Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse 

Among First-year College Students

For additional information

The Higher Education Center for

Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and 

Violence Prevention 

Education Development Center, Inc.

55 Chapel Street

Newton, Massachusetts 02458-1060 

Web site: http://www.higheredcenter.org

Phone: 1-800-676-1730; TDD Relay-friendly, Dial 711 

Fax: 617-928-1537

E-mail: HigherEdCtr@edc.org

Funded by the U.S. Department of Education

March 2008

INFOFACTSRESOURCES

by Virginia Ross, Ph.D., and William DeJong, Ph.D.

The Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention 

Although any new undertaking is exciting 

because of the opportunities it may bring, the 

transition to college life also brings new pressures and uncertainties. From the shelter of 

home, young people emerge into a new culture, 

with a new environment for success. Here 

they are their own masters, often far from the 

vigilance of parents and the strictures of tightly 

scheduled school days. As they take this step 

toward independence, they face the temptation 

to celebrate their newfound freedom, test limits, 

and perhaps escape from new pressures through 

alcohol and other drugs. 

This guide addresses three questions:

1. How serious is the problem of alcohol and 

other drug use among fi rst-year students?

2. What developmental and environmental 

factors make the fi rst year of college a time 

of greater vulnerability?

3. How can prevention professionals help students successfully negotiate the sometimes 

perilous transition from high school to 

college life?

Scope of the Problem

Heavy drinking by students in institutions of higher 

education (IHEs) was characterized as “widespread, dangerous, and disruptive” by the Task 

Force on College Drinking of the National Institute 

on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).1 

National surveys fi nd that about two in fi ve 

U.S. undergraduates engage in heavy drinking, 

which is typically defi ned as having fi ve or more 

drinks in a row at least once in a two-week period.2

 According to survey data compiled by the 

Core Institute in 2004, 45.3 percent of freshmen 

nationally can be classifi ed as heavy drinkers. 

The same data indicate that 17.7 percent are 

heavy and frequent drinkers, meaning that they 

engaged in at least one episode of heavy drinking in the previous two weeks and drank on 

three or more occasions per week.3

The negative consequences associated with 

college alcohol use are legion, including personal 

injury, physical illness, high-risk sexual behavior, 

and death. Research estimates that 1,700 college 

students ages 18–24 die annually from alcoholrelated unintentional injuries. Nearly 80 percent 

of those deaths are associated with driving after 

drinking. In 2001, just over 10 percent of college 

students reported being injured, while 8 percent 

reported having unprotected sexual intercourse 

because of their drinking.4

Diffi culty in academics also is associated 

with higher levels of alcohol consumption. One 

national survey reported that students with an 

A average consumed an average of 3.4 drinks 

per week, while B average students consumed 

4.5 drinks, C average students 6.1 drinks, and 

D or F students 9.8 drinks.5

 About one-fourth 

of college students report academic problems 

caused by alcohol use, such as earning lower 

grades, doing poorly on exams or papers, missing classes, and falling behind in their studies.6

College administrators report that signifi cant 

numbers of students drop out each year because 

alcohol interfered with their academic work.7

Many students confront problems because 

their classmates misuse alcohol: interrupted 

study and sleep (60.0 percent), having to take 

care of a drunken student (47.6 percent), being 

insulted or humiliated (29.2 percent), having 

a serious argument (19.0 percent), having 

personal property damaged (15.2 percent), 

receiving unwanted sexual advances (19.5 percent), being hit or assaulted (8.7 percent), and 

being a victim of sexual assault or date rape (1 

percent).8

 In addition, alcohol is sometimes a 

precursor to other substance use—often illicit 

and even more dangerous drugs.9 

Elevated Risk in the First Year of 

College

The transition to college life is a key risk period, 

according to college-based prevention professionals. The college years are the time many 

youths fi rst experiment with alcohol, while 

others move from experimentation to frequent 

use.10 In fact, escalated drinking during the 

transition to college is so common that the 

phenomenon has been given a name: the “College Effect.”11 Data from the Harvard School of 

Public Health College Alcohol Study show that 

about one-fi fth of students who did not drink 

heavily in high school begin to do so once they 

entered college.12 At the same time, students 

who drank in high school often are predisposed 

to seeking a college environment that enables 

or even encourages heavy drinking. 

