University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
BIENNIAL REVIEW OF THE DRUG
FREE SCHOOLS
AND COMMUNITIES ACT OF 1989
September
2006-2008
Approved by Elizabeth J. Hitch, Interim Chancellor
August 25, 2006
University
of Wisconsin-La Crosse
BIENNIAL REVIEW OF THE DRUG FREE SCHOOLS
AND COMMUNITIES ACT OF 1989
September 2006
I. INTRODUCTION
The
In the fall semester of 1990, the University of Wisconsin-La
Crosse (UW-L), after consultation with faculty, students and staff, developed
an implementation statement as required by the
UW-L provides programs and services which are intended to
educate and prevent illegal substance use and abuse, and to strictly enforce
alcohol and controlled substances policies and laws. These programs are
reviewed and revised on an ongoing basis.
This review is intended to meet the requirements of the
STUDENT RIGHT TO KNOW AND CAMPUS SECURITY ACT:
The Student Right to Know and Campus Security Act became
effective on November 8, 1990. The law
required disclosure by September 1, 1992 of criminal activity on campus during
the previous three years as available and have it distributed annually to all
students and staff. Included in that
report are current statistics on campus for liquor law violations, drug abuse
violations and other information that supplements the
II. STANDARDS OF CONDUCT AND
UNIVERSITY SANCTIONS CONCERNING ILLICIT DRUGS AND ALCOHOL
Standards of Conduct
The
UW-L recognizes alcohol and other drug abuse as a problem
prevalent throughout society. This is a matter of concern at an academic
institution because it interferes with the activities and education of students
and the performance of faculty and staff. The University recognizes that
college students exercise personal discretion regarding alcohol and drug use.
UW-L, consistent with its mission as a public institution of higher education,
is committed to providing education about the effects of alcohol and other
drugs in a wide variety of settings and formats, assisting individuals who have
developed patterns of abuse to lead more constructive and healthy lives, and
upholding the law. In those circumstances where students, as a result of
patterns of abuse, endanger themselves or others, the University will assist in
providing professional help, which may require remediation, and may examine the
appropriateness of continued enrollment. This commitment is carried out in an
environment which is educational and supportive in nature and designed to bring
about positive changes in behavior and attitude.
University Sanctions:
The use or possession of
alcoholic beverages is prohibited on university premises, except in faculty and
staff housing, and as expressly permitted by the chief administrative officer
or under institutional regulations, in accordance with s. UWS 18.06 (13) (a), Wis.
Adm. Code. Without exception, alcohol consumption is governed by
The unlawful use,
possession, distribution, manufacture or dispensing of illicit drugs
(“controlled substances” as defined in Ch. 961, Wis. Stats.) is prohibited in
accordance with s. UWS 18.10(1), Wis. Adm. Code.
Violation of these
provisions by a student may lead to the imposition of a disciplinary sanction,
up to and including suspension or expulsion, under s. UWS 17.06 (1) (c),
Employees who are convicted
of any criminal drug statute violation occurring in the workplace must notify
their dean, director, or department chair within five days of the conviction if
the employees are employed by the university at the time of the conviction.
III. HEALTH RISKS
Alcohol
Consumption:
Misuse of alcohol and other drugs often results in a number
of personal, relational, physical and academic problems. Even low doses of alcohol significantly
impair the judgment and coordination required to drive a car safely, increasing
the likelihood of alcohol-related accidents, including motor vehicle
crashes. Moderate to high doses of
alcohol cause marked impairment in higher mental functions and severely alter a
person's ability to learn and remember information.
Alcohol poisoning can occur if large amounts of alcohol are
consumed in a short period of time. The
potential for alcohol overdose increases if alcohol is combined with other
drugs. Heavy use of alcohol is the leading
cause of serious injuries among college students.
Alcohol abuse or dependence, which occurs over an extended
period of time, involves repeated use of alcohol to the point of intoxication.
A person may give up usual activities and responsibilities during this time in
order to use alcohol, and this can have a serious impact on academic
performance. Long term alcohol use can cause digestive disorders, cirrhosis of
the liver, circulatory disorders and impairment of the central nervous
system.
