| Survey will gauge
students’ alcohol, drug use
BY ADRIENNE FRANK Three years ago, after the Core Alcohol and Drug Survey revealed AU students were drinking and using marijuana at rates somewhat above the national average, administrators quickly instituted programs to combat those behaviors on campus. This week, when 700 students take the survey again, the effectiveness of those programs will be put to the test. “The survey takes the pulse of what’s happening right now,” said dean of students Faith Leonard. “It also helps to inform our decision making; if it indicates we need to change direction in terms of our programming, we will.” The survey, which was developed by the Core Institute Advisory Group at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in 1988, is used by colleges and universities across the country to gauge students’ drug and alcohol use. The 2002 survey revealed that 80 percent of AU students reported consuming alcohol in the month before the survey compared with 72 percent nationally, and 27 percent had smoked marijuana in contrast to 10 percent of students nationally. And while AU’s numbers slightly surpassed the national averages, Sara Waldron, associate dean of students, said the university’s figures were “on par” with other urban institutions like George Washington University, New York University, Boston University, and Syracuse. Results of the 2005 survey, which will be conducted Feb. 7–11 in 24 classes across campus, should be available by the end of the semester, according to Waldron. After the 2002 survey, Leonard formed the Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) Task Force to develop education programs for students and faculty. The task force, which includes 25 students, faculty, and staff members, is charged with reviewing AU policies related to alcohol and drug use and developing peer counseling and educational programs, such as Drinking Games, a program held in the dorms that presents information in an entertaining and proactive fashion. According to Leonard, one of the group’s most important tasks has been educating faculty members about students’ alcohol and drug use. “This issue impacts the classroom,” said Leonard, who said the 2002 survey found that 23 percent of students performed poorly on a test because of alcohol use and 35 percent missed a class. “Because of that, we’ve presented the data in as many settings as possible so faculty get a real picture of what’s going on.”
Leonard said the task force’s work is ongoing. “Certainly, the survey is going to give us some information about whether we’re making progress, but this is not a problem that’s going to go away.” |