Life transitions in general are times of risk for 

increased alcohol use and abuse, but many features of the college transition make it a particularly 

risky period. First, a big jump in high-risk alcohol 

use is typical among many young people of 

traditional college age. Studies conducted during 

(Continued on page 2)
2

student attrition and to the individual student 

in unproductive expenditures in time and effort 

and a resulting sense of failure.”22

Interventions for First-year Students

Clearly, the alcohol and other drug abuse 

problems associated with the college transition 

argue for a greater focus on fi rst-year students. 

Environmental Management 

Approaches

Substance use problems are driven by environmental factors that increase both the availability 

and the appeal of alcohol and other drugs, each 

of which can be addressed by a set of environmental management strategies:23

1. Alcohol-free Options: Many students, especially at residential colleges, have few adult 

responsibilities like jobs and family, a great 

deal of unstructured free time, and too few 

social and recreational options. The strategic 

objective: offer and promote social, recreational, extracurricular, and public service options 

that do not include alcohol and other drugs.

2. Normative Environment: Many people 

accept drinking and other drug use as a 

“normal” part of the college experience. The 

strategic objective: create a social, academic, 

and residential environment that supports 

health-promoting norms.

3. Alcohol Availability: Too often alcohol is 

abundantly available to students and is inexpensive. The strategic objective: limit alcohol 

availability both on and off campus.

4. Alcohol Marketing and Promotion: Local 

bars, restaurants, and liquor stores may use 

aggressive promotions to target those who 

are underage and others in college who 

drink. The strategic objective: restrict marketing and promotion of alcoholic beverages 

both on and off campus.

5. Policy Development and Enforcement:

Campus policies and local, state, and federal 

laws related to substance use may not be enforced consistently for the campus population. 

The strategic objective: develop and enforce 

campus policies and enforce local, state, and 

federal laws, and make sure everyone knows 

what the policies are.

the last decade reveal that the highest proportion of 

both heavy drinkers and multi-substance abusers 

are found among people ages 18–29 years.13

Second, college attendance itself creates additional risk, as evidenced by the fact that college students use more alcohol and do so more frequently 

than young adults not attending college.14 Going to 

college brings a substantial increase in responsibility and stress, as students face major decisions 

that will direct the course of their academic, professional, and personal lives for years to come.

Moreover, many entering college students arrive on campus expecting to drink heavily while 

in college, and campus environments—often 

defi ned by easy access to alcohol, marketing 

and advertising that glorifi es high-risk drinking, and weak enforcement of the institution’s 

rules and local and state laws—too often 

facilitate that choice.15 Unscheduled time is 

more abundant. Living arrangements also 

are a factor: 

fi rst-year college 

students who live in 

residence halls use 

more alcohol than 

those who continue 

to live with their 

parents.16 Students 

tend to anticipate that 

alcohol will deliver 

their expected college 

experience and that 

drinking will ensure 

social success, according to 

Robert Chapman in “When 

They Drink: Alcohol and the 

First-Year Experience as Seen 

by Students.” Students may expect alcohol to 

bolster their confi dence as they risk seeking a 

peer group in a completely new setting.17

Mary Stuart Hunter, director of the National 

Resource Center for the First-Year Experience 

and Students in Transition, states that today’s 

fi rst-year students are facing challenges beyond 

what parents or faculty members faced when 

they matriculated, amplifying the risk of 

substance abuse. Hunter notes that a higher 

percentage of entering students today are already heavily involved with alcohol and other 

