University Health Services will continue to push back against UW-Madison’s heavy drinking culture this year by tailoring and shaping existing programs, as well as adding new ones.
Reonda Washington, the alcohol and other drugs prevention coordinator at UHS, said much of the work she does involves one simple process: talking with students.
It is how she learns “the pulse of what campus is doing,” Washington said—like the fact, for example, that the favorite drink among students is Burnett’s.
To change campus culture regarding alcohol, however, prevention staff at UHS must reach further than just students and do more than just talk.
This year, they will launch a “Three Ds” campaign focused on bystander intervention when it comes to over-intoxication. They will also send out a survey during the spring semester titled “The Color of Drinking,” which will assess how high-risk drinking affect students of color, Washington explained.
Jenny Rabas, the alcohol, tobacco and other drugs program coordinator, also said UHS staff has reached out to faculty and staff to ensure they are being mindful of not perpetuating a heavy drinking culture.
Instead of a professor joking about what he or she did “back in my day,” Rabas explained, faculty are being trained to talk with students about the effects of alcohol on an academic, financial and competitive level.
AlcoholEdu, which all incoming students are required to take before they progress further on campus, remains the “best practice” to teach students skills about the impacts of alcohol and how to make healthy decisions, Rabas said.
Though it is a costly program, Washington explained that students chose it and it is updated each year to include the most relevant and inclusive information.
At the conclusion of this year’s program, Rabas said students were asked whether they were interested in recovery methods in dealing with alcohol abuse. More than 100 students said yes.
More information about the “Three Ds” campaign and the survey are expected to be released later in the year.
