The Role of the Network in Statewide Initiatives

Begun in 1987 by U.S. Department of Education, The Network Addressing Collegiate Alcohol and Other Drug Issues (The Network) is a voluntary membership organization whose member institutions agree to adhere to a set of standards aimed at reducing alcohol and other drug problems at colleges and universities. It now has nearly 1,500 members nationwide.

The Network has established 18 regional Networks throughout the mainland, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands to facilitate the exchange of information and to collaborate nationally in areas of alcohol and other drug education and prevention. Volunteer regional coordinators staff each identified region. The Network develops collaborative alcohol and other drug prevention efforts among colleges and universities through electronic information exchange, printed materials, and sponsorship of national, regional, and state activities and conferences.

Because statewide initiatives aim to facilitate action at all of these levels, it makes sense that regional coordinators are key stakeholders in statewide initiatives in their respective regions. In many cases, it is the Network regional coordinator who initiated statewide prevention efforts.

Taken together, the Network standards suggest action at three levels – the campus, campus-and-community, and state/regional. Through the promulgation of these standards and the direct participation of regional coordinators in statewide initiatives in their respective regions, The Network contributes to the achievement of the same outcomes that statewide initiatives are designed to achieve – the mobilization of campus and community coalitions implementing environmental strategies. The flow chart below illustrates the way in which the Center, Network regional coordinators, and Network member standards serve to encourage the development of campus and community coalitions that implement environmental strategies to reduce high-risk alcohol and other drug use and their consequences.

In addition to its work to support campus and community coalition formation, The Network decided in 2002 to begin to identify salient public policy issues in higher education and provide information about these issues to campus administrators. The aim is to provide higher education officials with information so that they can in turn educate city, state, and federal elected officials about policy solutions to campus alcohol, other drug, and violence issues.

Because of the Network’s leadership, anyone organizing a statewide college AOD prevention initiative should be sure to involve the appropriate volunteer Regional Directors and/or State/Territory Coordinators.