COUNCIL ON ALCOHOL, DRUGS LOOKS AT LAST YEAR'S PREVENTION METHODS

The President's Council on Alcohol and Other Drugs, appointed by President
Hunter R. Rawlings III last year, met yesterday to address efforts aimed at
reducing substance abuse on campus.

The meeting, which was closed to the public, covered a wide range of
topics, including Slope Day and alcohol awareness.

The council -- composed of staff, faculty, students and alumni -- consists
of six committees, including the Educational Strategies Committee and the
Slope Day Steering Committee.

"It is our goal to improve the overall campus environment by addressing the
problems that cause substance abuse," said Susan Murphy '73, vice president
of student and academic services.

During the meeting, the council reviewed data from Slope Day 2002.

"The hard alcohol ban was somewhat effective, in that there was less hard
alcohol and more beer but it was not 100 percent effective," Murphy said.

The Council also noted the identical decline in both attendance on the
Slope due to cold weather and in the number of students treated for
alcohol-related problems. Both of these statistics declined 43 percent from
2001.

The University-sponsored activities during Slope Day have become more
numerous and diverse, a change attributed to the Slope Day Planning
Committee's suggestions to increase the celebratory nature of the event,
according to Murphy.

"The tenor and tone of Slope Day continues to improve," Murphy said. "The
music returned to the slope but we didn't accomplish the great feast that
we had planned."

Originally, the University planned to hold a massive, "feast" on Slope Day
but the plans were unsuccessful, Murphy said.

Council members also discussed the new policy of giving amnesty to students
treated for alcohol abuse. According to the council's findings, students
have already benefited from the new amnesty policy, but the policy has not
been used often.

Amnesty applies only to the use of alcohol but not to other controlled
substances.

"There seems to be an awareness on the behalf of some of the students that
[the amnesty policy] exists and that's a good thing," Murphy said.

Many students agree that the amnesty policy demonstrates the University's
concern for their health.

"I think it's wonderful," Jenny Rothchild '04, a resident assistant, said.
"I think the key concern of the policy should be the students' health and
no one should be afraid to go and find help."

While part of the meeting dealt with policy enacted in the past, the
council also discussed future plans, including recommendations made by the
Educational Strategies Committee.

This committee emphasized the importance of integrating alcohol education
messages with the academic arena.

The faculty members on the committee plan to collect information from the
entire University's faculty on how this integration is already being
implemented, according to Murphy.

Some students have taken issue with this proposal.

"I think that students at this age are aware of the risks of drinking," Ben
Tishman '05 said. "While they don't always make the best decisions, I don't
think that taking time out of the class to discuss it will make a difference."

Other recommendations from the Educational Strategies Committee included a
discussion on the importance of broadcasting consistent messages and on the
necessity of educating students about the consequences of alcohol abuse.

The council also discussed the formation of a Community Campus Relations
Committee. While the charge, or specifically stated purpose, for the
committee has yet to be written, the goal would be to examine ways that the
campus and community -- especially the Collegetown community -- can work
together to reduce the effects of extensive partying.

"I think that what's been happening earlier this year with the mayor is a
perfect example of the type of problems this committee would address,"
Murphy said, referring to Ithaca Mayor Alan Cohen '81 ordering a zero
tolerance policy on illegal conduct earlier this semester.

Though the council addresses both alcohol and other drugs, the majority of
the council's actions have currently focused on alcohol.

"Most of the attention has been on alcohol because that's clearly the drug
of choice here," Murphy said.