New institutional arrangements might help students become better integrated into the intellectual life of the school, change student norms away from alcohol and other drug use, or make it easier to identify students in trouble with substance use. The ultimate goal in exploring these issues is to promote alcohol and other drug prevention and create a safer physical environment. As part of a total effort to create environmental change, school officials might also consider working for policy change at the state and local level. New laws and regulations, because they will affect the community as a whole and can help generate changes in social norms, can be an important part of society's efforts to stem student substance use. A campus-only strategy is insufficient.
Many strategies exist to help reduce the misuse of alcohol, especially by youth.
We in higher education have both a professional and ethical duty to create an academic environment in which students can grow and develop. If we are to do that, it is essential that we grapple with the problem of alcohol and other drug use by students. In developing a strategy to attack this problem, we have a fundamental choice to make. We can accept the way the world is and then help students make the best of it. Or we can help change that world.