drugs. There also are more new students who 

suffer from depression, anxiety, and other mental 

health problems, and many of these students are 

taking prescription medications.18 Chronic social 

isolation is more prevalent, enabled by 24-hour 

Internet access. And students today more often 

experience substantial fi nancial distress caused 

by high tuition, student loans, and social pressure 

to enjoy a high-end college lifestyle, which is 

abetted by easy access to credit cards.19

Hunter adds that parents today are more 

likely to view college as a “commodity” they 

are buying for their children. Such parents 

are more likely to be an intrusive presence in 

their children’s lives, leaving them in a kind of 

suspended childhood. New technologies, including cell phones, e-mail, and instant messaging, 

can facilitate a hovering parental presence. This 

type of parental involvement, Hunter asserts, 

can interfere with children’s maturation and 

undermine their ability to assume adult responsibilities and 

make healthy lifestyle choices.20

According to Hunter, the 

college transition takes longer 

than educators generally 

believe, not just the fi rst few 

weeks of college, but the 

entire fi rst year. Moreover, 

there are predictable 

phases in this process 

of transition. Times of 

high risk for alcohol 

and other drug abuse 

problems include 

the early fall, when 

fi rst-year students might be establishing behavior patterns that will be diffi cult to 

change, and the January return to campus. For 

students generally, holidays, academic breaks, 

and special campus events (e.g., football games, 

festivals) also are times of greater risk.21

Despite strong evidence that the fi rst year of 

college is a critical risk period, few college alcohol and other drug abuse prevention programs 

specifi cally target this key transitional stage. 

Hunter and James S. Gahagan, of the University 

of South Carolina-Columbia, make the case for 

changing this state of affairs: “Ignoring or discounting the issues faced by fi rst-year students 

has tremendous costs—to the institution in 

 College freshmen are not the only 

fi rst-year students at colleges and 

universities. The National Resource 

Center for the First-Year Experience 

and Students in Transition found that 

approximately half of college graduates had started their college careers 

at another institution. Transfer 

students as well as college freshmen 

need to be included in alcohol and 

other drug abuse prevention programs for students in transition.

Transfer Students

 INFOFACTS 

The Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention ◆ http://www.higheredcenter.org

(Continued on page 3)
3

The environmental management approach 

encourages town-gown collaboration to address 

these factors and change the campus and community environments in which students make 

decisions about alcohol and other drug use. 

A large 2006 study (N = 3,720) found 

that fi rst-semester heavy drinking is highly 

predictable, mostly because of continuity with 

precollege patterns of behavior. These fi ndings 

suggest that interventions should be timed to 

interfere with the momentum of previously 

established drinking behavior.24 Knowing the 

points of peak risk during a student’s fi rst year 

can help campus offi cials time their interventions for maximum effectiveness. For example, 

some colleges stipulate that all social events on 

campus be “dry” during orientation week and 

arrange activities with very little down time in 

the schedule. As entering students explore the 

social life on campus, these policies structure 

an opportunity to discover alcohol-free activities 

in a campus and community atmosphere that 

supports the decision to avoid drinking. Likewise, some campuses have found that delayed 

fraternity and sorority rush helps curb highrisk drinking and other drug use, as students 

going through rush later are likely to be more 

comfortable and secure in their roles as college 

students. 

For a list of suggested environmental management approaches, see fi gure 1, “Applying 

Environmental Management to the First-Year 

Experience.”

Within this general environmental management approach, strategies can be selected to 

guide and support fi rst-year students as they 

make the transition to college life, moving 

them toward a successful academic career. 

First-year students will make healthier choices 

about alcohol consumption and other drug use 

if they are embraced by a welcoming community that is value-centered and demanding in its expectations, yet highly supportive. 

Entering students need to learn—and to 

experience—that they are part of a community 

where academic focus, responsible and healthy 

decision-making, and care for others are the 

norm. With that larger vision in mind, colleges 

and universities can incorporate the following 

practices into their own overarching programs 

to help students make a successful transition 

to college. 

