Tag Archives: higher education

Highlights from the 2012 NASPA Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention and Intervention Conference

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Atlanta Marriott Marquis atrium

Atlanta Marriott Marquis atrium

A few weeks ago, four MyStudentBody team members attended the 2012 NASPA Alcohol Abuse Prevention & Intervention Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. It was a great conference and we learned a lot as well as talked with dozens of dedicated, passionate college alcohol and other drug professionals.

This conference, as if you couldn’t tell by the title, is “designed to address emerging issues in…alcohol and other drug prevention as they relate to student affairs, and to showcase effective policy development, thereby serving a wide range of institutional audiences, from those who are integrating and modifying policies and structure to those who would like to improve their current practices.”

That’s the conference program’s fancy way of saying that it helps departments come together to determine how to prevent and intervene on alcohol and other drug abuse among college students. It also gives students affairs professionals the skills they need to be successful.

We’ve been to this conference before. It’s SUPER informative and fits right in with MyStudentBody’s goal as a complete online alcohol, drugs, and sexual violence prevention program. It also gives us some time to meet current clients and puts faces to names, which is always fun.

This year we got to meet people from University of Georgia, University of West Georgia, Stevenson University, Kennesaw State University, Dartmouth College, State University of New York Oswego, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Agnes Scott College, St. Joseph’s University, Warren Wilson College, and Winston-Salem State University. Phew! A lot of our enthusiastic clients came to see us and it was really great to connect with them.

They agreed with us that there were some differences in the conference this year. At many past conferences, there was a focus on sexual violence/assault prevention and social norming. While these topics were certainly discussed, we and our clients found that this year’s conference was particularly centered on interdepartmental collaboration, suicide prevention, recovery programs, and addressing specific populations or subgroups of students.

That last topic, addressing subgroups of students, is especially important. Why? Funny you should ask because Emil Chiauzzi, Ph.D., our Vice President of Product Strategy, Pronabesh DasMahapatra, our biostatistician, and Beth DeRicco, consultant at DeRicco Consulting, presented on this very subject. The title of the presentation is “Tailoring Prevention Strategies: Are There Subgroups That We Have Not Considered?” and you can view the full presentation by clicking below.

A synopsis: It is critical to find ways to identify college students who are engaged in risky drinking behaviors so that prevention and intervention efforts can be targeted. This presentation is based on an innovative analysis of substance use data provided by 22,000 incoming U.S. college students. A four-group model that encompasses key indicators such a drinking patterns, risks, consequences, protective factors, marijuana use, and nonmedical prescription medication use is reviewed. Practical strategies for addressing these subgroups are also discussed.

Additionally, Tyler Achilles, our Product Coordinator, did a poster presentation on “Best Practices for Achieving a 90% Response Rate for an Alcohol and Drug Survey.” The poster is below and you can click the picture to view a PDF.

It’s pretty self-explanatory, but the key here is: although you may already be using many of these strategies to increase response rates to non-mandated surveys, making little tweaks in your process can have a huge influence. As briefly outlined in the poster, Stetson University was able to achieve a 90% response rate to its MyStudentBody survey by using these strategies, even though it’s not required. Wow! If you would like to consult with Tyler on the findings, feel free to email him or tweet him (he loves tweets!).

Well, that’s all folks. Let us know what you thought about the conference (if you attended) or our presentations in the comments.

Heads Up: Changes Coming to MyStudentBody!

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Hopefully, you noticed that MyStudentBody has been running faster. You have? Good, because in November we upgraded MyStudentBody’s operating platform behind the scenes. But here at MyStudentBody HQ, we’ll be rolling out some changes over the next few months in addition to some of our recent upgrades. Here’s a look at the next three big steps.

Change #1

Early next month, our welcome page will get a fresh look and links to useful articles that you can share with colleagues. Check out the snazzy previews of the new welcome page and library below.

Change #2

In February, we’ll also be unveiling a new registration process that will make users’ information more secure and help with forgotten passwords. Administrators, this is important because you’ll need to revise your instructions to students. But don’t worry, we’ll provide new samples and templates online.

Change #3

Also coming in February, MyStudentBody’s wellness information (topics like stress, sexual health, nutrition, and tobacco) will be available from the Student Center page. Here’s why: administrators spoke, we listened.

Back in September, we asked administrators who use MyStudentBody to tell us how they use the program, and how we could make it more useful to them and students. Regarding the wellness information, the biggest takeaways were:

  1. MyStudentBody’s wellness components, which aren’t part of the Essentials or Student Conduct courses, are liked, but not used extensively with students.
  2. Half of administrators found the wellness areas “very valuable,” but only 35% thought they were “very popular” with students.
  3. More than 70% agreed that, “though the wellness sites seem useful, we rarely use them.”
  4. Nearly 90% agreed that those areas “would be helpful if we used (them) more.”

In an effort to provide the comprehensive student health education we’ve always promised and provide ongoing prevention support, we asked ourselves what we could do to make the wellness information more accessible to students. Clearly, it’s important to administrators. We decided to move that wellness information to the Student Center tab of MyStudentBody because then it would be more easily seen and used as a resource by students. And 82% administrators liked that idea.

So that’s exactly what we’re doing. We expect the changes to take effect in late February, and we’ll have more information about that in January. Until then, those areas will be available as they’ve always been.

For more details about the findings from our customer survey read the Executive Summary [PDF].

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.