May 11, 2001 Agenda Item I.1.e.

Principles for Developing Alcohol Policies and Programs at UW System Institutions

The use and abuse of alcohol has been an ongoing matter of significant concern for the people of the state of Wisconsin. The University of Wisconsin System recognizes the importance of addressing this issue on its campuses and in its communities because the abuse of alcohol interferes with the education and well-being of its students. The most effective ways to deal with issues of alcohol abuse in the university community are designed to effect attitudinal and behavioral change. Because of this concern, the Board of Regents endorses the principles listed below related to the use of alcohol at institutions of the UW System. The Board directs the chancellors at each institution to use these principles as a basis for developing institutional policies and programs, and to review them annually for the purpose of continual examination of alcohol use and abuse. (Institutions shall refer to the Inter-Association Task Force on Alcohol and Other Substance Abuse Issues Model Campus Policy.) The Board also directs UW System Administration to help coordinate systemwide efforts that support and enhance institutional initiatives.

Policy and Program Development
The development of campus alcohol policies and programs should be a collaborative effort involving students, faculty, staff, administration and other segments of the university community. The policies and programs should be educational and supportive in nature, comprehensive in scope and consistent with state and federal laws. Institutional policies should be enforceable and consistently enforced. Efforts should be aimed at fostering an environment that supports the responsible use of alcohol and should include alternative programming. Institutions should provide support systems both for those who are at risk and those who choose not to drink.

Research
Faculty and staff should be encouraged to develop and conduct research studies that provide the basis for improving alcohol policies and programs at each institution.

Curricular Integration
Efforts should be made to encourage faculty to develop ways to incorporate issues of alcohol education and prevention into the curriculum.

Assessment
Each institution shall develop strategies to understand the nature and scope of alcohol usage on campus and assess the effectiveness of its alcohol policies and programs.

Awareness and Promotion
Each institution shall use multiple methods and strategies to ensure that all members of the university community are sensitized to issues of alcohol abuse, aware of campus alcohol policies and programs, and encouraged to participate in efforts that lead to responsible drinking. Students should be involved in the development of strategies that will be effective with their peers.

Collaboration
Collaboration with other institutions of higher education, school districts, community agencies, businesses and other relevant partners should be established as part of a comprehensive effort to reduce the incidence of alcohol abuse.

Alcohol Beverage Marketing
Institutional policies should include guidelines related to alcohol beverage marketing modeled from those recommended by the Inter-Association Task Force on Campus Alcohol Issues. These guidelines appear in Appendix 1.

Appendix 1
Inter-Association Task Force on Campus Alcohol Issues
Guidelines for Alcohol and Beverage Marketing on College/University Campuses

  • Alcohol beverage marketing programs specifically targeted for students and/or held on campus should conform to the code of student conduct of the institution and should avoid demeaning sexual or discriminatory portrayal of individuals.
  • Promotion of beverage alcohol should not encourage any form of alcohol abuse nor should it place emphasis on quantity and frequency of use.
  • Beverage alcohol (such as kegs or cases of beer) should not be provided as free awards to individual students or campus organizations.
  • No uncontrolled sampling as part of campus marketing programs should be permitted and no sampling, or other promotional activities, should include “drinking contests.”
  • Where controlled sampling is allowed by law and institutional policy, it should be limited as to time and quantity. Principles of good hosting should be observed including availability of alternative beverages, food and planned programs, the consumption of beer, wine and distilled spirits should not be the sole purpose of any promotional activity.
  • Promotional activities should not be associated with otherwise existing campus events or programs without the prior knowledge and consent of appropriate institutional officials.
  • Display or availability of promotional materials should be determined in consultation with appropriate institutional officials.
  • Informational marketing programs should have educational value and subscribe to the philosophy of responsible and legal use of the products represented.
  • Beverage alcohol marketers should support campus alcohol awareness programs that encourage informed and responsible decisions about the use or non-use of beer, wine, and distilled spirits.
  • If permitted, beverage alcohol advertising on campus or in institutional media, including that which promotes events as well as product advertising, should not portray drinking as a solution to personal or academic problems of students or as necessary to social, sexual or academic success.
  • Advertising and other promotional campus activities should not associate beverage alcohol consumption with the performance of tasks that require skilled reactions such as the operation of motor vehicles or machinery.
  • Local off-campus promotional activities, primarily directed to students, should be developed with the previous knowledge of appropriate institutional officials.