Preenrollment Messages

First-year students typically have exaggerated 

ideas about how much college students drink. 

Wanting to fi t in and being free of parental control for the fi rst time, these students can be led by 

this misperception into a pattern of heavy drinking that increases their risk of academic failure, 

serious injury, sexual assault, and even death.

Social norms marketing campaigns try to 

counteract these false beliefs by conveying 

accurate survey data about student drinking 

norms. The idea is that once students learn 

that far fewer students are drinking 

heavily than they 

once thought, they 

will feel less social 

pressure to drink 

and, therefore, 

moderate their alcohol use. Several 

IHEs—Northern 

Illinois University, 

the University of 

Arizona, Western 

Washington University, and Hobart 

and William Smith Colleges, among others—

have reported success with social norms 

marketing campaigns.25 Two randomized trials 

involving 32 IHEs found that, when examining institutions located in communities with 

lower alcohol outlet density, students attending 

institutions that implemented a campaign had 

a lower relative risk of heavy alcohol consumption than students attending control group 

institutions. However, when examining institutions located with higher alcohol outlet density, 

the campaigns were not successful.26

To reach fi rst-year students, a social norms 

campaign should begin well before their fi rst 

week of college and then continue throughout 

the academic year. Why wait until students 

arrive on campus? The start of the academic 

year is a hectic time, when entering students 

are overwhelmed by new information and the 

stress of settling in, and there is a risk that the 

campaign’s message will get lost. In contrast, 

communicating in advance about the actual 

drinking norms, while also clarifying the college’s 

expectations for student conduct, has the potential 

to help students make healthier choices from 

the moment they arrive on campus. 

To begin, colleges can capitalize on the 

admissions acceptance letter, perhaps the most 

memorable correspondence students will receive 

from their institution. A companion letter to 

parents can reinforce the social norms message 

in the context of providing guidance on how to 

talk with their child about substance use.27 After 

students commit to attending a college, the 

institution will send preenrollment information 

about fall orientation, 

housing, and course 

registration, which also 

can carry prevention 

messages.

In 2000, George Mason 

University initiated an 

innovative transitions 

program called Healthy 

Expectations, which helps 

prepare students moving 

from high school to college by promoting positive 

“life health principles,” 

correcting misperceptions 

about campus alcohol and other drug use, and 

encouraging open and healthy communication 

with family. Program staff give presentations 

at local high schools and manage a Web site 

with tips, facts, quizzes, worksheets, and other 

resources, to which prospective, admitted, and 

newly matriculated students are referred via e-mail.28

Open houses for accepted students and the 

opportunity for campus visits provide other 

instances to educate both students and parents 

about student alcohol and other drug use and 

campus policies and to dispel misperceptions 

about prevailing campus drinking norms. 

Upperclass students who serve as student hosts 

and allow accepted students to stay overnight in 

a campus residence hall also can be trained to 

reinforce the social norms message.

 INFOFACTS 

The Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention ◆ http://www.higheredcenter.org

 All too often fi rst-year students are told that 

their college does not condone underage or 

high-risk drinking, but then they receive a 

very different message from the day-to-day 

reality of big, unsupervised parties, easy 

access to bars, and cheap or free alcohol. 

Exhortations to say “no” to underage or 

excessive drinking will not have a lasting effect if the campus and community 

environment says “yes.”

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

(Continued on page 5)
4

 FIGURE 1. Applying environmental management to the fi rst-year experience

Provide Alcohol-free Options.

• Create and promote alcohol-free events for fi rst-year students.

• Support student clubs and organizations that are substance-free.

• Create and promote service learning and volunteer opportunities.

• Require community service work as part of the academic curriculum.

• Open or expand hours at a student center, recreation facilities, or other alcohol-free settings.

• Promote consumption of nonalcoholic beverages and food at events.

Create a Healthy Normative Environment.

• Offer a greater number of substance-free residence halls.

• Promote faculty-student contact.

