Ohio University is joining a research group to discuss ways to reduce high-risk drinking on college campuses.
The Learning Collaborative on High Risk Drinking, a joint effort by Dartmouth College and The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, will include several colleges and universities that plan to measure techniques for reducing high-risk drinking among college students.
Each institution will contribute its own data about and practices for combating binge drinking, as well as discussing plans for future incidences. The group will meet face-to-face every six months during the next two years and intends to first convene in next month.
Fourteen schools have agreed to join the collaborative, some of which include Cornell University, Northwestern University, Princeton University, Duke University and Stanford University, according to Dartmouth Now, a news website published by Dartmouth’s Office of Public Affairs.
High-risk drinking, defined as the excessive consumption of alcohol that leads to serious negative consequences by OU’s Department of Health Promotion, has been targeted by the university during the last several years. As a result, OU developed plans to deal with alcohol usage such as stricter sanctions, increased education about alcohol misuse and intervention programs, according to a news release.
OU’s plans resulted in their invitation to join the collaborative, which was created because of the number of students participating in high-risk drinking on college campuses, said Kent Smith, vice president for Student Affairs.
Almost 40 percent of college students participate in binge drinking, according to the news release.
“It’s well documented; we have a party school reputation, according to rankings and AlcoholEdu results,” he said. “Our student population is participating higher than national norms.”
The universities participating in the collaborative hope each will go back to their schools and not only do research about how to reduce high-risk drinking on college campuses but also discuss what other universities are doing as well, Smith added
“I would argue we do have an issue with high-risk drinking,” he said. “(The collaborative is) a multi-faceted approach.”
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