Drug Usage:
The misuse of prescription drugs among college students is
increasing. The use of marijuana
(cannabis) may cause impairment of short-term memory, comprehension, and
ability to perform tasks requiring concentration. The use of marijuana also may
cause lung damage, paranoia, and possible psychosis. The use of narcotics,
depressants, stimulants, and hallucinogens may cause nervous system disorders
and possible death as the result of an overdose. Illicit inhalants can cause
liver damage.
There are significant risks associated with the
use of alcohol and drugs. These risks
include impaired academic or work performance; lost potential; financial
problems; poor concentration; blackouts; conflicts with friends and others;
vandalism, theft, and murder; sexual assault and other unplanned sexual
relationships; spouse and child abuse; sexually transmitted diseases;
HIV/AIDS; and unusual or inappropriate
risk taking which may result in physical or emotional injury or death.
IV. AODA PROGRAMS
A. PREVENTION
ACTIVITIES:
Alcohol
and Other Drug Programs:
Our campus recognizes that student alcohol and other drug
use is the leading college health concern, and that substance abuse is a
campus-wide concern. Education and
awareness activities are provided by numerous campus departments, student groups,
and staff. Counseling and Testing, Reach
and Share Program, Residence Life, Student Activities & Centers, the
UW-L
AODA Prevention Program Activities:
· Alcohol Education/Prevention
Coordinator:
This is a full-time position devoted to coordinating campus prevention
activities, providing classroom or group presentations and seminars, and
developing programs and resources. The
Coordinator writes and coordinates federal grants and serves as the liaison to
the UW System AODA Task Force.
· Reach and Share Peer Education
Program: Students are trained
to present programs on alcohol-related topics including assault/harassment,
sexuality, sexually transmitted diseases and relationship issues.
·
Program staff: fulltime coordinator; 3 paid assistants; 35
volunteers
·
Topics include:
alcohol and other drug abuse, sexual assault/harassment, HIV/AIDS and other
sexually transmitted diseases
·
Activities include:
§
Presentations to 3,000 people per year via Freshmen
Registration, presentations to freshmen classes, classroom and residence halls
programs;
§
Participation in campus wide events,
§
Theme week activities (Alcohol, Sexual Assault, Sexuality)
§
Media campaigns.
· La X Link Peer Mentoring Program: Upper-class students (mentors) are trained to
provide support and guidance to help incoming freshmen make healthy social
choices during the first month of school.
·
Presentations for classrooms, campus groups, community or statewide
organizations: Programs on
alcohol-related topics are provided to classes, campus groups, community
organizations, state and national conferences.
· MyStudentBody.com: A web based alcohol
education program that uses an interactive, multimedia format designed to help
students learn about alcohol use.
·
UnderTheInfluence.com:
A web based alcohol
education program for students who receive alcohol violations in the residence
halls.
· HIGHLIGHTS: A newsletter distributed to faculty, staff
and administrators containing recent national higher education events,
important publications,
· Project 21: Students receive a birthday card with coupons
from community businesses to help students celebrate their 21st
birthday in a safe manner.
Campus-wide
Prevention and Social Activities:
Other campus units are also actively involved in
alcohol prevention activities. Residence
Life sponsors many educational programs regarding alcohol and other drugs. While all activities sponsored by
organizations and departments on the UW-L campus are alcohol-free, the Office
of Residence Life allocates extra resources for additional weekend social
activities. Student Activities and
Centers sponsors educational programming and activities which promote student
interaction. Other organizations/groups
that provide educational programming, national guest speakers or social
activities include the following: non-honorary fraternities and sororities,
SCAN (alternative activity group) and Athletics.
B. COUNSELING AND TREATMENT SERVICES
The
Counseling and Testing Center provides many
services for students with alcohol-related problems. These services and
resources are listed in a new brochure that is distributed to the campus. Among those services are alcohol and
other drug abuse assessments and individual counseling. Professors, faculty
and staff, Residence Life, the
Awake and Alive is a highly interactive, discussion-based
group for these students to increase their awareness of alcohol and safe
driving issues. This group also uses an
interactive CD-ROM (Alcohol 101) that simulates a college party scene and
further educates students on how to make more responsible decisions.
C. EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM:
The Office of Human Resources has provided web-based
publications and information regarding substance abuse in the work place for
University employees and supervisors.