• Require students to meet regularly with academic adviser.

• Require students to meet regularly with resident assistant.

• Employ older resident assistants.

• Prohibit fraternity and sorority rush for fi rst-year students.

• Require students to take more morning and Friday classes.

Restrict Alcohol Availability.

• Require all social events during orientation to be “dry.”

• Require fi rst-year students to live on campus.

• Disseminate responsible host guidelines for both on- and off-campus parties.

• Install a responsible beverage service program. 

• Train alcohol servers and managers to stop service to underage or intoxicated students.

• Train alcohol servers and managers in the latest techniques and technologies for recognizing false IDs.

• Eliminate residence hall delivery of alcohol purchases.

• Advertise food and activities, such as dancing or sports, rather than drinking as the focus of the event.

Restrict Marketing and Promotion of Alcohol.

• Ban alcohol promotions with special appeal to underage drinkers.

• Ban advertising of high-risk promotions. 

Strengthen Policy Development and Enforcement.

• Review campus alcohol and other drug policies and strengthen where necessary.

• Disseminate campus alcohol and other drug policies and publicize their enforcement.

• Require on-campus functions to be registered.

• Impose tough penalties for possessing a fake ID.

• Enforce minimum legal drinking age laws.

 √ Increase ID checks at on-campus functions and parties.

 √ Use decoy operations at campus pubs and on-campus functions.

 √ Increase ID checks at off-campus bars and liquor stores.

 √ Use decoy operations at retail alcohol outlets.

 √ Enforce seller penalties for sale of liquor to minors.

• Support local and state enforcement in imposing driver’s license penalties for minors violating alcohol laws, 

 and in changing driver’s licensing procedures and formats.

• Notify parents of their children’s rules violations.

 Source: Adapted from Zimmerman, R., and DeJong, W. Safe Lanes on Campus: A Guide for Preventing Impaired Driving and Underage Drinking 

(Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education, Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention, 2003).

 INFOFACTS 

The Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention ◆ http://www.higheredcenter.org
5

is superior to an academic lecture in changing 

students’ knowledge, beliefs, and alcoholrelated behaviors.30

Orientation week programs can 

include other activities that help 

students connect with campus 

resources and programs that 

direct them away from alcohol 

and other drug use. Boston 

College, for example, offers a 

community service program 

and a sports competition during 

its orientation week. Recent 

fi ndings show that increasing 

numbers of college freshmen 

are interested in volunteer 

community service.31 Programs that support this trend 

reinforce students’ perceptions that they have 

joined a healthy academic community.

 INFOFACTS 

The Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention ◆ http://www.higheredcenter.org

Orientation Week

The National Resource Center for the First-Year 

Experience and Students in Transition estimates 

that as many as 2,000 IHEs in the United States 

now offer comprehensive 

orientation 

programs 

that include 

information 

about the 

institution’s 

alcohol and 

other drug 

policies and 

enforcement.29

In that context, 

during general 

assemblies and 

in written support 

materials, the president, dean of freshmen, or 

other high-level offi cial should deliver the social 

norms message and establish clear expectations 

for student conduct.

As part of its “RhodeMap to Safety” campaign, the University of Rhode Island distributes 

information to both fi rst-year students and their 

parents. Key messages describe survey fi ndings 

about widespread student support for stricter enforcement of drinking and driving laws; current 

state laws and local ordinances; descriptions of 

the campus’s parental notifi cation and “threestrikes” policy, whereby students with three policy 

infractions can be suspended or in some cases 

expelled; enhanced driving under the infl uence 

(DUI) patrols and other enforcement actions 

by local police; and responsible beverage service 

policies practiced by local alcohol retailers as part 

of a cooperating tavern program.

As an alternative to the standard lecture about 

alcohol and other drug use, the University at Albany, 

State University of New York, founded a peer theater 

troupe called the Middle Earth Players to perform 

before fi rst-year and other student groups. The 

Middle Earth Players do an orientation performance that incorporates social norms data on 

student drinking and misperceptions of drinking 

norms, with the purpose of promoting, reinforcing, 

and supporting students’ healthy lifestyle choices. 

