Student health is crucial to academic performance. Every year students do
poorly, or even drop out of school, due to eating disorders, sexual assaults,
unintended pregnancies or contracting STD/HIV-all of which are highly correlated
with excessive alcohol or other drug use.
Whether you are a student or faculty member, the classroom presents many
learning opportunities.
For Students: Are you conducting research on alcohol or other drugs for a class
assignment or planning a presentation? Interested in having more in-depth
knowledge about alcohol and other drugs? Here are suggested resources.
For Graduate Student Instructors (GSI):
As a GSI, you work closely with students, getting
to know them through their coursework and classroom
interactions. You may hear students talking about
drinking or read about their experiences in assignments.
If you have concerns about a student, you can contact
UHS health educators for assistance. Call 734-763-1320.
For Faculty: You can have significant influence over students' use of alcohol.
Students look up to faculty and respect their position and influence. You can help change the
"drinking culture" on our campus. Here are suggestions:
Think about how you talk about alcohol and other
drug use in class. Do you reminisce about your own
college days? Do you glorify excessive alcohol use?
Be sure your comments reflect your interest in students
making safe choices.
Are you teaching a class on alcohol or other drugs? Let
Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention Program staff know!
We have materials and ideas for assignments and other ways to assist you.
Would you like to incorporate an assignment about
alcohol or other drugs into your class? Introductory
classes such as English composition, psychology
or communications can be great places to do this.
You can use the following as class assignments:
Choices, which uses a journal especially designed for UM students (contact Patrice Flax,
UHS Health Educator, at 734-763-7808)
You can incorporate the social norms message that
"Most (71%) of UM students have 0-4 drinks when
they party" into your lectures. This means some
students are abstaining occasionally or always,
some drink lightly and some moderately. Students
tend to think most students are drinking much more
than this, which creates an atmosphere of tolerance
for excessive drinking and sometimes a need to "drink
up" to the perception.
Ask students to discuss the fact that 25% of UM undergraduates do not drink (source:
UM Student Life Survey 2005).
Are you concerned about a student? Does he/she smell of alcohol or look
hungover? Is there a change in the student's personal hygiene or in academic
performance? See BASICS (Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for
College Students) or contact us for suggestions about how to
address the student.
Faculty can publicly and officially support campus alcohol education and prevention activities. The faculty senate
can be a bold voice for safe alcohol use by students. Faculty are welcome to become involved with these two groups:
