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MIT
Policies and Procedures, Section 9.3.2 Policy Regarding the
Use of Alcohol
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After the tragic death of freshman Scott Krueger in 1997, MIT's students
and administration began an evaluation of the alcohol policies and social
climate on campus from a new and intense perspective. The results have
included major changes in policies, heightened student awareness on alcohol,
a stronger emphasis on MIT community events, increased alcohol education
by students and staff, and stricter enforcement of MIT's rules by the
university and the Interfraternity Council.
Key changes include:
(*** = These initiatives are considered innovative or “Best Practice”
in the field of alcohol prevention (NIAAA "A Call to Action"
report and as indicated by the Higher Education Center for Alcohol and
Drug Prevention.)
Housing
- *** All first year students are now required to live on campus.
- All fraternities, sororities and other independent living groups are
required to have resident advisors.
- Five fraternities -- Sigma Nu, Beta Theta Pi, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Phi
Delta Theta and Phi Kappa Sigma -- have voluntarily declared themselves
to be alcohol free.
Education
Safety and prevention training, and educational programs on the issues
of alcohol use and abuse have been strengthened. Training programs are
offered through multiple agencies including the office for Community Development
and Substance Abuse (CDSA) programs, the Student Life Programs (SLP) office,
Medlinks student peer prevention program, the Police at MIT, and the Health
Education Office in the Medical Department.
- All fraternities, sororities and independent living groups who wish
to serve alcohol must complete educational programs on the physiology
of alcohol use, safe use of alcohol, emergency medical response and
CPR, and liability and risk management practices. Event registration
procedures have been clarified and strengthened to ensure that guidelines
are understood and observed.
- The provision of community support through educational outreach programming
was a major initiative for the Spring 2002 term. CDSA programs created
and implemented (a) five Community Forum, town hall meetings between
administration and students to discuss issues and policies associated
with alcohol and other drugs, (b) four Community Interventions, programs
tailored to residential floors, greek chapters or dormitories to discuss
specific issues within the community and devise a response to address
or prevent similar issues in the future, (c) multi-media educational
resources through informational brochures, posters, and advertisements,
(d) support initiatives for parents including distribution of the Alcohol
101 interactive CDROM and information for parents describing how to
talk to your student about alcohol and other drugs, and (e) co-sponsorship
of events and programs with student organizations and other departments.
- *** The “Don't Cancel That Class” curriculum infusion
program provided by the CDSA programs office: If an instructor plan
to be absent from a scheduled class meeting, faculty members are welcome
to request CDSA staff to present programs on AOD-related issues in lieu
of canceling class.
- UpFRONT (peer theater troupe) performances on alcohol and other drugs
(1998, 1999).
- Tech Theater (peer theater group) involved 19 students developing
and performing scenarios involving alcohol and its impact upon student
social, academic, interpersonal and sexual functioning. This performance
was presented to all incoming students during August orientation 2002.
- MedLIBRARY (mini version of MedSTOP) pilot-tested in 4 FSILGs contain
a range of pamphlets and other alcohol-related educational materials
(2001).
- Alcohol section and the Statement on Drug Free Schools and Campuses
printed in The safety, security, and crime prevention handbook published
by the Police at MIT.
- All fraternities, sororities and independent living groups who wish
to serve alcohol must complete educational programs on the physiology
of alcohol use, safe use of alcohol, emergency medical response and
CPR, and liability and risk management practices.
- Event registration procedures have been clarified and strengthened
to ensure that guidelines are understood and observed.
- *** Server training. The Interfraternity Council (IFC) has sponsored
training and certification of more than 10 percent of the undergraduate
student body (455 members of the classes of 2001, 2002 and 2003) in
a Training and Intervention Procedures (TIPS) program that teaches how
to serve alcohol responsibly. At least two members of each fraternity
have been certified in CPR under IFC rules.
- Two Medical Department Resource Centers are available -- one in the
Medical Center and one (MedStop) in the Student Center, which is open
24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Detection, Intervention and Referral
Counseling on alcohol and other matters is available through the Counseling
staff in the Dean's Office and the Medical Department.
- On campus emergency medical transport available to all students and
staff.
- All Campus Police officers are trained Emergency Medical Technicians.
- Additional referrals for substance abuse treatment and rehabilitation
are made to local hospitals and substance abuse treatment centers. Such
referrals are coordinate with the support of the MIT Medical department
and/or Counseling and Support Services.
