resistance-skills Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 57(6), 670-674.
training and onset of alcohol use: Evidence for
beneficial and potentially harmful effects in
public schools and in private Catholic schools.
Health Psychology, 14(4), 291-300.
esources
Related Research Articles
Alvarez, M. R., Twitchell, L. E., & Trock, Y. (1995).
Minors and alcohol. Journal of Juvenile Law, 16,
229-241.
This article discusses the outcome of court
cases involving youth access to alcohol,
social host liability, and the enforcement of
liquor laws. The first two cases involve the
theory of social host liability. In an Illinois
case, an adult host was found liable for
providing alcohol to a minor who was
subsequently injured. In the other social
host liability case, a Pennsylvania court
found that the theory of social host liability
was not relevant when a minor host serves
alcoholic beverages to minors. Another case
addresses the constitutionality of the use of
underage decoys to enforce liquor laws. The
California Supreme Court found that the use
of decoys did not violate a merchant's right
to due process and is not entrapment. In the
final case, the Hawaii Supreme Court found
a breach of tort duty by a liquor merchant.
The merchant illegally sold alcohol to a
minor, who then gave the alcohol to a
second minor. The second minor was
permanently injured when in an accident
while the first minor was driving.
Braun, B. L., Wolfson, M., Jones-Webb, R., &
Wagenaar, A. C. (1997). Civic participation by 18-
to 20-year-olds as a predictor of support for alcohol
control policies: The Communities Mobilizing for
Change on Alcohol project. Contemporary Drug
Problems, 24, 39-56.
This study examines young adult support
for alcohol control polices. The data
presented in the article were collected as a
part of the baseline data collection for the
Communities Mobilizing for Change on
18 Strategies To Reduce Underage Alcohol Use
Alcohol project. The article presents the retailers selling alcohol and tobacco
data related to the levels of support for products to underage youth. Members of the
specific alcohol control policies in a sample coalition, both adults and minors, issued
of 18- to 20-year-old men and women to citations to clerks in supermarket stores,
evaluate the relationship between convenience stores, and liquor stores who
participation in community organizations were willing to sell alcohol and tobacco
and support for alcohol control policies. products to minors. In addition,
The results found that levels of support commendations were issued to clerks who
varied for certain alcohol control policies. refused to sell. The study found a marked
In general, new policies were less well decrease in alcohol sales to minors in stores
supported than existing policies, and there that received citizen surveillance. The
was less support for policies directly intervention did not appear to be effective in
penalizing 18- to 20-year olds. reducing tobacco sales to minors.
Chaloupka, E J. & Wechsler, H. (1996). Binge Little, B., &Bishop, M. (1998). Minor drinkers/
drinking in college: The impact of price, availability, major consequences: Enforcement strategies for
and alcohol control policies. Contemporary underage alcoholic beverage law violators. FBI Law
Economic Policy, ~4(4), 112-124. Enforcement Bulletin, 67(6), 1-4.
This study addresses the effects of alcohol This article reviews law enforcement
control policies on drinking by college techniques for enforcing underage drinking
students with particular focus on how these laws. Discussion is included on sting
policies affect binge drinking. The data operations, "Cops in Shops," party patrols,
analyzed in this study was obtained from and walkthroughs.
the 1993 Harvard College Alcohol Study, a
nationally representative sample of students
Preusser, D. E, Ferguson, S. A., Williams, A. E, &
at 140 U.S. colleges and universities. The
Farmer, C. M. (1997). Underage access to alcohol:
results indicate that raising excise taxes on
Sources of alcohol and use of false identification.
beer could reduce binge drinking among Alcohol, drugs and traffic safety-T'97: Volume 3.
female college students, but not male
Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on
college students. Other results found that
Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety, Annecy, 21
other policies may contribute to binge September-26 September 1997 Annecy Cedex,
drinking, including controls on the France: Centre d'Etudes et de Recherches en
availability of alcoholic beverages and
Medecine du Trafic, pp. 1017-1025.
strong impaired driving policies.
