Drafting and Formally Approving College Alcohol Policies

Focus group data revealed that there was no single or uniform process for

drafting and formally approving a college alcohol policy but that different

colleges had approached this task in different ways, both procedurally and

in terms of staff involved in this process.  It was reported that the initiative

in creating college alcohol policies had been variously taken by student

service administrators or student service professionals (including doctors,

nurses, counsellors and chaplains), by health promotion groups or by

members of academic staff   almost always in collaboration with Student

Unions.  What also emerged from these groups was a clear sense that the

process of drafting the alcohol policy had generated an energy and

enthusiasm which was seen as important in its own right, whether the policy

was formally ratified by college authorities or whether there was a delay in

this process.  The diversity, and complexity, of approaches to devising

college alcohol policies is illustrated in the following quotes: 

The Director of Student Affairs actually wrote the policy, and various

people from student affairs   including counselling, careers, retention,

chaplains and access services, and of course the Students Union   had an

input, but he wrote the policy.

[Student Affairs Administrator]

I came to it slightly by accident  I looked at some of the policies in the

different colleges and I drafted one for [name of college] and passed it

along to the Student Services, the Sports Officers and the Students

Union;  so  I went to each individually and got their opinion.

[Academic]

Student Participation in Drafting & Implementing College Alcohol

Policies

In general, focus group members reported that the student population had

agreed with and supported the drafting of college alcohol policies; no

coherent or sustained opposition by students to this process was reported,

and such objections as were made were largely concerned with the

threatened withdrawal of drinks industry funding for student societies or

specific student events.  These quotes are broadly representative of the

overall tone of group discussion on student participation in the policy

process: 

Students were happy to be part of it and didn't object to any of the

elements of it;   [there were] no issues, the Ents Officer also participated

and was happy enough. 

[Student Services Manager]

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