If your experiences at the University of Massachusetts haven’t exactly matched the conventional archetype of “ZooMass,” perhaps a thanks to Sally A. Linowski and her colleagues at the Center for Health Promotion at University Health Services are in order.
Linowski and Hadley Town Administrator David G. Nixon are hosting a discussion on the strategies and successes of the Campus and Community Coalition to Reduce High-Risk Drinking (CCC) at the Alcohol Policy 15 conference on reducing alcohol-related problems and public policy in Washington, D.C., this week. The duo’s presentation is titled “Campus and Community Coalitions: Maintaining Momentum in Changing Times,” and will detail Linowski, Nixon and other members of the group’s work to involve Amherst and surrounding towns in discussion about how to curb binge drinking and other potentially risky student substance issues.
According to a Monday release from UMass’ Office of News and Media Relations, the CCC comprises “a diverse group of leaders from UMass Amherst and the community who’ve come together to make a difference.”
According to News and Media Relations numbers, the CCC has in part contributed to a campus-wide reduction in frequent binge drinking of 20 percent since its inception in 2005, and a 16 percent decrease in underage binge drinking in that time period. The CCC and UMass administrators point to the Coalition’s “environmental management approach,” which includes “major changes in the University’s alcohol policy; implementation of evidence-based interventions for policy violators; and the addition of a mandatory alcohol education course for first-year students.” In addition, Amherst town officials believe changes to town ordinances like the nuisance house and noise bylaw fines have helped keep student antics in check.
Linowski, according to the release, is a well-known substance abuse educator and the principal investigator of a U.S. Department of Education (DOE) Exemplary Model Program grant for UMass’ BASICS program, which educates students caught drinking or using other substances on the potential dangers of such behaviors.
-Collegian News Staff
GTA • Dec 7, 2010 at 10:22 am
The policies lack wisdom and do nothing but make students properly view Umass administrators as hypocritical and out of touch– and increase use of substances other than alcohol. Note the better approach of over 100 college presidents who signed the Amethyst initiative calling for debate on reducing the drinking age Also, the approach on increasing formal judicial action is producing real problems. Just this week, the deputy director of the police department acknowledged that two young females were subjected to pat down frisks ( by a male Umass police officer)during an alcohol-possession sting operation in violation of search policies. The University should be conducting an investigation to see if such pat-downs were widespread, and ending the counterproductive policies that lead students to view police and administors as clueless enemies.