EUGENE–The University of Oregon will receive a $236,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) to implement an extensive program aimed at reducing alcohol and drug abuse among students.

The UO is one of only seven universities nationwide to be selected for the highly competitive grant. Awarded by the DOE’s Drug Free Schools Program, the grant is the largest of its kind at the UO, which competed against 58 other schools for the funding.

"This grant is very significant in that it affirms the efforts already underway at the University of Oregon to help address and combat a serious problem of alcohol and drug abuse among students," says UO President Dave Frohnmayer. "Perhaps more important, this federal funding recognizes that substance abuse on college campuses is a serious societal problem–one that deserves immediate attention with comprehensive and creative approaches."

Under the direction of the UO Office of Student Life, the grant will fund a two-year, multi-faceted effort entitled "New View 2000," the goals of which are to reduce the rates of binge-drinking and marijauna use on campus. The target population will be first-year students, a population that has historically exhibited high use of alcohol and marijuana at the UO.

"Our research tells us that alcohol use and binge drinking are not declining. As is the national trend, UO students also are under the misperception that their peers drink and use other substances more frequently and in greater quantities than they actually do," said Linda Devine, assistant dean, UO Office of Student Life. "Consequently, a major component of our effort will be to reach out to first-year students to correct these misperceptions, adjust their perceptions of campus norms, and reinforce and enhance a safe and healthy social and learning environment at the UO."

Devine is co-director of the grant along with Associate Dean Laura Blake Jones. Both credit the UO’s selection for grant funding to the support from administration and campus offices including housing, Greek life and student academic affairs, as well as from the City of Eugene and the Eugene Police Department.

"A community partnership is essential to the success of any efforts to address drug and alcohol problems," says Blake Jones. "We have such a partnership in the Campus Community Relations Task Force (CCRTF), a campus-community coalition that regularly meets to look at issues including alcohol and drug use."

"New View 2000" goals and objectives, and strategies to achieve them include:

• Reduce the binge-drinking rate of first-year students.

• Reduce marijuana use by first-year students.

• Reduce the percentages of first-year students experiencing violence and other harmful health, social and academic consequences related to alcohol and other drug use.

• Increase the accuracy of first-year student perceptions of peer marijuana use.

• Increase the first-year student awareness of the enforcement of alcohol and drug policies on campus.

• Decrease first-year student perceptions that the social atmosphere on campus promotes alcohol use.

• To change perceptions, UO will provide accurate information to first-year students through faculty, residence hall staff, Greek system staff, student leaders, orientation staff, Freshman Interest Group leaders, athletic staff and coaches, and other student services staff.

• UO will review campus policies and enforcement practices to insure that these discourage illegal and abusive use of alcohol and other substances and to encourage a safe and healthy social and learning environment at UO.

• UO will increase the interaction and broaden the membership of the existing campus partnerships including the campus Alternatives to Alcohol Choices Team (ACT) and the Campus Community Relations Task Force (CCRTF), the campus-community coalition.

• UO will increase the number of late-night social and recreational opportunities for students that do not involve alcohol. Activities include late night coffeehouses, dances, parties, cultural forums, comedy nights, films, concerts and recreational events.

The UO has a long-standing commitment to proactively addressing the issue of alcohol and substance abuse on campus and was named by DOE in 1996 as having one of the best alcohol prevention programs in the nation.

Other substance abuse prevention initiatives include:

Provides information about alcohol and other substance abuse issues in recruitment materials.

Provides biannual discussions with student athletes about alcohol and drugs, including participation by Eugene Police and the UO Office of Public Safety.

In September 1998, Delta Sigma Phi became the first substance-free fraternity house on campus. The Greek system states as a priority the adoption of Select 2000, a program that promotes substance-free chapters. Chapters also participate in an endorsement program that requires houses to provide alcohol and drug education.

Housing includes materials on alcohol and drug issues in its residence life publication mailed to parents. The office initiated new policies in residence halls banning possession of alcohol containers by minors and prohibiting detectable intoxication. A new fee will be charged to students who receive conduct violations, and residence life will add a full-time conduct officer.

Sends letters to students who receive alcohol citations; provides materials to students on how to throw a safe and lawful party; met with owners and managers of licensed alcohol establishments to discuss use of fake IDs and 21^st birthday celebrations; hosts alcohol and substance abuse awareness workshops; provides alcohol-free programming; sent a newsletter to undergraduates’ families featuring information on alcohol use.

Provides statements to newly admitted students and their families about UO alcohol and drug policies.

Work cooperatively with the Office of Student Life to identify students who received alcohol or drug related citations or warnings; actively enforce laws related to alcohol and initiate early contact at locations where beer kegs are scheduled.

Conducts surveys of students about health knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding alcohol use; coordinated "First Fridays," a monthly alcohol-free event; worked with Sacred Heart Hospital to identify the number of students seen in its emergency room for alcohol and drug related problems.

The UO Substance Abuse Prevention Program offers UO curriculum, an academic area of concentration, a summer study institute and an extensive series of conferences, all related to alcohol and drug problems and prevention issues. The Associated Students of the UO offer a designated driver shuttle service from UO-area establishments to student residences on and off campus and made campus safety a top priority for the 1998-99 academic year.

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