Category Archives: Resources

Fulfilling Federal Mandates Part 2: Dominican College Uses MyStudentBody In Title IX Compliance

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In the first part of this series, we discussed the “Dear Partner” letter, which announced that campus drug abuse programs would be falling under increased scrutiny by the US Department of Education and the Office of National Drug Control Policy. We suggested ways that college and university administrators can step up the drug prevention programs on their campuses. In the second part of this series, we invite you to find out more about how MyStudentBody can help schools respond to another part of these new federal mandates, which was outlined in the recently distributed “Dear Colleague” letter.

Dominican College, in Orangeburg, NY, is a small college in the Catholic tradition serving about 1,800 students with professional programs in teacher education, athletic training, social work, business administration, and the health care professions of nursing and occupational and physical therapy. In addition to over 30 programs of study, the college also has a strong athletic program, sponsoring 12 intercollegiate sports in NCAA Division II.

According to Dominican College’s Prevention and Education Coordinator, Eileen A. Piccininni, MA, LPC, CASAC, CEAP, the “Dear Colleague” letter issued by the US Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights last April means all US colleges will be looking more uniformly at how they handle sexual assault complaints. The letter, which the White House has declared a “significant guidance document”, reiterated schools’ obligation under Title IX to deal with sexual harassment as unlawful discrimination, and detailed the process by which institutions should respond to sexual assault complaints.

“The ‘Dear Colleague’ letter specifically references issues around sexual violence,” Piccininni says. “Every campus will be reviewing and improving methods for promoting healthy and safe environments through educating students about sexual violence issues.”

Dominican has used MyStudentBody for the past five years as part of its alcohol abuse prevention education, and began using the Essentials course, which covers sexual violence as well as alcohol and drug use, last year. Piccininni finds it an effective tool for Title IX training and documentation. “Proactively, we’ve assigned MyStudentBody Essentials as part of the curriculum for our year-long Freshman Seminar,” she says. “I also use it when I have students who violate the alcohol and other drug policy.”

As part of an educational sanction for students who violate the policy, Piccininni requires completion of either the Essentials Course or the Student Conduct Course. Piccininni has also assigned the sexual violence component of Essentials course to students whose relationships show warning signs of dating violence or potential abuse. “These courses help to increase the culture of respect for self and respect for others, instilling the importance of being an active bystander and of a shared responsibility for the safest and most healthy learning environment possible,” she explains.

And at Dominican, MyStudentBody isn’t just for students. “Every administrator in student services has been asked by our Dean of Students to take and pass the Essentials course,” Piccininni says. “We’ve recommended that faculty and other staff take it as well.”

Fulfilling Federal Mandates Part 1: Drug Prevention and the Biennial Review

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To remain eligible for federal education funds, institutions of higher education must comply with mandates aimed at preventing alcohol and drug abuse, violence, exploitation, and discrimination. “Dear Partner” and “Dear Colleague” letters carry the force of law and may upend the interpretation of existing requirements. In this two-part series, we look at two recent communications from federal regulators, and how MyStudentBody can help institutions respond.

On September 23, the US Department of Education (DOE) joined forces with the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) in a “Dear Partner” letter to college and university administrators announcing that under the 2011 National Drug Control Strategy, campus drug abuse prevention programs would fall under increased scrutiny.

Schools have been required to provide prevention programs under Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) Part 86 (the Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention Act) since 1990. But on many campuses, alcohol is the primary concern. The September letter emphasized drug abuse prevention and treatment in a new way, calling for systematic early identification and treatment of students with substance abuse disorders and increased partnership with college-level recovery programs.

The letter also explicitly pointed out the requirement to cover drug abuse programs and sanctions in the upcoming Part 86 biennial review. As you assemble your report over the next year, keep in mind that the DOE is looking for evidence that your program actively addresses illegal drug use. If drug prevention hasn’t been an emphasis on your campus in recent years, now is the time to make sure your program goals and strategies include it.

  • Both laws and medical knowledge change, sometimes rapidly. Make sure the drug messages in your annual notification are up to date.
  • President Obama has set a goal of reducing illegal drug use in the US by 10% over the next 5 years. Consider a similar goal for your campus.
  • If you survey your students or staff as part of your biennial review process, be sure to include questions on both drug and alcohol use and treatment.
  • The review requires you to recommend revisions, so if you find your program falls short in its approach to drugs, investigate ways to more effectively promote the DOE/ONDCP goals going forward.

