What’s the biggest barrier the Center faces in trying to change things?

One of the biggest barriers to addressing alcohol problems on campus head-on is reticence on the part of presidents to talk about the issue and aggressively address it. Many colleges have introduced education programs on the issue, but focused and sustained attention to this issue requires a greater commitment and leadership on the part of presidents.
Many presidents fear that by acknowledging the problem, the school’s reputation may be called into question. But based on the experience of schools with strong presidential leadership, this has not been the case. In fact, quite the contrary.
There also is a widespread and gross misperception of what is ‘normal’ college drinking behavior, with many people believing that the situation is a lot worse than it is. This, coupled with ignorance of fact that a majority of students support measures to reduce the alcohol problem on campus, lead people to think that little can be done to address it, which is not the case.
Working for sustained changes in the community also takes some time, and can be hard work. It takes a long-term commitment and perseverance by leaders within both the college campus and surrounding community.
The alcohol industry is quite powerful and has a lot of money at stake when it comes to college alcohol consumption. They will attempt to sabotage our efforts with promotions and specials targeting college students, and with their lobbying power to curtail liquor taxes and fees for liquor vendors.

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