This study examined minors' sources for
Lewis, R. K., Paine-Andrews, A., Fawcett, S.B., alcohol in samples from two States with
Francisco, V. T., Richter, K. P., Copple, B., &
contrasting underage laws. One sample was
Copple, J. E. (1996). Evaluating the effects of a
drawn from New York, which has relatively
community coalition's efforts to reduce illegal sales
weak underage laws because possession of
of alcohol and tobacco products to minors. Journal alcohol by a minor and the use of false
of Community Health, 21(6), 429-436. identification are not prohibited. The other
sample was from Pennsylvania, which is a
This study investigated the effectiveness of liquor control State and has strong sanctions
a community coalition intervention aimed at for youth possession of alcohol and use of
Strategies To Reduce Underage Alcohol Use 19
false identification. The results found that Frequent self-purchasers and infrequent
across both States, the most popular source secondary purchasers have the highest
of alcohol for minors was "friends ." In levels of consumption and problems. Bar
addition, almost half of all surveyed had drinkers had low levels of drinking and few
attempted to purchase alcohol, and almost problems.
one third had used false identification at
some time. Frequent drinking, purchase Wagenaar, A. C., Finnegan, J. R., Wolfson, M.,
attempts, and use of false identification was Anstine, P. S., Willjams, C. L., &Perry, C. L.
more common among males, New York (1993). Where and how adolescents obtain alcoholic
students, and college students. beverages. Public Health Reports, 108(4), 459-464.
Preusser, D. E, Williams, A. E, & Weinstein, H.B. Sources of alcohol were studied through
(1994). Policing underage alcohol sales. Journal of focus groups in a sample of midwestern
Safety Research, 25(3), 127-133. youth. Results indicate that alcoholic
beverages are easily accessible to underage
This study evaluates an intervention aimed drinkers. Results show that sources of
at enforcing minimum purchase age laws. alcohol varied by age: early teens obtained
The program involved performing a series alcohol from parent's supplies or from older
of sting operations at randomly selected siblings and friends; mid-teens commonly
grocery, convenience, liquor, and drug obtained alcohol at parties where beer was
stores. Stores that sold alcohol to minors available; and older teens purchased alcohol
were subject to fines and beverage license from alcohol outlets. Other results show
suspensions. The sting operations were that alcohol was more likely to be sold to
repeated four times in a 10-month period. female buyers and sold by male sellers, by
The sales rate dropped from 59 percent in young sellers, and by convenience store
the baseline attempts to 26 percent in the outlet clerks.
final.
Wagenaar, A. C., Toomey, T. L., Murray, D. M.,
Smart, R. G., Adlaf, E. M., & Walsh, G. W. (1996). Short, B. J., Wolfson, M., & Jones-Webb, R. (1996).
Procurement of alcohol and underage drinking Sources of alcohol for underage drinkers. Journal of
among adolescents in Ontario. Journal of Studies on Studies on Alcohol, 57(3), 325-333.
Alcohol, 57(4), 419-424.
This study surveyed underage youth in 15
This study surveyed underage students in midwestern communities to assess sources
Ontario about their drinking patterns and of alcohol for early, middle, and older
sources for alcohol. The results showed that teenagers. Results show that across all ages
alcohol is readily accessible to underage the most common source of alcohol was an
drinkers. Other results showed that adult over age 21. The second most
obtaining alcohol from parents or having common source was commercial outlets
someone older purchase it were both more among 18-20 years olds and a person under
common sources than minors purchasing the age of 21 years for 9m and 12th graders.
alcohol themselves. The study identified Other factors, such as perceived availability,
four types of underage drinkers: bar binge drinking, and several demographic
drinkers, frequent purchasers, frequent characteristics, were found to be
obtainers, and infrequent obtainers. independently related to the source of
20 Strategies To Reduce Underage Alcohol Use
alcohol used. Results also found gender encouragement from the community to
differences in sources of alcohol. increase enforcement efforts. Officers listed
obstacles to law enforcement as limited
Wolfson, M., Toomey, T. L., Forster, J.L., resources, effort involved in processing
Wagenaar, A. C., McGovern, P. G., &Perry, C.L. paperwork, and evidentiary and procedural
(1996). Characteristics, policies and practices of challenges. Officers also made
recommendations to reduce underage
alcohol outlets and sales to underage persons.
Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 57(6), 670-674. drinking: increased penalties for merchants
that sell to minors, community-service
penalties to underage drinking violators,
This study explored the relationship penalties to parents of underage drinkers,
between the policies and practices of
and beer keg registration.
alcohol outlets and the illegal sales of
alcohol to minors. This study surveyed
alcohol outlets in which purchase attempts
were conducted in a previous study [Forster,
J. L., Mc overn, P. Wagenaar, A.C., Published Materials
Wolfson, M., Perry, C. L., & Anstine, P.S. Alcohol Compliance Checks: A Procedure Manual
(1994). The ability of young people to
for Enforcing Alcohol Age-of-Sale Laws, Alcohol
purchase alcohol without age identification
Epidemiology Program, University of Minnesota,
in northeastern Minnesota, USA. Addiction, 1998.