- MIT offers several substance abuse recovery support groups for students
and staff, including a general Alcohol Support Group, an AA –
Alcoholics Anonymous campus support meeting, and an Al-Anon campus support
meeting. MIT also supports a peer telephone hotline known as Nightline.
Early Intervention***
*** BASICS Program. In partnership with MIT Medical
and the Dean for Student Life, the CDSA programs office has worked to
coordinate and implement the BASICS program (Brief Alcohol Screening and
Intervention for College Students) for the second year at MIT. Over the
previous year the program provided for two-thirds of Mental Health service
staff at MIT Medical to be trained as BASICS counselors. This year, the
on-line screening of first year students resulted in 840 students completing
the questionnaire (86% of the entering MIT freshmen class). The specific
goal of the BASICS (Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College
Students) program, originally developed at the University of Washington
in Seattle, is to reduce risks associated with drinking on college campuses.
Based on studies done at the University of Washington, the brief two session
intervention can make a big difference. The original study in Seattle
showed dramatic improvement. Those who participated in sessions experienced
50 percent fewer alcohol-related problems than those who didn't attend
the sessions—even four years later. As Dr. John Baer, a creator
of the BASICS program, noted “MIT is actively promoting the health
of students; very few universities are actually screening and recruiting
students before they get into trouble.”
The BASICS one-on-one motivational interviewing program is offered to
any student expressing concern about their alcohol use and to those students
whose answers to the online survey indicate that they may be engaging
in potentially risky drinking behaviors.
Additional procedural information: Students who completed the
questionnaire were paid $20 in “Tech Cash” for their participation.
Then, based on certain criteria in the students' responses, such as frequency
of drinking, number of drinks per sitting, and negative consequences experienced
from drinking, and whether students expressed concerns about their own
use, program administrators screened out students they thought would benefit
from one-on-one sessions with MIT Medical's specially trained counselors.
Participation in the BASICS intervention is voluntary and participants
may withdraw their participation at any time. Those students who met the
screening criteria, and agreed to participate in two voluntary and confidential
hour-long BASICS counseling sessions were paid an additional $70.
To evaluate the impact of the BASICS program, those students who participated
in the BASICS program, and a random sample of those who did not participate
in the BASICS program will be mailed a brief follow-up questionnaire.
Participation in the follow-up survey is voluntary.
Training & Consultation
MIT provides ongoing training for faculty advisors, housemasters, graduate
resident tutors, resident assistants, chaplains. This training includes
sessions on the prevalence of alcohol use on campus and their role in
the prevention of alcohol related problems for individuals and the living
communities. This training is also available for student groups such as
MedLinks (students who serve as links between the Medical Department and
their living groups).
The CDSA programs office has begun to develop and implement the training
component of its strategic plan. This initiative is designed to increase
the awareness of alcohol and other drug issues, as well as enhance the
skills and capacities for community members to assist and support one
another. The CDSA programs office has provided seminars and in-service
training to MIT professional staff from multiple departments, including
Counseling and Support Services, Housemasters and Graduate Resident Tutors,
the Mental Health department of MIT Medical, the Medical Consumer’s
Advisory Council of MIT Medical, and at the annual MIT Medical conference
seminar for health care professionals sponsored by the Harvard Medical
School and Massachusetts Nurses Association.
The CDSA programs office intends to increase training of students and
student organizations regarding the personal, social, academic and legal
issues associated with substance use. Examples of such training opportunities
from the previous Spring term include efforts with the Interfraternity
Council, Dormitory Council, the Medlinks peer program, and eleven residential
living groups (including dormitories, living groups, fraternities and
sororities).
Housemasters, Graduate Resident tutors, and resident assistants in the
FSILGs receive a guide that describes the signs and symptoms of alcohol
and other drug abuse and how to approach a student who has those symptoms,
as well as training, a guide and posters to place in each living community
associated with the symptoms, intervention and information regarding how
to call for help in cases of alcohol overdose. This information is distributed
once per semester (since Spring 2002).
Over the previous term, the CDSA programs office has also provided community
consultations to multiple organizations, offices and academic departments
throughout the Institute. These consultations varied in focus from policy
and procedure issues, legal regulations and liability, to the effective
detection, intervention and referral of individuals with alcohol or other
drug problems. Since February 2002, the CDSA office has been involved
in over 70 consultations with different segments of the MIT community,
including the Graduate Student Council, Dormitory Council, the Editorial
Board of the Tech, Residential Life Associates, MIT Sloan School, Student
Athlete Advisory Committee, faculty, Housemasters, Graduate Resident Tutors,
Interfraternity Council, Living Group Council, MIT Medical, fraternities,
sororities and living groups.
