Source: The Indianapolis Star Contact: http://www.starnews.com/ Pubdate: Wed, 20 May 1998 Author: Barb Albert, Indianapolis Star/News UNIFIED ALCOHOL POLICIES FOR CAMPUSES STATEWIDE UNDER DISCUSSION INDIANAPOLIS (May 19, 1998) -- Bill DeLong likens how colleges tackle alcohol abuse on campus to "preaching chastity in a brothel." Why should students listen, he asks, when they're bombarded with "happy hour" promotions, bars sell to those under age 21, alumni get drunk on campus and officials are afraid to suspend or expel students for violations? "If we're going to change the behavior, we need to change the environment," he told 30 college officials from across the state on Tuesday. They gathered in a first-ever joint meeting to discuss strategies for addressing underage drinking and possibly developing unified alcohol policies for campuses statewide. DeLong is director of the national Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention. Headquartered in Boston, it provides resources and training to higher education officials. The public and private college educators didn't come up with any magic solutions or proposed statewide policies. But they agreed that working together may prove more productive. "In the past, we've all been working in our own little silos ," said Butler University's Levester Johnson , vice president for student affairs. But colleges have had limited results, so it's a good idea to share ideas and resources and at least discuss whether a statewide policy would be feasible, said Johnson. Statewide policies are not common around the country. Last October, though, the Board of Higher Education in Massachusetts voted to ban alcohol at all 29 public colleges in the state after a student died from alcohol poisoning. No such deaths have occurred on Indiana campuses. However, there have been numerous arrests at major campus events and suspensions of Greek organizations over alcohol violations, despite stricter policies. Nancy Maylath , director of health promotion programs at Purdue University's student health center, said an increase in arrests at Purdue's Grand Prix race this year was partly a response to a tougher policy limiting alcohol and guests at Greek organization parties. "It needs more time to work," she said. What works at Purdue, however, may not be acceptable at another campus, Maylath said. It's going to be very difficult to devise common policies because of the wide range in current policies at public and private colleges and differences in campus sizes and types, she added. Still, Richard McKaig , Indiana University's dean of students, said the group's meeting helped focus attention on ideas that are working for some campuses. One such idea that is proving beneficial at IU, he said, is a campus-community coalition dealing with alcohol problems. Among other steps, the coalition has prompted neighborhood organizations to build relationships with students through casual get-togethers. Despite colleges' focus on alcohol abuse, McKaig said, "we're a long way from any so-called solutions. We're a long way from sending any consistent message to students." The college officials will meet again in October. At that time, students, professors and others will be invited, said Lisa Hutcheson , director of the Indiana Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking. The coalition of 50 business, higher education and health groups, formed in 1997, called Tuesday's meeting. The Indiana branch of another group, the Network of Colleges and Universities Committed to the Elimination of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, also sponsored the joint session. - --- Checked-by: Mike Gogulski