The fourth biennial report on the California State University’s Alcohol Policies and Prevention, presented to the CSU Trustees Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009, shows progress in curbing incidents of student-related alcohol consumption. The trustees adopted the alcohol prevention programs in 2001.
Overall, CSU campuses reported decreases in students driving after consuming alcohol, the number of DUIs, alcohol-related misconduct, underage students who consume alcohol, and students who reported binge drinking.
Campuses also reported increases in the number of students who seek medical assistance for intoxicated friends, alcohol-free events, online personal drinking assessments and responsible beverage service training. A greater number of campuses report partnering with local law enforcement agencies to firmly enforce alcohol-related laws. Progress also has been made in correcting student misperceptions of alcohol consumption by their peers.
“The CSU alcohol policy is visionary and ambitious,” said Allison Jones, assistant vice chancellor for student academic support. “We know that alcohol remains one of the number one problems on campus. These educational and prevention programs are helping students make better decisions, potentially saving student lives.”
The CSU has partnered with a number of educational and law enforcement agencies to implement the alcohol policy. The state Office of Traffic Safety has funded three consecutive grants of more than $700,000 each to reduce alcohol abuse, strengthen peer education programs and offer responsible beverage service training.
The CSU campuses participating in the third installment of the grant program include Channel Islands, Fresno, Humboldt, Los Angeles, Cal Maritime, Northridge, San Francisco and San José.
Student tobacco use included in report
For the first time, the 2009 biennial report also included campus activities related to the prevention of tobacco use by students. All campuses reported compliance with California’s and the CSU’s smoking policies and 20 campuses reported practices that exceed state and CSU policies. Two campuses report prohibiting smoking on campus except for in strictly enforced designated areas.