89(6), 699-705.]. Data from the outlet
survey and the alcohol purchase attempts
were merged. The study found that factors This manual begins by discussing the
in bars affected alcohol sales to minors, but reasons for conducting compliance checks
no characteristic or practice in liquor stores and examining the evidence of their
was associated with the purchase rate. effectiveness. It then provides a step-by-step
Overall, bars were less likely to sell to guide to planning and implementing the
minors. In addition, other factors in bars checks, including the review of existing
were associated with fewer alcohol sales to ordinances; the selection of appropriate
minOrS, such as the presence of a manager sites, merchandise, and buyers; and
on the premises and formal server training. communicating with merchants and the
community. Several model forms, sample
letters, and publicity materials are included
Wolfson, M., Wagenaar, A. C., & Hornseth, G.W. in the appendixes. This resource is relevant
(1995). Law officers' views on enforcement of the to strategies for enforcement aimed at both
minimum drinking age: A four-state study. Public
retailers (e.g., use of compliance checks,
Health Reports, 110(4), 428~438. education regarding techniques and
responsibilities) and youth (e.g., penalties
Indepth interviews with law enforcement applied to violating youth).
officers in four States were conducted to
learn officers' attitudes about underage This item is available from the Alcohol
drinking and the enforcement of minimum
Epidemiology Program, School of Public
purchase age laws. The interviews found
Health, University of Minnesota, 1300 So.
that officers perceive an attitude of
Second St., #300, Minneapolis, MN 55454-
acceptance of underage drinking in the 1015. Phone 612-624-3818.
community and that they do not receive
Strategies To Reduce Underage Alcohol Use 21
Community Action Guide to Save Lives! Strategies improved enforcement of the minimum
to Reduce Underage Access to Alcohol and Save drinking age through responsible beverage
Lives in Your Community, Join Together, n.d. service, increased enforcement for DWI and
increased perception of the risk of being
This guide begins with a brief discussion of caught for DWI, reduced retail availability
of alcohol for minors, and the use of zoning
key factors ~'or building community support:
organization, effective use of media and and other local ordinances to control
alcohol outlet density. The article highlights
public events, and advocacy. It then presents
five recommendations for reducing youth the synergistic effect of a multicomponent
access, possible action steps, success strategy for reducing the availability of
stories, and additional resources. The five alcohol.
recommendations address BAC for drivers
under age 21, an increase in the Federal This item is available from the Juvenile
excise tax on alcoholic beverages, liability Justice Clearinghouse/NCJRS, P.O. Box
for supplying a minor with alcohol, 6000, Rockville, MD 20849-6000. Phone
mandated air time for counteradvertising, (toll free) 800-638-8736. Fax 301'519-
and systematic assessment of youth access 5212. E-mail: puborder@ncjrs.org The
to alcohol by local governments. This guide complete issue is publication number NCJ
will be of interest to those investigating 173425. The issue can also be viewed
such strategies as enforcement aimed at online at http://www. ncjrs.org/pdffiles/
retailers and reducing the social availability 173425.pdf
of alcohol (e.g., liability), controlling
availability in general (e.g., tax increase),
expressing community norms (e.g., Graduated Licensing: A Blueprint for North
counteradvertising), and preventing
impaired driving (e.g., BAC for drivers America, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
under age 21). (IIHS) &Traffic Injury Research Foundation, n.d.
This item is available from Join Together, This resource on graduated licensing
441 Stuart St., Boston, MA, 02116. Phone supports many of the concepts discussed in
617-437-1500. E-mail: the NHTSA report described above,
info@jointogether. org including the use of three stages of driving
privileges. It also provides specific
recommendations for the central
Environmental Approaches to Reducing Underage components of such a licensing process.
Drinking, by A. J. Treno & H. D. Holder, Juvenile
Justice, 5(2), 20-27, 1997.
This item is available from the IIHS, 1005
N. Glebe Road, Suite 800, Arlington, VA
This article reports findings from the 22201. Phone 703-247-1500. Fax 703-247-
Community Trials Project (CTP). The CTP 1588. The Web site for IIHS also hosts an
used five environmental approaches to informative Q & A page about graduated
reduce alcohol-involved injuries. Those licensing. It can be viewed at http://
approaches were similar to some of the www.hwysafety.org/qanda/qagrad.htm
strategies to reduce youth access to alcohol.
