DePauw University Philosophy on Alcohol Education

Alcohol consumption is a significant part of the student social culture on campuses today. At DePauw, our primary objective is to help our students reduce the harm associated with alcohol use. We commit ourselves to promoting a community that values, teaches and models healthy life choices and creating conditions that provide a safe environment for learning. We support all state and federal laws regarding alcohol consumption and direct our greatest educational efforts toward curbing high-risk alcohol use. We work to help our students become responsible citizens and make intentional decisions by:

• Educating students on the behaviors that define high-risk drinking;

• Developing a culture on campus that challenges high-risk alcohol use;

• Reducing secondary effects of alcohol use that impact student success;

• Empowering students who can serve as advocates for reducing high-risk drinking on campus;

• Reaching the majority of first-year students during the first two weeks of the semester with accurate information about the risks of alcohol use as well as University policy;

• Identifying high-risk populations and developing specific interventions for these populations;

• Sponsoring non-alcoholic social events and programs;

• Offering substance-free housing so that students who choose to not use alcohol can live in an environment where their lifestyle is supported by their peers;

• Teaching students and staff intervention skills and focusing on their responsibility to intervene when others are engaging in high-risk behaviors;

• Building relationships with student organizations and their leadership relative to their engagement of alcohol issues on campus;

• Providing resources that will assist students who have alcohol abuse issues in developing a recovery plan;

• Using technology and creative strategies to reach our students;

• Holding students accountable to their choices and behaviors and

• Engaging faculty, staff, alumni and parents in these conversations.

Written by the DePauw University Alcohol Task Force, January 2005
Supported by the Coalition for a Responsible Community, February 2005