Janners Addresses MTU's Steps Toward Substance Abuse Prevention
HOUGHTON-Vice Provost for Student Affairs Martha Janners told the Michigan
Tech Board of Control Thursday that... "The University has a moral obligation
when it comes to substance abuse, in addition to our obligation to comply
with federal law."
Every two years, universities across the nation must review their federally
mandated drug and alcohol policies to determine how well they are working
and assess what needs to be done to improve them.
Michigan Tech's recommendations included establishing a wellness position
(an individual responsible for organizing education through prevention
and healthy alternatives), working more vigorously with local establishments
and law enforcement to create community awareness, and hiring additional
support for MTU Public Safety.
"What we need to do as a University is reduce threats and risks for our
students," said Janners. "We must also show due diligence; it is our duty
when risks are identified."
The University currently attacks students' substance abuse in four ways:
by creating positive social norms, advocating social host responsibilities,
practicing integrated intervention, and, just within the past year, initiating
parental notification.
"Educating students about the norm when it comes to drug and alcohol
abuse is our goal," said Janners. "When many students come to college,
they assume that everyone is abusing alcohol, so they do the same. Our
job is to redefine what students assume to be normal behavior, and we
feel peer educators are instrumental in such an effort."
Some programs at MTU that use peer educators to help redefine social
drinking norms are Campus Connections, the Orientation Program, Residence
Hall Programs, and POWER and Alcohol 101.
Social host responsibilities apply to the role and responsibilities of
University-recognized organizations that host events where alcohol is
used.
"The key is for hosts to reduce the risk of students potentially harming
themselves or others," said Janners. "We recommend that student organizations
have risk management policies to aid in this effort."
The Training in Intervention Procedures (TIPS) program educates the hosts
on when and how to intervene into potentially harmful situations in which
substance abuse is involved, said Janners.
Integrated intervention at Michigan Tech was recognized in June 1999
as a Best Practice by the Michigan Department of Community Health. Intervention
on the part of the University is based on consistent and educational disciplinary
actions to alcohol policy violators.
"Our disciplinary consistency for substance abuse is 98 percent," said
Janners. "The only inconsistencies lie in length of sanctions used to
discipline."
Parental notification is a recent measure that the University has been
exploring this past year.
According to Janners, parents of under-age students who have been found
using alcohol are not contacted on a first-time violation unless there
is a serious health or safety concern.
###
10/06/00-MTN374
