Prevention Training Institute: University of California, Irvine - Presentations

The Training Institute included the following presentations:

Translating Prevention Research into Real-Time Practice
John Clapp, director, Higher Education Center, opened with a brief set of remarks to set the stage for these two days and for subsequent work that would link the Center and the field. He queried participants on the duration of their field experience, noting that there was a good mix of veterans and newer personnel. He traced the formal study of alcohol- and other drug-related problems as stemming from the 1950s, with attention to higher education settings of more recent vintage. Clapp contrasted person-focused and environmental approaches to prevention, referenced the three-in-one framework of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), and concluded that a comprehensive response was warranted. He went on to summarize the current state of research, as well as current opportunities and challenges, and commented on principles for translating science to practice.

Implementing Environmental Prevention Strategies for Residential and Commuter Students: Practical Steps
James Lange, coordinator, Alcohol and Other Drug Initiatives at San Diego State University (SDSU), offered his perspectives on preventing alcohol- and other drug-related problems “for just about everyone (residential and commuter students) and just about everywhere (the environment).” He categorized prevention approaches, citing examples of enforcement and behavioral and educational/motivational alternatives and referencing community action to support core program activities and research to understanding outcomes. Lange recounted comprehensive efforts at SDSU in the aftermath of a major drug bust, with emphasis (but not exclusively so) on late night (see Aztec Nights case study) social and entertainment programming, attracting upward of 4,500 students and resulting in substantial (over 50 percent) declines in alcohol violations and medical transports. Other prevention components included mandatory eCHECKUP TO GO, dry dorms, dry fraternities (first five weeks; sororities historically have been dry), mandatory pledge training, and parent discussion guide. Lange also briefly explained the residential learning communities project he had researched along with University of Michigan colleagues leading to the article published, July 2009, in supplement 16 of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs and showing a link between academic ambition and achievement and reduced risk from alcohol use. Lange is looking at the challenges of commuter students, a population with marked differences in characteristics from resident students. Commuter students’ sense of affiliation with campus hinges on a variety of perceptions, for example, connection to campus, academic orientation, and reinforcement of the engagement concept. Finally, Lange briefed participants on the RADD California Coalition.

Creating a Campus Culture Supportive of Student Health and Safety: Lessons Learned from a Model Prevention Program
Joseph LaBrie, associate professor of psychology at Loyola Marymount University (LMU), spoke on precipitating events on his campus to contend with alcohol-related incidents, reviewing student survey data. Flexibility and adaptability are hallmarks of the harm reduction program LMU has adopted in its Heads Up intervention program, which LaBrie went on to describe. He encouraged consistency, specific goals, clarity of message, and an organized plan for program design and evaluation.

Implementing a Comprehensive Campus-Community Prevention Intervention to Reduce Alcohol-Related Problems in a College Population.
Robert Saltz, Prevention Research Center, and Shauna Quinn, Chico State, described the Safer California research project involving public campuses and offered observations on implementation strategies. Quinn cited numerous barriers as well as intervention strategies, for example, social host safe party campaign, joint police patrols and DUI checkpoints, media attention to enforcement, good neighbor activities, and educational and promotional materials.

An Urgent Need for Colleges and Surrounding Communities to Implement Evidence-Based Prevention
Ralph Hingson, director, Division of Epidemiology and Prevention Research, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, spoke about problem indicators that demonstrate that college students experience greater levels of alcohol-related problems than the same aged cohorts not enrolled in higher education. He also commented on effective prevention strategies, for example, brief motivational interviewing within student health service settings, and provided evidence, domestic and European, supporting the efficacy of the minimum legal drinking age of 21. He concluded by endorsing David Hemenway's new book, While We Were Sleeping: Success Stories in Injury and Violence Prevention.