Aims and Methods of this Evaluation 

This report presents the summarised findings of a qualitative, process

evaluation of the college alcohol policy initiative, carried out in 2004 with a

view to examining  ongoing progress on the part of third level colleges in

their attempts to institute effective alcohol policies. 

A comprehensive review of the research and policy literature on college

alcohol policies was carried out so as to provide a wider context for this Irish

initiative, and the following specific methodologies were then used in

conducting this evaluation: 

  content  analysis of policy documents drafted in participating colleges; 

  focus group discussions with college staff who had played a key role in

drafting and implementing their own institution's alcohol policy; 

  individual interviews with stakeholders representing student interests and

a representative of the drinks industry;

  case studies of three different  colleges and their alcohol policies which

were intended to reflect the spectrum of college experiences in this

sphere. 

This combination of different data gathering methods, which is referred to

in qualitative research as  triangulation  (Denzin and Lincoln, 1998), is

intended to provide findings from a number of perspectives, thereby giving

the study a breadth, depth and balance which would not be possible using

just a single method. 

Reviewing the Literature

A review of English language literature on the subject of college alcohol

policies reveals that by far the greatest amount of published work on this

topic originates in the United States of America, where a majority of

undergraduates appear to be below the minimum legal drinking age

(MLDA) of 21 and where there is a particular concern with drink driving

issues. However, whether emanating from the USA or from countries where

the MLDA is 18, the research and policy literature is absolutely and

pragmatically clear that, in societies where alcohol consumption is normative

for adults, colleges cannot realistically be expected to prevent students

from drinking; instead, it is proposed that college authorities should try to

reduce a spectrum of both acute and chronic health and social harms

stemming from student drinking.  Although the term  binge drinking  is

ambiguous and of limited value in preventive programmes (Lederman et al.,

2003), there is consensus on the particular risks associated with the practice

  by no means exclusive to students   of drinking a large amount

(conventionally defined as 5 drinks in a row for men and 4 drinks in a row

for women) during one drinking occasion, usually with the intention of

becoming intoxicated. 

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