An evaluation study found that the performance 

Fall Semester

First-year students need 

basic information about 

alcohol and other 

drugs—the health, safety, 

and legal risks that come 

with substance use; how 

alcohol and other drugs 

affect brain development and learning; how 

choices about alcohol 

and other drug use affect both academic and 

personal success; and 

substance use norms 

on campus. This 

information must 

be presented in the 

context of a comprehensive program that 

includes environmental management 

strategies; standalone informational programs have been 

shown to be ineffective in preventing alcohol and 

other drug abuse.32

Students also need a structured opportunity 

to examine their own patterns of alcohol and 

other drug use, to explore how substance use 

may affect their life goals, and to discover 

whether their positive expectations about substance use (e.g., increased sociability and sexual 

attractiveness) may be unrealistic. They then 

need to learn ways to reduce their alcohol and 

other drug use risk, including managing stress 

and other factors that can result in increased 

use, tracking daily alcohol consumption, and 

deciding to adhere to a drinking limit before 

they go to social events. 

Some institutions meet these needs by having 

fi rst-year students attend a mandatory life skills 

course. At the University of Rhode Island, all 

fi rst-year students take URI 101: Traditions and 

Transformations, a one-credit freshman seminar 

designed to help students navigate their fi rst year 

in a new setting. Most class sections, limited to 25 

students each, are designed for particular majors 

or around other student interests (e.g., athletics, 

leadership). URI 101’s larger focus is to help 

students identify 

their personal 

education goals, 

plan their courses 

of study, enhance 

their academic 

skills, learn about 

available resources 

at the university, 

and explore career 

options. The seminar also requires 

an inquiry-based 

community service 

experience. Specifi c 

course units focus 

on substance use 

issues. One class 

conveys the social 

norms message by 

collecting data from 

the class and then 

comparing the class’s 

estimates of campus 

alcohol and other drug use against what the 

students themselves reported.

The Rochester Institute of Technology 

provides a fi rst-year enrichment course with 

 Grand Valley State University in Michigan 

developed the Passport Program for students 

who want “to enjoy the college experience without indulging in alcohol or other 

drugs.” The program has four goals:

1. Assign a peer mentor who can serve as a 

point of contact for entering students and 

can guide them through their fi rst year 

on campus.

2. Provide a quality living experience for 

students who choose to live with other 

residents who desire not to use alcohol in 

any setting.

3. Offer welcome week activities, monthly 

social outings, and semester service 

projects for residents living in Passport 

Housing.

4. Provide opportunities for residents to 

learn about and develop stronger leadership skills.

Passport Program

(Continued on page 6)

 During orientation week or after arriving 

to start classes, fi rst-year students on many 

campuses will meet their resident assistant 

(RA) and perhaps an assigned peer mentor. These student advisers also should be 

equipped with accurate information about 

campus drinking norms and trained to 

recognize potential signs that fi rst-year 

students may be struggling with alcohol 

or other drugs.

Resident Assistants and 

Peer Mentors
6

Some online programs can be set up to require 

that students complete the entire curriculum 

and pass an examination on the content.

Throughout the fall semester and into the 

spring, alcohol and other drug abuse prevention 

information can be incorporated into already 

planned events. The fall parents’ weekend, for 

example, provides an opportunity to support 

parents in communicating expectations to their 

children. Reminder messages also can be sent 

out to fi rst-year students via e-mail, newspaper 

ads, residence hall presentations, and other 

campus venues. 

