The university is conducting a study to determine whether alcohol education curbs consumption. It has also increased disciplinary action regarding alcohol violations.
By Sara Rosner / Special to The Malibu Times
Though many consider it a norm and some may even think it’s a rite of passage, college drinking is the subject of a new Pepperdine research study that aims to assess whether or not alcohol education curbs student consumption.
All the university freshman dormitories have been divided into either a control or an experimental group and, just in case students are tempted to trade in a night of assessment for a night at the Malibu Inn, the Student Counseling Center is offering free movie tickets to every participant and a chance to win a big-screen television for the participants of each group for his or her dormitory.
Students in the control group were asked to complete AlcoholEdu, a three-hour online course that includes surveys, reading materials and exams. According to the AlcoholEdu Web site, the purpose of the course is not to tell students what to do, but “to help them make healthier and safer decisions regarding alcohol and to prevent harm caused by alcohol.” The program is intended to mitigate what it calls the “college effect,” which is students’ increase in drinking and its negative behaviors after entering college.
Though Pepperdine has traditionally prescribed the online course in conjunction with student disciplinary action, many schools require all incoming freshman to take AlcoholEdu. Surveys administered by the course show that the students who participate in AlcoholEdu are significantly less likely to engage in heavy drinking episodes, are more likely to think about blood alcohol content and have significantly lower rates of blackout from alcohol than students who do not take the course.
Students in the experimental group took part in an educational intervention. The first phase of the two-phase experiment was completed on Sept. 26. In the second phase, participants of both groups will take a follow-up survey to assess the effects of the online course and the educational intervention on student drinking behavior. The second phase was expected to be completed last week.
The study is being conducted by the Student Counseling Center in conjunction with the Student Affairs Office, Housing and Community Living, and research officer Mike Fetner as part of a broader initiative to reduce student drinking.
In a letter to freshmen, Counseling Center Director Connie Horton wrote that alcohol education is emblematic of Pepperdine’s objectives: “Alcohol education is an important example of how Pepperdine strives for excellence, follows best national practices and uses methods that have been demonstrated to be effective.”
The educational study is part of the university’s approach to Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention, or AOD. This comprehensive plan was created in 2003 after conducting campus focus groups and performing outside research.
In an e-mail to The Malibu Times, Dean of Student Affairs Mark Davis said that AOD prevention focuses on creating and implementing strategies in certain areas to reduce student drinking.
“This comprehensive approach includes the five ‘Es’ of an effective program: Early Intervention, Enforcement, Education, Environment and Evaluation.”
Some current initiatives include increasing the number of social events on campus as alternatives to drinking, creating an AOD prevention task-force on campus to track progress of initiatives and possibly installing housing software for tracking and reporting purposes.
Pepperdine has also increased publicity about alcohol violations and subsequent disciplinary action in attempts to deter students from drinking. Recently, the university has held 47 student hearings regarding material found on Web sites such as Facebook.com and online photo albums that may depict the students drinking.
Of the students brought before an administrative board of the office of Judicial Affairs, 31 were placed on university probation, 11 were given warnings, four had no action taken against them and one student with prior alcohol violations was suspended.
In addition to disciplining individuals, the university has also penalized five fraternities and sororities for material found online. Delta Delta Delta and Sigma Phi Epsilon are on probation until the end of the semester. Kappa Alpha Theta is on social probation and may still operate but cannot hold any social events until next semester. Sigma Chi is on probation until the end of next April and Beta Theta Pi has been suspended and may not operate until the end of the semester.
Under Pepperdine’s Code of Conduct, students are prohibited from drinking on or off campus and at student organization gatherings off campus. Though students who exhibit drunkenness are subject to disciplinary action, students who are of legal age may drink responsibly.
“We expect our students to be good citizens- on and off campus,” Davis wrote.
Davis also said that while Pepperdine is changing its approach, he still has confidence in the students’ judgment.
“Pepperdine does not have severe problems with alcohol abuse,” Davis wrote. “In fact, the majority of Pepperdine students make wise, safe and legal decisions.”