They included community mobilization,
22 Strategies To Reduce Underage Alcohol Use
Hospitality Resource Panel: Finding the Right sponsorship, administrative penalties, and
Balance, by J. E. Peters, 1997. the use of alcohol warning posters;
merchant policies, including checking age
identification; and institutional policies,
This report clearly outlines the process,
such as responsible beverage service
outcomes, challenges, and future strategies
for the three major goals of a project in E1 training. This resource is relevant to most of
Cajon, CA, intended to address issues the strategies for limitations on access.
regarding the sale and service of alcoholic
beverages by businesses and community This item is available from the Alcohol
organizations. The broadly representative Epidemiology Program, School of Public
Hospitality Resource Panel examined ways Health, University of Minnesota, 1300 So.
to assist licensees in complying with Second St., #300, Minneapolis, MN 55454-
existing laws and norms. A Hospitality and 1015. Phone 612-624-3818. Each policy can
Community Policing Program provided also be obtained from links at the following
increased enforcement (e.g., "Cops in Alcohol Epidemiology Program Web site:
Shops"), retailer training, and community http://www.epi.umn.edu/alcohol/
education through media advocacy. The POLICY. HT1VIL
project also sought to make the gains
achieved during the term of the program Model Guidelines Concerning Compliance Checks
sustainable. for Underage Alcohol Sales, Department of
Revenue, Liquor Enforcement Division, 1997.
This item is available from the Responsible
Hospitality Institute, 4113 Scotts Valley This short pamphlet reflects the cooperative
Drive, Scotts Valley, CA 95066. Phone 408- effort of law enforcement, local and county
438-1404. governments, the liquor industry, and the
legal profession to create a practical
Keeping Alcohol Away from Underage Youth: guideline for conducting compliance checks
Policy Solutions, Pratt, L., Rothstein, C., Meath, J., or sting operations. The guidelines address
& Toomey, T., 1997. why a compliance check should be
conducted, the characteristics of the
This report contains a series of model underage purchaser, identification, general
policies to address alcohol accessibility. procedures for the purchaser and law
Each policy has a definition, which is enforcement, notification of the licensee,
accompanied by discussions of why the suggested penalties, and re-checks.
policy is important for the community,
factors to consider when attempting to This item is available from the Department
implement the policy, how the policy fits of Revenue, Liquor Enforcement Division,
into the broader context of alcoholic 1375 Sherman St., Denver, CO 80261.
beverage control, brief case histories, and Phone 303-205-2300.
additional resources. The report includes
public policies such as alcohol restrictions
1997 Youth Fatal Crashes and Alcohol Facts,
in public places and at community events,
beer keg registration, compliance checks, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
minimum age of seller, bans on home (NHTSA), 1998.
delivery of alcohol, restrictions on alcohol
Strategies To Reduce Underage Alcohol Use 23
This resource is a regularly updated series Administration. Center for Substance Abuse
of graphs, charts, and statistics about fatal Prevention, 1995.
crashes involving drivers ages 15 to 20. The
figures that deal with alcohol-involved
This report profiles 10 State programs that
fatalities will be of interest to those
address underage drinking from several
advocating for increased enforcement of
perspectives. Policy-oriented programs of
existing DWI laws as well as those seeking note include an effort in Massachusetts to
to improve enforcement of laws restricting train servers and sellers; the Alcohol
alcohol availability to youth. Awareness Seminars exemplify strategies
for enforcement aimed at retailers, such as
This item is available from NHTSA, 400 merchant education and civil liability for
Seventh Street, SW, Washington, DC sales to minors. A Virginia-based program
20590. Phone (toll free) 800-424-9393 or tackles enforcement aimed at minors
202-366-0123. through a Dual Agency Task Force to
Combat Fraudulent Identification Use.
Preventing Youth Access to Alcohol from Penalties for the use of false identification,
Commercial Sources, Strategizer No. 28, along with those for DUI, are part of the
Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America youth enforcement focus of a media
(CADCA), n.d. campaign in Ohio entitled None for Under
21. This program also employs strategies to
reduce the social availability of alcohol by
This CADCA Strategizer summaries the key reminding parents and other adults of their
policies that can be enacted to reduce youth potential liability.
access to alcohol. The summary includes
compliance checks, administrative
This item is available from NAGHSR, 750
penalties, and age identification policies. First Street, NE, Suite 720, Washington, DC
The guide also discusses the benefits of 20002-4241. Phone 202-789-0942.
beer keg registration and regulations on
home delivery. It also lists strategies that
merchants can implement, such as Retail Oriented Best Practices for Underage
responsible beverage training and warning Drinking Prevention: An Exemplary Selection of
signs about the consequences of alcohol Retail Oriented Programs and Practices Aimed at
use. Reducing Underage Drinking and Related
Drinking and Driving, National Highway Traffic
This item is available from CADCA, 901 Safety Administration, 1997.