Appropriate Involvement of Parents

Many IHEs have been reluctant to involve parents 

or guardians in alcohol and other drug abuse 

prevention. They know well that some parents, 

out of sincere and deep-seated concern, participate too much in their children’s lives and decisions. But new research shows that, if involved 

appropriately, parents can help their fi rst-year 

students navigate the transition to college: 

• Young people are at lower risk of alcohol and 

other drug use problems during the transition to college if their parents are involved 

in communicating about substance abuse, 

even in late adolescence.38

• Confl ict between parents and children at the 

beginning of college has been correlated 

with heavier alcohol consumption and 

negative consequences one year later among 

fraternity and sorority members.39

• Parental monitoring has been shown to 

moderate the negative infl uence of peers.40 

These fi ndings underscore the importance of 

parental involvement even when their teens 

have entered college and moved away from 

home. Strategies to involve parents as potential allies in college alcohol and other drug 

abuse prevention work are just beginning to be 

explored.

A 2002 study showed that fi rst-year college 

students whose parents read an extensive manual describing how to talk to their teens about 

alcohol-related problems had lower drinking 

rates and experienced fewer alcohol-related 

consequences than students whose parents did 

not read the manual. The researchers found 

fi ll out an assessment, receive feedback about 

their drinking behavior, and work with a 

trained counselor to develop a plan for change. 

Research data show that high-risk drinkers who 

participate in the BASICS program signifi cantly 

reduce both their alcohol use and drinkingrelated problems compared with participants 

in a control group.35 Other research has shown 

that individually tailored feedback delivered by 

mail also can be effective.36

Online programs are a very effi cient means 

for colleges to provide basic alcohol and other 

drug education and to identify and intervene 

with students at risk, and many institutions 

are adopting this approach. A literature review 

published in 2005 described fi ve Web-based 

alcohol education and intervention programs 

that target college drinkers. Most of the programs use a mix of educational, skills-based, 

and motivational strategies to present materials, and all fi ve include drinking assessment 

questions and personalized feedback or other 

information customized to each user. There is 

growing evidence that these learning tools can 

increase student knowledge, change attitudes, 

build skills, and ultimately reduce alcohol use.37 

similar aims, using a combination of course 

instruction and coaching to help students 

become “independent members of the college 

community in order to facilitate their academic 

and personal success.”34 Specifi c units cover 

goal setting, time management, learning strategies, university resources, plagiarism, ethical 

decision-making, and community expectations. 

The latter unit, which emphasizes the development of personal responsibility, equips students 

with information and skills to think through 

the consequences of their choices. The course, 

required of all freshmen, matches each freshman with a student affairs professional who 

serves as a performance coach. Group leaders 

and peer educators in these small seminars are 

trained to recognize students who are struggling 

with the transition to college and who might be 

at risk for substance use–related problems. 

Fall semester is also a good time for fi rst-year 

students to complete a personal risk assessment and receive feedback on their drinking. 

A brief motivational interview program called 

Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for 

College Students (BASICS) is one such program, 

which involves two sessions in which students 

 INFOFACTS 

The Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention ◆ http://www.higheredcenter.org

(Continued on page 7)

Disclosing Information to Parents of 

Postsecondary Students

The following information is excerpted from the U.S. Department of Education’s Web site regarding what the Family Educational Rights and Privacy 

Act (FERPA) “says about postsecondary institutions sharing information with 

parents”:33

• Under FERPA, schools may release any and all information to parents, 

without the consent of the eligible student, if the student is a dependent for 

tax purposes under the IRS rules. 

• The Department interprets FERPA to permit schools to disclose information 

from education records to parents if a health or safety emergency involves 

their son or daughter. 

• Another provision in FERPA permits a college or university to let parents of 

students under the age of 21 know when the student has violated any law or 

policy concerning the use or possession of alcohol or a controlled substance.

• Additionally, under FERPA, schools may disclose information from “law 

enforcement unit records” to anyone—including parents or federal, state, 

or local law enforcement authorities—without the consent of the eligible 

student. Many colleges and universities have their own campus security units. 

Records created and maintained by these units for law enforcement purposes 

are exempt from the privacy restrictions of FERPA and can be shared 

with anyone. 
7

that fi rst-year students were less likely to drink 

heavily if their mothers talked with them before 

college about alcohol effects and drinking consequences.41 Researchers are now trying to distill 

what made these discussions effective.

