By Patrick Greenwell

Most students are aware of the problem of drug and alcohol abuse on college campuses.

The prevalence of substance abuse, however, leads to many misconceptions amongst college students.

The newly formed Coalition to Reduce High Risk Drinking and Drug Use is seeking to clear up these misunderstandings and raise awareness amongst students of the facts on college substance abuse.

In Spring 2007, the University of Louisville Student Counseling Center received a grant from the Kentucky Network Addressing Collegiate Substance Abuse.

The grant required the university conduct an online CORE survey, created by the CORE institute at the University of Southern Illinois, to gather information about substance abuse on campus.

Perhaps the most important result given by the survey was that 66 percent of U of L students do not binge drink, or consume five or more drinks at a time.

However, due to the survey’s poor response, Counselor and Outreach Coordinator Laura Byrd decided not to use the survey for the rest of the grant’s requirements.

“In the prevention field the thinking is that the perception of how many people out there are abusing is different from the reality,” said Byrd.

“With a higher response rate the results really should be higher than 66 percent.”

In addition to the survey, the grant called for the creation of coalition of campus and community stakeholders for addressing high-risk alcohol and drug use, something U of L had previously been lacking. The grant would also provide a campaign based on the survey results.

Byrd said she decided to put a hold on the campaign and instead focus on increasing membership and funding for the Coalition.

Currently the Coalition consists of members from both academic and nonacademic departments on campus, including the PEACC program and the campus Alcoholics Anonymous and Al-Anon groups, student PEER Health Advocates and members of Greeks Advocating the Mature Management of Alcohol.

Community agencies such as 7 Counties and the Morton Center are members as well. They are responsible for looking at policy, education, support and intervention, data collection and other issues specific to alcohol and drugs on campus.

“We want to look at the entire spectrum of prevention and make sure we can provide the necessary resources and support for students who might be experiencing problems with alcohol or drugs,” Byrd said.

In addition to expanding the Coalition, Byrd is working with Karen Newton, Health Promotion and Education Director at the Campus Health Services, to build a campaign based on the Education Director at the National College Health Assessment taken at U of L. The results should be in by the end of April.

While the CORE survey had a definite focus on substance abuse, the National College Health Assessment covers a broader range of topics to look at all possible problems facing college students.

Newton and Byrd also worked with Professor Anita Tyler’s Advanced Advertising class last semester to develop possible ideas for a marketing campaign based around the concept of “Social Norming.” The thinking that healthy, positive behavior can be promoted by exposing people to the facts about substance abuse on college campuses.

Relaying on a fake budget, the students devised a marketing strategy using print, radio and on-line as well a special events.

Lacking the funding to fully realize the proposed campaigns, Byrd is including the student’s work in a Facebook group which will be set up this week.

Byrd hopes the group will provide a place to gain insight from students on the problem of college substance abuse as well as provide a place to inform students of the facts.

“Students are here to learn,” said Newton.

“This is a learning opportunity. They need to know that they don’t have to deal with this problem on their own. It’s important to be honest and challenge students to think about their academic lives.”

Byrd and Newton said they hope as the Coalition expands and takes a more active role on campus, it can have a very real effect on changing the way the problem of substance abuse is dealt with.

“The only way to create lasting change is to change the culture,” said Byrd. “We have to look at U of L and ask tough questions about how our culture contributes to the problem.”