Also make the most of any tools and data you currently use that do address drug use. The drugs section in MyStudentBody Essentials provides prevention education on both prescription and illicit drug abuse, and MyStudentBody Admin reports data that can help you assess the prevalence and severity of drug abuse on your campus.

How to Help Students Understand the Risks of “Study Drugs”

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Contributed by Donna Wentworth

Drawing of prescription drug bottles

For college students facing the stress of final exams, taking a “study drug,” a medication usually used for ADHD, might seem like no big deal. After all, if their friends are taking it with no side effects, why shouldn’t they?

Daniel Gittins, AOD coordinator at Duquesne University, warns students that prescription medications are intended only for the individual they are prescribed to and no one else.

For “person A,” he explains, a medication like Ritalin® will have primary benefits, but also secondary effects such as “elevated blood pressure, faster heart rate, etc.” But if “person B” borrows the medication without considering their own medical history – such as a family history of high blood pressure, stress, or heart concerns – “the risks can be far more significant.”

How can you get this message across to students? Here are three strategies you can try:

  • Got Drugs? Take Them Back. Tackle the problem at the community level by participating in a take-back program such as the DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day last month. The FDA has additional information about the safe disposal of prescription medications.
  • Student, Know Thyself. MyStudentBody works at the individual level, using scientifically validated methods to help students understand the risks of misusing prescription medications. It also gives them practical information about how to safely manage their medications if they are using them for medical reasons.
  • Parental Guidance Suggested. Help prevent abuse of study drugs before next year’s freshmen show up on campus by reaching out to their parents. MyStudentBody-Parent, an important component of our program, is designed to help parents communicate effectively with students about alcohol and other drugs, including prescription medications. You can log in to the program to access a newly updated, print-ready companion guide, College-bound: Strategies for Parenting Your First-year College Student, and hand it out during orientation.

*MyStudentBody administrators -> If you have questions about how to use MyStudentBody to support your drug abuse prevention efforts, we encourage you to contact Amy Cavender, our Implementation Specialist, by email or phone at (800) 848-3895, ext. 205.

Announcement: Fashion Institute of Technology uses MyStudentBody to support “dry campus” policy

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Contributed by Donna Wentworth

Located on Seventh Avenue in the heart of New York City, the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) is a leading-edge fashion institute that aims to prepare students for professional excellence in design, fashion, and business through an educational experience that fosters “creativity, career focus, and a global perspective.”

Recognizing the connection between students’ health and academic performance, FIT has adopted a strong drug and alcohol abuse prevention policy. As part of the policy, the Institute has chosen to make its campus in downtown Manhattan a “dry campus.”

Fashion Institute of Technology

The Challenge

Of the 11,000 full- and part-time students enrolled at FIT, approximately 2,300 live on campus. FIT works to educate every student about the risks of alcohol and drug abuse, and requires those living on campus to agree to the dry campus policy and complete an alcohol education course. “That includes first-year students, summer students, and any returning upperclassmen who want to live on campus,” says Gabrielle Arthurton-Crumb, Assistant Director of Judicial Affairs at FIT.

In addition to the challenge of reaching every student with consistent health education, FIT strives to deliver information in a way that makes sense to students. “In the 21st century, communication is technology-based, and young adults are used to instant responses,” explains Arthurton-Crumb.

While it may be quick and easy for students to find health information on the Internet, not all of the information is trustworthy. To protect students, FIT works to provide them with easy access to accurate health information, including information about emerging health risks, such as misuse or abuse of prescription stimulants and painkillers.

The Solution

After investigating several online prevention programs, FIT chose to implement MyStudentBody. The program integrates student courses on drugs and alcohol, a 24/7 online student wellness resource, a parent-based intervention, and a set of specially developed tools and resources for campus health administrators. Every school that subscribes to MyStudentBody has access to each component of the program at no extra charge.

According to Arthurton-Crumb, FIT chose MyStudentBody because it is “user-friendly.” Through brief motivational self-assessments in six topic areas, the program helps FIT deliver comprehensive health education that is tailored to individual students.

