GANNETT OFFERS DRUG COUNSELING

When students use alcohol or other drugs in violation of the campus code of
conduct, Cornell judicial administrators refer students to Gannett: Cornell
University Health Services for Brief Alcohol and Screening Intervention for
College Students (BASICS) as part of the judicial sanction.

The harm-reduction approach of the program aims to minimize the harmful
consumption of alcohol and reduce the associated problems of students who
drink and/or use drugs, according to Deborah Lewis, alcohol projects
coordinator for Gannett: Cornell University Health Services.

"We don't see alcohol and other drug use as morally right or wrong," Lewis
said. "It's a part of society, and we see our role as helping students make
the right decisions for themselves."

BASICS is a two-session educational intervention program designed to assist
students in assessing their drug and alcohol use in a nonjudgmental
environment. The program provides students with the opportunity to identify
risks and potential changes in their behavior to reduce future alcohol- and
drug-related problems.

When BASICS began last year, 265 students were referred to the service from
the judicial administrator. According to Lewis, referrals are on the rise.

"Since the last school year, referrals from the judicial administrator for
alcohol education have more than doubled," Lewis said.

BASICS is administrated by Lewis and Peter Chan, health promotion assistant
for Gannett: Cornell University Health Services.

The first session of BASICS involves a 20-minute survey that asks questions
about the student's alcohol or drug use in the past 30 days.

"We try to make the student feel as comfortable as possible," Lewis said.
"When students come in expecting to be yelled at, made to feel ashamed or
lectured, we spend time having the person feel at ease with our approach to
alcohol and drugs."

Lewis also emphasized that what students report in the survey remains
confidential. Anything marked on the survey or discussed during the
appointment cannot be released to the judicial administrator or to anyone
else outside of Gannett.

In the second 60-minute consultation, students receive a feedback profile
compiled from the questionnaire with personalized information about their
alcohol and drug use.

The feedback profile charts the student's drinking behavior in comparison
to the behavior of the average Cornell student. The data used in compiling
the profile was gathered in a random mail survey of 719 Cornell student
respondents before the program was implemented.

The profile also calculates the student's typical and peak estimated blood
alcohol content (BAC) in the past month and provides a BAC table with
corresponding risks at each level of intoxication. Personal risk factors,
negative consequences, influences and protective factors are also examined
at length in the feedback profile.

Lewis said that during the consultation, she discusses ways of minimizing
harms such as throwing up and blacking out while using alcohol. She also
discusses harms in terms of not performing well academically or
athletically and when alcohol "gets in the way of social relationships."

After completing the second session, a student has finished BASICS and is
not required to see a counselor.

"We're not trying to persuade anybody or win any arguments," Lewis said.
"The feedback profile is like a mirror that we hold up to a person to give
them a chance to see for themselves how their behaviors compare to others."

The program for BASICS at Cornell is based on research conducted at
University of Washington and Western Washington University.

While most participants are referred to BASICS from the judicial
administrator, the service is open to anyone wishing to find out more about
their alcohol and drug use.

At Cornell, the program has received positive feedback. In last year's
evaluation, 52 percent of respondents who had participated in BASICS said
that they would recommend BASICS to a friend. 46 percent responded that
more students at Cornell should participate in BASICS.

One respondent to the BASICS evaluation commented that "the interaction was
great and I talked about my habits without being labeled," and another
called it "a safe and private environment."

One anonymous student said, "I feel BASICS is a great way to go about
handling drinking in college."

Another student noted, "BASICS is not telling you what to do."

Judicial Administrator Mary Beth Grant J.D. '88 agreed that the core of the
program's success is its nonjudgmental approach.

"It's such a positive experience for students," Grant said.

Grant also said that although the University in no way endorses the use of
alcohol and drugs, "if students are going to make those kinds of choices,
we want them to make those decisions in the safest and healthiest way
possible."

Dr. Alan Marlatt, director for addictive behaviors research at the
University of Washington, conducted the research and aided the development
for BASICS in the early '90s. He noted that in regard to underage drinking,
some people question whether the harm reduction approach condones illegal
drinking.

"Students know, however, the legal risk of drinking and we continue to
remind them about the consequences," Marlatt said. "If they are to continue
to drink anyway, BASICS is a course that will reduce harmful consequences."