North Pitt Street, Suite 300, Alexandria,
VA, 22314. Phone (toll free) 800-54- A 38-page book profiling programs across
CADCA. the Nation that address drinking and
driving, enforcement, false identification,
Promising Approaches in the Prevention of seller training, compliance, and assistance.
Underage Drinking: Case Studies of State To be included in the book, a program had
Activities, National Association of Governors' to meet nine criteria established by the
Highway Safety Representatives (NAGHSR). National Alcohol Beverage Control
National Association of State Alcohol and Drag Association and pass an expert review
Abuse Directors. National Highway Traffic Safety panel. The resulting profiles identify a
24 Strategies To Reduce Underage Alcohol Use
target audience, describe the program and 808 801. The report can also be viewed
any special features or evaluation, and online at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/
indicate why the program is effective and injury/newdriver/SaveTeens/Index.html
when it was established. Information on the
legal basis for the program, as well as its
Student Activist Training: Putting Your Passion
distribution, funding, and supporting data is
into Action, Mothers Against Drunk Driving
included. The profiles also provide contact (MADD), n.d.
information. This resource is particularly
relevant to the strategy of enforcing
minimum purchase age laws, both with A guide intended for use by youth and
retailers (e.g., seller training, compliance community groups. The document defines
checks) and youth (e.g., false identification, youth advocacy, presents stories of
"Cops in Shops"). successful campaigns, and discusses
important traffic safety issues, including
impaired driving. It then outlines the steps
This item is available from NTHSA, Attn: for launching a campaign. Chapters address
TSP Resource Center Orders, 400 Seventh topics such as researching the issues,
Street, SW, Washington, DC 20590. Phone understanding State and local governments,
(toll free) 800-424-9393. Fax 202-493- organizing and mobilization, and making an
2062. Publication No. DOT HS 808 618. effective presentation. Worksheets at the
end of each chapter facilitate planning an
Saving Teenage Lives: The Case for Graduated advocacy campaign. This resource will be
Driver Licensing, National Highway Traffic Safety useful to those attempting to clarify
Administration, 1998. community norms against underage use
(e.g., conducting media campaigns) or those
This report outlines the strategy of wishing to involve youth directly.
graduated licensing in clear detail. It begins
with a discussion of teen drivers and This item is available from MADD, P.O.
accident statistics. It then explains the Box 541688, Dallas, TX 75354-1688. E-
stages of graduated licensing (learner's mail: program@madd.org. For more
permit, intermediate license, full license) information, visit the Web site for the guide
and the eligibility criteria, core components, at http://www.madd.org/UNDER21/
and recommended components of each satp.shtml
stage. The report also includes sections on
the effectiveness of graduated licensing, Teen Drinking Prevention Program, Center for
case histories from various States and Substance Abuse Prevention, 1995.
countries that employ the strategy, and the
support for its broader implementation. A
model law, current State licensing laws, This resource is actually a series of
statistics, and a resource list comprise the booklets, each with a different focus, on
appendixes. preventing underage drinking. The Guide to
Program Materials introduces the series.
The Teen Action Guide addresses strategies
This item is available from NHTSA, 400 to deal with community norms and media
Seventh Street, SW, Washington, DC literacy, encouraging teens to become
20590. Phone (toll free) 800-424-9393 or informed about the effects of alcohol, to
202-366-0123. Publication No. DOT HS
Strategies To Reduce Underage Alcohol Use 25
raise awareness, to sponsor alcohol-free awareness materials pertain to general
activities, and to learn about the messages safety concerns, such as seatbelt use and
that the alcohol industry imparts to youth. speeding. Specific to impaired driving are
The Community Risk Assessment Guide articles on drug-impaired driving,
and Community Action Guide examine promoting zero tolerance, and alcohol
many of the same issues on a broader level. poisoning. The entire planner is a useful
The Event Action Guide continues this example of the tools needed to engage the
focus on community norms by encouraging media and change community norms.
organizers to look at the role of alcohol and
alcohol sponsorship in special events. The
Communicator's Guide contains sample This item is available from NHTSA, 400
advocacy materials and suggestions on how Seventh Street, SW, Washington, DC
to develop and implement an effective 20590. Phone (toll free) 800-424-9393 or
media campaign. The Law Enforcement 202-366-0123. Publication No. DOT HS
Action Guide describes enforcement 808 675. The report can also be viewed
strategies aimed at retailers (e.g., online at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/
outreach/safesobr/15qp/web/index.html
compliance checks, merchant training) and
at youth (e.g., use/lose laws, keg
registration, party patrols), as well as Youth DWI and Underage Enforcement, National
barriers to drinking and driving Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1997.