Conclusion

Perhaps no other crossroads in life is fraught 

with as much possibility for both growth and 

risk as the transition to college. IHEs can help 

students navigate this transition in a healthy 

way. Environmental management strategies 

have been shown to be effective in addressing 

each of the factors that increase the appeal and 

availability of alcohol and other drugs on campus. A wide range of resources is now available 

to campuses, including the successful experience of many IHEs across the country that have 

already established varied programs based on 

environmental management strategies. Effective alcohol and other drug abuse interventions 

targeted at fi rst-year students during this critical 

period can help determine the future trajectory 

of promising young lives. 

Virginia Ross, Ph.D., is a freelance writer 

in Acton, Mass. William DeJong, Ph.D., is a 

professor of social and behavioral sciences at 

the Boston University School of Public Health 

and a senior adviser to the Higher Education 

Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and 

Violence Prevention.

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8

INFOFACTSRESOURCES

The Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention ◆ http://www.higheredcenter.org

 This publication was funded by the Offi ce of Safe 

and Drug-Free Schools at the U.S. Department 

of Education under contract number ED-04-

CO-0137 with Education Development Center, 

Inc. The contracting offi cer’s representative was Richard Lucey, 

Jr. The content of this publication does not necessarily refl ect 

the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Education, nor 

does the mention of trade names, commercial products, or 

organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. government. 

This publication also contains hyperlinks and URLs for information created and maintained by private organizations. 

This information is provided for the reader’s convenience. The 

U.S. Department of Education is not responsible for controlling or guaranteeing the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or 

completeness of this outside information. Further, the inclusion of information or a hyperlink or URL does not refl ect the 

importance of the organization, nor is it intended to endorse 

any views expressed, or products or services offered. 

Resources

Offi ce of Safe and Drug-Free 

Schools (OSDFS)

U.S. Department of Education

http://www.ed.gov/osdfs; 202-260-3954

OSDFS supports efforts to create safe schools, 

respond to crises, prevent alcohol and other 

drug abuse, ensure the health and well-being 

of students, and teach students good citizenship 

and character. The agency provides fi nancial 

assistance for drug abuse and violence prevention programs and activities that promote the 

health and well-being of students in elementary and secondary schools and institutions of 

higher education. 

The U.S. Department of 

Education’s Higher Education 

Center for Alcohol and Other Drug 

Abuse and Violence Prevention

http://www.higheredcenter.org; 1-800-676-1730; 

TDD Relay-friendly, Dial 711

The Higher Education Center offers an 

integrated array of services to help campuses 

and communities come together to identify 

problems; assess needs; and plan, implement, 

and evaluate alcohol and other drug abuse and 

violence prevention programs. Services include 

training; technical assistance; publications; 

support for the Network Addressing Collegiate 

Alcohol and Other Drug Issues; and evaluation activities. The Higher Education Center’s 

publications are free and can be downloaded 

from its Web site.

National Resource Center for 

The First-Year Experience and 

Students in Transition, 

University of South Carolina 

http://www.sc.edu/fye; no telephone number

The National Resource Center promotes the development of campus-based and international 

communities that are committed to the success 

of fi rst-year students and students in transition.

The Network Addressing Collegiate 

Alcohol and Other Drug Issues

http://www.thenetwork.ws; see Web site for 

telephone contacts by region

The Network Addressing Collegiate Alcohol 

and Other Drug Issues (Network) is a national 

consortium of colleges and universities formed 

to promote healthy campus environments by 

addressing issues related to alcohol and other 

drugs. Developed in 1987 by the U.S. Department of Education, the Network comprises 

member institutions that voluntarily agree to 

work toward a set of standards aimed at reducing alcohol and other drug problems at colleges 

and universities. It has approximately 1,600 

members nationwide. 

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