These materials provide instruction, education and support for supervisors
dealing with people where drug or alcohol abuse occurs. The Employee Assistance
Program provides a source of confidential referral for staff and faculty who
may be experiencing difficulty with chemical use/abuse-related issues. Two monthly electronic bulletins are sent out
to supervisors, and and to employees as part of the
EAP. They have addressed alcohol and
drug abuse issues. Quarterly reports
from the EAP provider help the campus track the amount of drug-related assistance
that is sought and being provided through our outsourced EAP for UW-L employees
and their families.
D. RESEARCH AND GRANTS:
Assessments
and Surveys:
UW-L continues to monitor the student alcohol consumption
patterns. The data is used to develop
prevention programs and services for students.
During the past two years we have conducted the following surveys:
q
The
q
The UW System Alcohol and other Drug Use Survey
DEPARTMENT
OF JUVENILE JUSTICE GRANT: The
Alcohol Coordinator wrote and was awarded a $20,000 federal grant to provide
prevention services to UW-L, expand programming into area high schools, and to
continue the LaX Link Peer Mentoring Program.
ALCOHOL
FOCUS GROUP RESEARCH: To
date, over 350 students have participated in focus groups. This data provides an understanding of
students’ attitudes, behaviors, perceptions, and perceptions specifically about
drinking.
UW
System AODA Grant, Phase I: UW-L received funds to conduct an
environmental assessment to identify key alcohol-related issues for future attention.
UW
System AODA Grant, Phase II: UW-L received funds to increase awareness of
student policies related to underage alcohol use.
E. COMMITTEES
Campus
Alcohol Task Force: In
May 1998, the Chancellor appointed the Campus Alcohol Task Force in order to
“develop environmental, educational, enforcement, recreational/social and early
intervention strategies aimed at reducing alcohol and other drug use and
promoting academic achievement.” Since
that time the campus task force has met throughout the year to address current
topics and events. Members include
faculty, staff, administrators and students.
UW
System AODA Task Force:
The Alcohol Coordinator is an active member of the statewide working
group which includes prevention coordinators from each UW campus. This committee’s focus has been to coordinate
practices, share resources, and develop statewide prevention standards.
Mayor’s Task Force: On
June 24, 2004, Mayor John Medinger called together a
task force of 15 community members. He
charged the group to examine community issues and make recommendations to him
and the City Council. Mayor John Medinger charged the group to look at the following issues:
The group produced 13
Recommendations for change that are attached.
These recommended changes can be viewed at: http://www.cityoflacrosse.org/documents/Alcohol%20Task%20Force/Mayors_ATF_Recs1-28.pdf
Tri-Campus Advocacy Group: The Tri-Campus
Community Advocacy Group seeks to focus its attention on those areas needing to
be addressed by the community which would lead to the curbing of high-risk
drinking by college students. In addition, we will recommend action steps that
are designed to reduce excessive alcohol consumption.
SCAN
(Smart Choices Activities Network): Professionals
and students from UW-L,
At the UW-System AODA Symposium (October, 2005)
Topic: Rights and Responsibilities for
Campuses, Communities and Students regarding the abusive use of alcohol by
students. Goals:
·
Disseminate
information re: campus rights and
responsibilities to key campus units
·
Train key departments in recent trends concerning
risk management
·
Improve reporting mechanisms regarding alcohol
violations
·
Continue to evaluate enforcement procedures on
campus
·
Involve Admissions, Registration and other related
units in discussions regarding risk management and alcohol issues
V. ENFORCEMENT
The University has developed procedures to ensure that the
sanctions described in this implementation statement are consistently
enforced. The following table indicates arrests
made by University Police for individuals who violated laws pertaining to drug
or alcohol on the UW-L campus.
|
|
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
|
Drug
Law Violations |
24 |
20 |
32 |
|
Liquor
Law Violations |
223 |
289 |
313 |
|
OMVWI (Operating a motor vechicle
while intoxicated) |
21 |
29 |
22 |
|
Detox Cases |
5 |
11 |
9 |
University Police processed
5 cases of criminal damage to personal property and 7cases of criminal damage to
state property in 2003 (12 total), 8 and 4 cases respectively in 2002 (12
total), and 8 and 8 cases respectively in 2003 (16 total). Although it is not possible to ascertain
accurately the degree to which alcohol was involved in these acts, officials believe
that alcohol played some role in the majority of them.
