Youth access to alcohol on college campuses

Underage drinking on college campuses continues to be a significant problem nationwide. (1) Underage alcohol use is associated with numerous problems including unintentional injuries, assault, risky sexual behavior and rape. (2, 3, 4) In addition to the problems that befall students who use alcohol, students who are nonusers are also negatively affected by the misconduct of their peers. Problems can range from sleep and study interruption to physical or sexual assault. (5) Reducing access to alcohol on campus and in the surrounding community may be the most effective approach to reducing these problems.

Colleges, as institutions, have legal and assumed duties to ensure that students' conduct does not create a foreseeable risk to other students. An institution's negligence in upholding these duties can result in liability. (6) Because underage drinking is against the law and is associated with increased injuries and other problems, such behavior creates a potential liability for colleges. For this reason, it is especially important for colleges to implement strategies aimed at reducing underage access to alcohol.

• Promote policies and practices that aim to reduce the flow of alcohol at private parties. Policies/practices to consider include: 1) banning beer kegs (kegs tend to encourage larger amounts of alcohol consumption in shorter periods of time), 2) banning home delivery of alcohol on/near campus (see home delivery restrictions policy), 3) prohibiting self-service of alcohol, and 4) serving non-alcohol drinks and food. (7)
  
  
• Encourage police to conduct compliance checks. Routine checks by police of local liquor stores and bars may encourage establishments to comply with age-of-sale laws and responsible serving practices (see compliance checks policy).
  
  
• Encourage police to question underage students who are caught drinking about where they got their alcohol. Although underage youth may be reluctant to divulge the identity of their alcohol supplier, police can provide incentives for disclosure, such as reduced penalties for the underage offender. Police should then be encouraged to charge the supplier.
  
  
• Work with the city council to implement and/or improve laws that affect youth access to alcohol. College officials and community members can work with city council members to pass/strengthen/enforce laws that: 1) limit the hours and days that alcohol is sold, and 2) limit the number of liquor licenses around campus. (7)
  
  
• Encourage local merchants to implement responsible serving practices. College officials and community members can encourage local alcohol merchants to: 1) check the age identification of all persons who appear to be under the age of 30 (see checking age identification policy), 2) train employees on responsible serving practices such as how to check IDs, identify and confiscate false IDs, and cut-off service to underage and intoxicated patrons (see responsible beverage service training policy), 3) eliminate pitchers, "happy hours" and other reduced-price alcohol promotions that encourage excessive drinking, 4) promote alcohol-free drinks and food, and 5) eliminate "last-call" announcements. (7)
  
  
• Ban alcohol sponsorship at college events. Sponsorship of an event means that corporations give financial support to an event in return for product promotions and brand advertisements at that event. Bans on alcohol sponsorship at college events prohibit alcohol-related promotions at college events, which are traditionally attended by a large percentage of underage youth, and at other events where alcohol sponsorship sends an inappropriate message to the college community. Although bans on alcohol sponsorship do not directly reduce underage access to alcohol, such bans may bring attention to the problem of underage drinking and reduce the cultural acceptance of providing alcohol to underage youth (see alcohol sponsorship restrictions policy).
  
  
• Establish alcohol-free dorms. Colleges can establish alcohol-free or substance-free housing in which students agree not to use alcohol or other drugs. Such living arrangements may reduce youth access to alcohol by creating an environment in which alcohol possession and consumption is prohibited. (7, 8)
  
  
• Create alcohol-free campuses. To reduce underage access to alcohol, colleges may prohibit the consumption or sale of alcohol on campus. Colleges without a ban on alcohol can place restrictions on alcohol use at college events, require that all servers and sellers at events and alcohol establishments be trained in responsible beverage service, and implement routine compliance checks of licensed establishments. (7, 9)

1. Wechsler H, Lee JE, Kuo MC, Lee H. College binge drinking in the 1990s: A continuing problem - Results of the Harvard School of Public Health 1999 College Alcohol Study. Journal of American College Health , 48(5):199-210, 2000.

2. Hingson RW, Heeren T, Zakocs RC, Kopstein A, Wechsler H. Magnitude of alcohol-related mortality and morbidity among US college students ages 18-24. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 63(2):136-44, 2002.

3. Marx BP. Alcohol consumption, outcome expectancies, and victimization status among female college students. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 30(5):1056-70, 2000.

4. National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. A call to action: Changing the drinking culture at U.S. colleges. April 2002 Available online at: http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov

5. Weschler H, Moeykens B, Davenport A, Castillo S, Hansen, J. The adverse impact of heavy episodic drinkers on other college students. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 56(6):628-634, 1995.

6. Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention. The law, higher education, and substance abuse prevention: A biannual newsletter. Vol. 1(1), Winter 1995.

7. Toomey TL, Wagenaar AC. Environmental policies to reduce college drinking: Options and research findings. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, (Suppl 14):193-205, 2002.

8. Wechsler H, Lee JE, Nelson TF, Lee H. Drinking levels, alcohol problems and secondhand effects in substance-free college residences: Results of a national study. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 62(1):23-31, 2001.

9. Wechsler H, Lee JE, Gledhill-Hoyt J, Nelson TF. Alcohol use and problems at colleges banning alcohol: Results of a national survey. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 62(2):133-41, 2001.
   

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