All GRTs, MedLINKS, Housemasters, and associate advisors receive the
Staying Healthy Resource Binder that includes information on Substance
Use and Abuse and referral resources (since 1998).
"Alcohol Programming in Your House" presented at GRT Training
(2001, 2002)
“Creating Social Events Without Alcohol: Program ideas and strategies”
presented to FSILG Resident Advisors, Fall 2002.
Community
Social Events On- and Off-Campus***
A significant means to prevent alcohol abuse involves the frequent availability
of social opportunities on campus that do not include alcohol. The office
of Student Life Programs, the office of the Dean for Student Life, and
the CDSA programs office has provided, and continues to provide support
for these types of social activities.
- There has been more than a tripling of Institute funding for community-wide
events that provide alternatives to events with alcohol, such as the
January 2000 Millennium Ball, which drew more than 2,000 students, faculty
and staff.
- An “Alcohol-alternative activities in Boston/Cambridge"
brochure was created and distributed to all first year students during
orientation (2001, 2002).
- The Campus Alcohol Advisory Board (CAAB) and the Cambridge Licensee
Advisory Board (CLAB), MIT’s two university-community coalitions
that address alcohol abuse and underage drinking issues on and off campus,
are currently sponsoring a “Battle of the Bands” night at
the House of Blues, a local restaurant in Cambridge. This non-alcoholic
event is designed to offer a social opportunity for students from Harvard
University and MIT. Musical performers from MIT and Harvard are selected
to perform and compete with each other. This event will occur on November
10, 2002 at the House of Blues. (Nov. 11th is a holiday with no classes
scheduled, an occasion for potentially greater use of alcohol for college
students).
Administration and Coalition Initiatives
On January 2, 2002, the appointment Associate Dean Daniel Trujillo and
Kimberly Stepan, Community Development Associate (hired 2/4/02), marked
the beginning of the CDSA programs office within the Division of Student
Life.
MIT strives to develop collaborative partnerships with multiple stakeholders
within MIT including faculty, students, MIT Medical, Mental Health, Counseling
& Support Services, Residential Life and Student Life Programs, as
well as the broader community, including the City of Cambridge, City of
Boston, and the State of Massachusetts to effectively address issues associated
with alcohol abuse and underage drinking.
*** The Campus Alcohol Advisory Board (CAAB), an Institute-community
coalition, successfully developed and implemented 20 “Frank Talks
about Alcohol” programs in the student living communities. These
discussions bring together MIT students and administration to initiate
an honest conversation about alcohol's role in the MIT student experience,
to challenge group members to think about the environment they create
at MIT, and to receive input from the community about how MIT can effectively
address alcohol education and revise policies.
CAAB represents a component of a proactive approach for MIT to enhance
relations with the City of Cambridge, the Cambridge License Commission,
the Cambridge Fire Department and other city agencies. Its mission is
to promote responsible behavior and reduce underage drinking on and off
campus. As an organization, it has the ability to : (1) discuss and make
recommendations on issues related to alcohol and (2) develop collaboration
and encourage new initiatives and projects related to alcohol.
MIT is represented by the CDSA programs office on the Cambridge Licensee
Advisory Board (CLAB). This coalition is designed to bring tavern and
package store licensees who distribute alcohol together to address underage
alcohol consumption. The Cambridge Licensee Advisory Board has several
purposes, which are: to reduce underage drinking; to promote programs
designed to educate and support license holders in their efforts to prohibit
sales to minors; and to undertake any activities which will promote respect
for Massachusetts liquor license laws.
The Cambridge Licensee Advisory Board was incorporated as a 501(c)(3)
not-for-profit corporation in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on October
20, 1997.
Through the innovation of the City of Cambridge License Commission and
the cooperation of its founding board members, CLAB was a frontrunner
in non-traditional responses to licensee infractions.
The CDSA programs office has also become an active member of the Massachusetts
Statewide Coalition to Address Problem Drinking, coordinated through the
Massachusetts Department of Public Health and Attorney General’s
office.
