A new study suggests that few colleges and universities across the country have come together to restrict student access to alcohol. School administrators think of drinking as a major problem, but they focus on individual interventions and alcohol restrictions on campus, and not enough on tightening community policies.
For the study, administrators from 351 colleges and universities responded to a 2008 online survey. In their survey, researchers asked if the administrators were following recommendations from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The NIAAA issued a report in 2002 that grouped strategies based on effectiveness and relevance to the students.
Six years later, "we found very little action on the task force recommendations and very little implementation," said Toben Nelson, Sc.D., the author of the study and an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota.
Evidence proves that community-based alcohol control is effective in curbing college drinking. That includes monitoring sales to minors, requiring responsible beverage service training, decreasing the amount of places to buy alcohol, and increasing the prices.
Despite this, only a third of college communities did compliance checks for illegal sales, while 15 percent mandated server training. Only 7 percent restricted alcohol retail outlet density and only 2 percent increased the prices of the alcohol.
The survey illustrated that college administrators face an uphill battle in changing the drinking culture on campuses throughout the United States.
