Alcohol Resolution Draft

Tufts Community Union Senate A Resolution in Support of a Healthy Alcohol Strategy for Tufts WHEREAS drinking at Tufts has reached dangerous levels, as evidenced by increased severity of Tufts Emergency Medical Services (TEMS) alcohol-related calls; and WHEREAS in the 2001 Tufts Alcohol Study, “The majority of respondents (60.2%) knew someone who had been hospitalized or transported to the hospital because of alcohol use at Tufts”1; and WHEREAS the 2001 Tufts Alcohol Study found that, “Two-thirds (67%) of all Tufts students drink alcohol one or fewer times in a typical week”2; and WHEREAS the 2001 Tufts Alcohol Study further found that Tufts students have highly distorted perceptions of social norms regarding alcohol consumption3; and WHEREAS “social norms” marketing has been convincingly shown to reduce dangerous drinking behavior4; and WHEREAS in the 2001 Tufts Alcohol Study, “one in three respondents (33.8%) said they feel either overt or subtle pressure from others to drink”5; and WHEREAS abusive alcohol consumption can impact not only the partaker, but can also have adverse consequences on other students, such as through sexual assault6; and WHEREAS individual alcohol intervention strategies, such as the Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS) program have been shown to be effective in changing dangerous drinking behavior7; and WHEREAS students often have incomplete information about the signs of alcohol abuse, including but not limited to alcohol poisoning and alcohol dependency; and

1

http://ase.tufts.edu/healthservice/documents/Alcoholstudy.pdf

2

ibid

3

http://ase.tufts.edu/healthservice/documents/Alcoholstudy.pdf

4

http://www.higheredcenter.org/research/declining-negative-consequences-related-alcohol-misuse-among-students

5

http://ase.tufts.edu/healthservice/documents/Alcoholstudy.pdf

6

http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh25-1/43-51.pdf

7

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1797804/

Respectfully submitted on 8 November 2009 by Bruce H. Ratain, Jonathan Danzig, Yulia Korovikov, Chas Morrison, Wyatt Cadley, Noble J. Dilday

Tufts Community Union Senate A Resolution in Support of a Healthy Alcohol Strategy for Tufts WHEREAS the 2001 Tufts Alcohol Study recommended, “A positive health and safety approach…rather than a negative punishment approach, should undergird the plan”, noting that “Some researchers suggest that ‘college students are motivated by positive messages that align with their values. They tend to be less responsive to rule-based approaches than to positive visions of their role’”8; and WHEREAS data from the study shows that “ first year drinkers drink more heavily (in amount consumed) than do seniors”9; and WHEREAS concerns have been raised that the new policy makes students increasingly averse to calling TEMS, and the 2001 Tufts Alcohol Study found that “A number of students reported having friends ask them not to call TEMS for fear of both unfounded and actual repercussions. This pressure not to call TEMS creates a situation in which a student could be in serious danger but not receive immediate assistance that might mitigate harm” 10 ; and

WHEREAS Tufts lacks late-night weekend programming, as evidenced both from a cursory examination of scheduled events11, and from concerns raised by non-drinking students; therefore, BE IT RESOLVED that student safety, and changing dangerous drinking behavior, be the primary goals of any alcohol policy; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate concurs with the assertion made in the 2001 Tufts Alcohol Study that “If Tufts' goal is to create a healthy campus environment, then students cannot feel discouraged from calling TEMS”12; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the TCU Senate calls for the revision of the current alcohol policy such that, for a first alcohol offense, a student will be placed on probation-1 unless the student completes the Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS) program with the Director of Health Education; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the TCU Senate also calls for the further revision of the current alcohol policy such that, for a second alcohol offense, the student will automatically be placed on probation-1 and shall be required to meet with the Judicial Affairs Officer and the Director of Health Education for an evaluation, with potential additional measures to be taken as 8

http://ase.tufts.edu/healthservice/documents/Alcoholstudy.pdf

9

ibid

10

ibid

11

www.tuftslife.com

12

http://ase.tufts.edu/healthservice/documents/Alcoholstudy.pdf

Respectfully submitted on 8 November 2009 by Bruce H. Ratain, Jonathan Danzig, Yulia Korovikov, Chas Morrison, Wyatt Cadley, Noble J. Dilday

Tufts Community Union Senate A Resolution in Support of a Healthy Alcohol Strategy for Tufts a result of this evaluation, including probation level 2, medical leave, further alcohol counseling, notification of parents, or other actions deemed appropriate; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the TCU Senate advocates for a fully supported and comprehensive social norms marketing campaign with regards to alcohol on the Tufts University campus; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the TCU Senate calls for a reevaluation and expansion of New Student Orientation alcohol awareness programs for incoming students, and further calls for the consideration of increased training for Resident Assistants (RAs), Orientation Leaders (OLs), and the leaders of Pre-Orientation groups; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the TCU Senate calls for the creation of comprehensive, preventative educational programs outside of the New Student Orientation, with an emphasis on educating students about: responsible drinking, the signs of alcohol poisoning, dangerous health and social impacts of drinking; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the TCU Senate calls for increased support for students who choose not to drink and those in recovery, to include: the creation of late night, alternate weekend programming at Tufts to provide for viable alternatives to events at which alcohol is present, and the consideration of designated housing for students in recovery; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the TCU Senate calls for the creation of a strategic partnership between Greek Houses, Health Services, and Public Safety, for the purpose of establishing increased collaboration between actors, and preserving Greek parties as safe, and viable social events for the Tufts community, to potentially include measures such as Health Safety Certifications for Greek members, and event registration safety meetings.

Respectfully submitted on 8 November 2009 by Bruce H. Ratain, Jonathan Danzig, Yulia Korovikov, Chas Morrison, Wyatt Cadley, Noble J. Dilday