“MyStudentBody allows us to provide students with essential health information that is both accurate and presented in an interesting way. They can get answers to questions they might not otherwise ask, for various reasons – they’re embarrassed, they think they should already know the answer, etc. The program also allows them to ‘personalize’ the website to reflect their interests and needs,” she explains.

In addition, says Arthurton-Crumb, MyStudentBody offers student courses on both alcohol and drugs, and FIT makes use of both courses.

“With the launch of the Essentials Course, we have the opportunity not only to offer freshmen information on alcohol and drugs, but also to offer our upperclassmen a different but equally valuable experience,” she explains. “The drugs module helps us to address not only the use of illegal drugs such as marijuana, but also the increased use of prescription drugs on college campuses.”

FIT administrators are able to monitor students’ progress in the course online and to access aggregate, anonymous data on students’ self-reported behaviors. These data allow administrators to identify the unique health challenges on their campus, and to track changes in behavior over time.

“The system is easy to use, and the reports allow for accurate tracking,” observes Arthurton-Crumb.

Finally, says Arthurton-Crumb, FIT administrators have found that MyStudentBody’s staff is responsive and strives to meet FIT’s evolving needs.

“There is a strong customer service, for both our students and staff,” she says. “The MyStudentBody staff is open and receptive to our suggestions and requests for features that we’d like to see so that the program reaches its full potential. And the website is always improving.”

For more information on how MyStudentBody can help your college reach its alcohol, drug, and sexual violence prevention goals, click here.

Announcement: Measure student behavior over time with the MyStudentBody follow-up assessment

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Contributed by Tyler Achilles, B.A.

Administrator looking at data showing trends in student behaviorNew research suggests that problem drinking among college students is not a phase or one-time deal. Yet many colleges and universities don’t have a method of monitoring outcomes in the weeks and months following an alcohol education program that usually takes place during orientation or the first few weeks of the semester. If colleges aren’t monitoring these outcomes, then they are missing out on detecting prevailing trends in student behavior. Implementing a method for measuring student behavior over time will also help evaluate the alcohol and drug education program the colleges may have in place, for example, MyStudentBody.

One way to observe changes in drinking or drug use on your campus is to implement the follow-up assessment – an easy to use feature built into all MyStudentBody courses. If your college currently uses MyStudentBody, you know all students must complete the Rate Myself assessment in order to successfully pass the MyStudentBody Essentials Course (Alcohol, Drugs, and, if applicable, Sexual Violence). The follow-up assessment feature gives you the option to require that students retake that assessment after a designated period of time (30, 60, or 90 days following their completion of the Essentials Course).

The follow-up assessments can be a powerful data-gathering tool. Using the data you receive can help you answer questions such as:

  • Are students using more protective factors than they were before?
  • How did the patterns of drinking or non-medical use of prescription medications change?
  • Are students more likely to get consent or to report sexual violence?
  • Have students gained familiarity with campus alcohol and drug policies?

Remember, the more students who complete the follow-up assessments, the more accurate the results. So make sure that your college is setting the expectation that students have not completed the MyStudentBody program until they’ve completed the follow-up assessment. It’s also a good idea to send out email reminders to students about the process.

MyStudentBody course settings

So how does it work?

It’s easy! At the selected interval (30, 60, or 90 days after completing the course) we send an email to the student instructing them to log in to MyStudentBody and select the Follow-Up Assessment option on the My Stuff page. Once they have completed the follow-up assessment, the status will change from “Take Now” to “Completed.” Administrators can verify successful completion using the Course Completion report by logging in to MyStudentBody-Admin. You may also modify your follow-up assessment settings in MyStudentBody-Admin by clicking “Customize” from the home page and then going to “Course Settings” in the sidebar. The default setting is to send out the follow-up assessment email 90 days after completion of the Essentials Course.

For more information about implementing a follow-up assessment or about tracking student behavior over time, contact Amy Cavender, implementation specialist, at acavender@mystudentbody.com or (800) 848-3895 x205.

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What other outcome monitoring systems do you use? Do you use something “home grown” or do you purchase a separate data-gathering program? Write a comment in the section below. Click here for more Announcements from MyStudentBody.