enforcement. Success stories and a resource
list are also included. This resource is a practical manual,
intended for police officers and others in
These items are available from the National law enforcement. It provides information on
Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug forming partnerships within the community
Information (NCADI). The order number and tips on enforcement aimed at retailers
for a shrink-wrapped set of the materials is (stings at both stores and hotels) and youth
PHD710. Materials may be ordered from (third-party sales, party patrols). A section
NCADI via mail, fax, telephone, or E-mail. entitled "Enhancers" suggests additional
Phone (toll free) 800-729-6686 to speak to strategies for reducing youth alcohol
an Information Specialist, or write to The involvement, including creating a network
National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and of cooperating individuals or informants
Drug Information, P.O. Box 2345, within the community, parental notification
Rockville, MD 20847-2345. Fax 301-468- when a youth has been cited, and the use of
6433. E-mail: info@health.org an alcohol and drug hotline for anonymous
tips about violations.
Youth & Generation X Planner: Campaign Safe &
Sober, National Highway Traffic Safety This item is available from NHTSA, 400
Administration, 1998. Seventh Street, SW, Washington, DC
20590. Phone (toll free) 800-424-9393 or
This planner, a component of the larger 202-366-0123. It is item number 4P0068
Campaign Safe & Sober, addresses the from the Traffic Safety Materials Catalog. It
traffic safety needs of teens and young can also be ordered online at http://
adults in their twenties and thirties. Many of www. nhtsa.dot.gov/people/outreach/media/
the sample press releases, ad slicks, and catalog/material.cfm
26 Strategies To Reduce Underage Alcohol Use
Web sites counteradvertising), and DWI prevention, to name a
few. While not specific to underage alcohol use, the
The Century Council Take Action section of the Web site also provides
http://www. centurycouncil.org tips on advocacy and media relations.
The Century Council supports a variety of initiatives Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)
that advance strategies to reduce underage drinking http://www. madd.org
and youth access to alcohol. The Council's Web site
has pages devoted to enforcement efforts, such as The MADD Web site features a number of
"Cops in Shops" and the Front Lines program resources, statistics, and news related to impaired
(promotional materials for minimum purchase age driving. In addition, the web site provides access to
awareness and enforcement). The site further policy resources, such as the MADD Guide to
describes the Council's involvement in efforts to Congress. MADD also addresses issues related to
pass zero tolerance laws and legislation allowing underage drinking. MADD's Youth In Action
administrative license revocation for the prevention initiative supports eight anti-drinking programs and
of impaired driving. Educational programs for helps teens take the lead to change the social, legal,
parents, teens, and college students are also featured and economic environment in which young people
at this Web site. make decisions about alcohol.
FACE: Truth and clarity about alcohol Reducing Underage Drinking through
http://faceproject.org Coalitions
The FACE (Facing Alcohol Concerns through Home page
Education) Web site describes the organization's http://epihub.epi.umn.edu/alcohoi/coalitionJ
focus on media development, training, and This Web site is one on the many links from the
advocacy. Links to the product catalog and order Alcohol Epidemiology Program home page (see
form provide access to videos, commercials, outdoor above). It explains the mission of the Reducing
advertising, and print materials that address the Underage Drinking through Coalitions project: to
health and safety risks associated with alcohol. raise public awareness of the benefits of reducing
These media and FACE training sessions as well, are underage drinking, to develop effective action
of particular interest to those working in the area of plans targeting the problem in their regions, and to
community norms. implement effective local strategies for solutions.
The project is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson
Join Together Foundation. The site also gives brief descriptions
http://www.jointogether. org of the member groups and contact information.