Residence
Life Policy: The
University has a resident population of approximately 3087 students who live in
11 residence halls. By signing their
residence hall contract, these students agree to abide by the rules and
regulations of the University as promulgated in the campus planner/handbook and
Eagle Eye. Students in violation of
alcohol policies, including underage drinking or possession of alcoholic beverages,
are dealt with through appropriate
disciplinary systems depending whether or not the student lives in campus
housing or off-campus. Interventions may
include in-hall discipline, completion of the computer based educational
program, UnderTheInfluence.com, community
service, required attendance at alcohol awareness sessions, (Awake and Alive GET SMART Program),
referral for chemical dependency assessment, and citation by law enforcement
officials. In more severe cases,
students’ housing contracts may be terminated and/or suspension/expulsion
hearings are held in accordance with UWS Chapter 17 (Non academic Discipline).
Intercollegiate
Athletes Policy: The
student athletes and staff at UW-L are guided by various standards, which are
outlined on the UW-L webpage at: http://www.uwlax.edu/StudentLife/athlet.html. In part, the
webpage provides notice that:
The Equity in Athletics Disclosure
Act requires that an annual report be available to all students on
participation rates, financial support and coaching status data within
intercollegiate athletics. Students are encouraged to review the full
report by contacting the following offices: Athletics Office, 126 Mitchell
Hall; Records and Registration Office, 117 Main Hall; Office of Student Life,
149 Main Hall.
Student-athletes enrolled at the
Team membership and participation
are privileges that have certain responsibilities. It is imperative that
student athletes recognize the significance of their behavior as visible
members of the campus and local communities. In addition you represent
the
As a condition of team membership,
you must comply with the policies and procedures of the NCAA or national
governing body, the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (WIAC) and
the Intercollegiate Athletics Program throughout the academic year. In
addition, you are subject to all the rules and regulations that are required
for individual participation on your specific team.
A
VI. STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
The strength of the UW-L prevention programs is directly
related to the involvement and support of the many units on campus who provide prevention
and intervention activities. The following are examples of these strengths:
· Prevention
activities are provided by many different units on campus including the Reach
and Share/Social Norms Program, Residence Life, Student Activities, Athletics, non-honorary fraternities and
sororities, and student organizations.
· A
high degree of student involvement in the development and delivery of
activities.
· An
emphasis on alcohol-free social activities.
· A
strong collaborative relationship with community task forces and groups
involved in AODA services.
· Strong
administrative support for AODA services.
· Increase
in faculty involvement.
· Implementation
of evidence-based prevention strategies (Environmental Management).
· Improved
coordination of existing student data between Residence Life, Protective
Services, and Student Life.
· Annual
administration of UW System AODA Survey and/or the American College Health
Survey.
· Use
of web-based AODA programs for education and enforcement (sanctions)
· Implementation
of La X Links Peer Mentoring Program to help incoming freshmen adjust to
college life and make alcohol-free choices.
The review process identified several shortcomings to be
studied for institutional action in the coming year:
· There
is a well-documented need for increased prevention and intervention
services. Financial resources need to be
identified to meet the need for these AODA activities.
· Develop
greater coordination between the many individual units providing prevention
services.
· Continue
to explore ways in which greater numbers of faculty can be involved in
prevention efforts.
· Curriculum
Infusion needs to be improved.
·
Improve collection mechanism for data from
faculty and staff.
UW-La Crosse Biennial Review Committee Members
|
Jon Hageseth Director Counseling & Testing |
|
Marcia Johnson-Sage Student Services Coordinator |
|
|
|
|
|
Mick Miyamoto Assistant Dean of
Students |
|
Nick Nicklaus Director of
Residence Life |
|
|
|
|
|
Scott Rohde Director of
Protective Services |
|
Mary Torstveit Assistant
Director, Prevention Services |
|
|
|
|
|
Jennifer B. Wilson Executive Director
for Human Resources |
|
Paula Knudson (ex
officio member) Dean of Student
Development & Academic Services |
ADDITIONAL MATERIALS
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse 2005 Annual Security and Policy Statement (available at:
http://www.uwlax.edu/studentlife/secrpt.html#top)
and also attached
UW-L Drug-Free Workplace Policy (available at: http://www.uwlax.edu/hr/drugfreewp.html) and also attached