Social Marketing Campaign***
The social marketing initiative represents the development of a comprehensive
media campaign to address multiple health issues. The CDSA programs office,
in collaboration with MIT students and the clinical and professional staff
from MIT Medical, have formed the Social Marketing Committee to address
a range of student development issues.
Twelve MIT students have been selected to direct the creation and implementation
of the marketing campaign. This campaign is designed to correct the widespread
misperception that certain behaviors associated with alcohol use are normal
and acceptable. The Pilot phase for the alcohol campaign has begun, with
social normative messages being incorporated into current initiatives:
during the orientation of first year students, in training for student
service personnel including graduate resident tutors, FSILG resident advisors,
housemasters, academic advisors, counseling and mental health staff, greek
leadership.
A sample of the first phase of the fall campaign is provided below:
The normative message “74.6% of MIT students drink between 0-2 drinks
per week” will be a multi-phased campaign conveyed in print media
(student newspaper; student cable TV ads; on posters; and with the message
“chalked” all over campus).
Alcohol awareness advertisements placed in The Tech (fall 1998 and spring
2000) By agreement with Tech Editorial Board, drinking and driving education
ads are placed in every edition, 2002. CDSA and MIT Health Education have
placed a series of ads associated with detection and intervention for
alcohol overdose, as well as on campus educational resource and counseling
information, 2002.
Policies and Regulations
Provide web-based and hard copy MIT Alcohol Policy and Procedures manual.
*** The CDSA (Community Development & Substance Abuse) programs
office has initiated and is currently conducting a review of all alcohol
and other drug policies, procedures and their implementation. Such a review
is intended to inform future revision or development of policies or procedures,
and to maintain partial compliance with the Drug-Free Schools and Campuses
Regulations (34 CFR Part 86).
As an additional component for compliance with the federal Drug Free
Schools and Campuses Act, the CDSA programs office composed the “Statement
on Drug Free Schools and Campuses” a document that requires specific
content and must be circulated to all students and staff. Beginning in
the Fall of 2002, the “Statement on Drug Free Schools and Campuses”
will be printed and distributed to all students and employees of MIT.
Developed and implemented an extensive IFC Risk Management policy, including
the requirement that every house have a risk manager.
Event Policies
- All events with alcohol on campus must be registered with the appropriate
office.
- All hosts of events must fill out formal requests and sign the Alcohol
Guidelines form.
- Student organization funds may not be used to purchase alcohol.
- Sponsors or hosts of student parties serving alcohol that have an
expected attendance of 75 or more must use a third-party cash vendor
for alcohol service. Student organization funds may be used to hire
bartenders or a bartending service.
- Hosts of student parties with alcohol for fewer than 75 people are
required to have a designated number of purchasers and servers who are
responsible for overseeing disbursement of alcohol, limited to those
21 years of age or older.
Enforcement and Sanctions
- MIT has established a system of progressive sanctions on alcohol
violations, ranging from calling a student into the Dean's Office for
a minor first infraction to fines of up to $1,500 and expulsion in aggravated
cases. The Campus Police issue citations when officers observe alcohol
violations.
- Working with the Dean's Office, the Interfraternity Council has also
instituted its own sanctions policy. Sanctions include fines, suspension
of alcohol privileges, and loss of rush privileges for multiple violations.
- A Dean's Office hearing panel banished Phi Gamma Delta from MIT in
perpetuity. Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity also was closed.
- The BASICS (Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College
Students) program is currently being piloted as a response/sanction
for students:
1. cited for violating MIT’s alcohol policies, during their first
offense.
2. as a medical follow up for students who present at MIT Medical intoxicated
or with a physical injury that had occurred while the person was under
the influence.
Evaluation
- *** A campus climate assessment was designed and distributed to assess
those environmental factors that may function to promote substance abuse/misuse,
as well as factors that may protect individuals from the abuse and harms
associated with substance abuse.
- *** An assessment of the surrounding communities in the city of Boston
and Cambridge is currently being conducted to survey any environmental
factors that may contribute to underage drinking and excessive use (e.g.
density of liquor outlets around campus, percentage of taverns that
provide server training and false identification training to their employees).
- *** The CDSA programs office, in collaboration with MIT Medical,
has planned a campus survey of behaviors, attitudes and perceptions
associated with MIT student health to be conducted during the 2002-2003
term.
The environmental and individual assessment approach is intended to
enhance understanding of the societal and individual contributors to
substance use and the magnitude of alcohol related problems.
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