The Join Together Web site compiles news, feature Coalitions with Web sites or an intention to
stories, funding information, and resources from a develop a Web site:
variety of sources. A "Quick Search" interface, · Connecticut Coalition on Youth and Alcohol
available on each page within the Substance Abuse http://www. ctclearinghouse.org/coalitn.htm
section, allows easy access to items addressing many This Web site describes the Coalition's mission,
of the strategies to reduce underage alcohol use: which includes reducing youth access to alcohol,
enforcement (e.g., compliance checks, keg influencing policies and norms that contribute to
registration), social availability (e.g., parties), tax youth alcohol use, increasing enforcement of
increases, community norms (e.g., advocacy, current laws, reducing the influence of alcohol
Strategies To Reduce Underage Alcohol Use 27
advertising, using media to raise awareness of brief definitions of the policies. Links to an
underage drinking problems, and involving youth educational postcard campaign illustrate one way
in these efforts. The site provides a few specific in which the Coalition is advocating for change in
examples of how the Coalition intends to realize community norms on these issues. Other links at
its mission. A page on zero tolerance, for example, the site share information about staff and board
describes the existing law, links to some of the members, as well as legislative updates. The
media the Coalition has created in response to zero Minnesota Join Together Newsletter is also
tolerance, and encourages visitors to become accessible at this site.
involved in their communities. Pages on youth
activities and the Youth Congress similarly testify · Missouri's Youth/Adult Alliance Against
to the Coalition's effort to involve youth. Underage Drinking (MYAA)
http ://www.rnyaa .org
· Georgia Alcohol Policy Partnership (GAPP) Missouri's Youth/Adult Alliance uses its Web site
http://www. gapp.org to clearly outline the organization's goals and
The Alcohol Policy section of this Web site objectives for reducing underage drinking and to
discusses GAPP's two major intervention share progress toward those goals. The policy
initiatives: increasing awareness regarding illegal section on MYAA's site is currently under
provision of alcohol to youth, with an emphasis on construction, but it appears that the organization
responsible server training; and increasing will focus its attention on keg registration, .08
awareness regarding alcohol outlet density. BAC, and zero tolerance. Of interest to those who
seek to involve youth in solutions to underage
· Indiana Coalition to Reduce Underage drinking, MYAA devotes a section of this Web site
Drinking (ICRUD) to introducing its Youth Advisory Board and
http://www. prevention.indiana.edu/underage/ emphasizes youth participation in its goals.
wel.htm
ICRUD's Web site explains several of the · National Capital Coalition to Prevent Underage
strategies for reducing youth access to alcohol, Drinking (NCCPUD)
including requiring identification on all alcohol http://www. nccpud.org
purchases, compliance checks, mandatory NCCPUD's Web site outlines the coalition's goals
responsible beverage server training, raising the and coalition members. The coalition is working
minimum age of seller, increasing administrative to reduce alcohol availability, alcohol marketing,
penalties, keg registration, regulations on home impaired driving through youth advocacy and
delivery, and raising the excise tax on alcohol. In policy training, public awareness campaigns,
addition to advocacy efforts on behalf of these conferences, and newsletters.
policies, ICRUD also coordinates a "Hands off
Holidays" program and a college initiative. These · The Noah Carolina Initiative to Reduce
projects are further described at the ICRLrD Web Underage Drinking
site. http://www.initiative.org
The North Carolina Initiative strives to educate the
· The Minnesota Join Together Coalition to public on the effects of alcohol advertising, easy
Reduce Underage Alcohol Use access to alcohol, casual adult attitudes about
http://www.miph.org/mjt drinking by young people, and general cultural
Minnesota Join Together focuses its energy on assumptions about prevalence of alcohol use. Its
three policies: illegal commercial sales, adult Web site helps in this effort by providing access to
providers of alcohol, and local control of alcohol statewide news about underage drinking, as well
ordinances. The Coalition's Web site provides as articles and statistics about alcohol promotion.
28 Strategies To Reduce Underage Alcohol Use
Other sections of the site exhort visitors to get University of Minnesota
involved in alcohol policy issues by engaging the Alcohol Epidemiology Program
media and voicing opinions with lawmakers. http://epihub.epi.umn.edu/alcohol/default.htp
· The Oregon Coalition to Reduce Underage This Web site briefly describes the work of the
Drinking (OCRUD) Alcohol Epidemiology Program, including focal
OCRUD's Web site is currently under points of ongoing research and sources of funding.
construction. The major content for the Web site links from the
home page, with separate sections on alcohol policy
· Pennsylvanians Against reviews, ordinances and legislation, compliance
Underage Drinking (PAUD) checks, and research, as well as staff and their
http://www. lcb.state.pa.us/edu/community- projects, articles, and presentations. The material on
paud.htm policies and legislation addresses many of the
PAUD's Web site details the organizational strategies for reducing underage alcohol use. (See
structure of the coalition, Since PAUD intends to the Resources section for more information on the
emphasize youth leadership, a number of school, policy reviews and compliance check procedures
college, and community groups are being invited manual.)
to join in the effort to reduce alcohol availability
to youth, marketing and promotions that target Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage
youth, and impaired driving. PAUD hopes to use a
public education and media plan to achieve these Control
goals. http ://www.abc.state.va.us/
· Texans Standing Tall The Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage
http://www. tst. citysearch.com Control's Web site contains a section on preventing
Texans Standing Tall (TST) supports local underage sales of alcohol and tobacco, This section
coalitions and individuals in efforts to change features the State's measures at enforcing underage
norms, regulations, and availability. Regional purchase laws, including a public service
steering committees of youth and adults lead announcement series and changes in drivers
activities to broaden understanding of licenses. The site also provides a full-text version of
environmental policy change and to promote the State's licensee guide, which includes all ABC
public and institutional policy for prevention of laws. It delineates the underage drinking laws and
underage drinking. Its Web site outlines two of the highlights how the law is implemented through a
c0aliti0n's policy strategies, restricting alcohol series of "questions and answers."
advertisements impacting youth and improving
responsible alcohol service and sales. In addition,
other pages include Hot Topics, Action Alerts,
Related Links, and a TST scrapbook.
12-04-00
Marian Karr 2d(7)
From: Mark Smith [thebodysmith@home.com]
Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2000 10:17 AM
To: cou ncil@iowa-city. org
Subject: Law Enforcement
Dear Council Members,
I've been surprised to learn that IC has several police officers
dedicated primarily to pursue the War on Drugs. It's my belief that
this effort is directly related to jail overcrowding and the recent
effort to tax us $30 million or so for a new jail. I think this is much
worse than a wasted effort but is in fact very harmful in it's effects
on many fine citizens who may occasionally use drugs which the
government deems illegal.
Please stop this waste of money, whether federal or local. Use the
police to stop crimes which have victims, not to harrass people into
conforming to someones elses opinion of what is wise.
Mark Smith
314 Brown St.
338-1316
l, DEC 0 1 gO00 2
December 2000 UnllledVVl!t
CITY MANAGER'S OFRCE of Johnson County
Mayor Ernic Lehman 321 E. Market St., Ste 302
City oF Iowa City Iowa ci~, IA 52245
4 10 East Washington Street Phone: (319)338-7823
Iowa City, IA 52240 Fax: (3~9) 339-7337
info~unitedwayjc.org
Dear Mayor Lehman:
I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the actions of one of the Iowa City
City Council representatives to the Joint Budget Hearings.
As you know, the Joint Budget Hearings began November 15th. We appreciate the fact
that the Iowa City City Council as well as the Johnson County Board of Supervisors and
Coralville City Council have representatives participating with United Way staff and
volunteers in the hearings. I am sure you realize that each of the four funding entities
represented at the hearings will make their respective funding decisions based on their
own criteria and evaluative processes. While the collaborative nature of the Joint Budget
Hearings is both efficient and effective, it requires that representatives from each of the
four funding entities respect the confidentiality of the others' evaluative discussions
throughout the process.
For that reason, I was dismayed to learn that Steven Kanner has made available to the
press, through the City Council packet, the United Way's preliminary ratings of the four
agencies reviewed thus far in the hearings. His actions are inappropriate for two reasons.
First, the hearings begin at 7:00 p.m. each evening. However, the half-hour prior to that
(6:30 to 7:00 p.m.), United Way staff and volunteers meet to discuss our initial
impressions of the agencies that made presentations the previous week. Though this
earlier meeting is intended for United Way discussions only, as a courtesy to the other
funding entities we permit them to observe our discussions if they choose. It is important
to remember that this is a meeting of United Way staff and volunteers and we ask that
anyone observing our meeting respect the confidentiality of our discussions.
Secondly, the United Way's evaluation of the agencies in the Joint Budget Hearings is a
long-term process involving multiple components. For Mr. Kanner to make public the
information from only one preliminary component of this multi-phase process is
misleading and unfair to both the agencies involved and to the United Way staff and
volunteers who are participating in the process. In the interest of fairness, we release
information to the public only after all of the agencies have completed each component of
the process and all funding decisions are ~nalized.
-
Mayor Lehman, we appreciate the City Council's participation in the Joint Hearings and
look forward to continued collaboration with the City in this process. Nevertheless, we
are concerned that Mr. Kanner's actions have tompromised the imegrity of the Joint
Budget Hearings and hope that in the future the con~dentiality of our internal evaluative
discussions will be respected.
Sincerely,
'~_a,c.~dc. ' Zzc z L cz-c.-,'
Beverly We~Zb~rr
Executive Director
CC: Stephen Atkins, City Manager
Linda Severson, Human Services Coordinator