Nebraska colleges renew commitment to address high-risk drinking

On April 27, senior administrators from member schools of the Nebraska Collegiate Consortium to Reduce High-Risk Drinking will meet at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Lincoln to recommit to the mission and goals of the consortium and discuss ways to support each other in future efforts to combat high-risk drinking on their campuses.

Peter Lake, director of the Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law and Policy at Stetson University College of Law will be the keynote speaker at this event, with an address beginning 10:10 a.m. Members of the public are welcome to hear the address.

"Colleges are increasingly being held to higher levels of accountability for student safety and wellness," Lake said. "Groups such as the Nebraska Collegiate Consortium are important to show lawmakers, judges, parents, students, and the general community that higher education is committed to student well being and is taking scientifically proven efforts to make the college experience a positive, safe and responsible one for each and every student."

Lake teaches and writes in the areas of torts, higher education law and policy, insurance, and jurisprudence, and has won several awards for his teaching and scholarship. "Beyond Discipline: Managing the Modern Higher Education Environment," Lake's latest book, builds upon themes from his award-winning work with Robert Bickel, "The Rights and Responsibilities of the Modern University" (Carolina Academic Press 1999), and advances the concept of a facilitator university in the context of processes used to manage the educational environment.

"Research has shown the effectiveness of statewide collaboration among institutions of higher education in combating high risk drinking," Lake said. "It is critical for Nebraska to confront the challenges of high-risk drinking collectively. We can help to protect our students from the unwanted negative consequences associated with alcohol and drug abuse -- sexual assault, lowered academic success, judicial sanctions."

At its first meeting, senior administrators from 13 Nebraska institutions of higher education committed to reducing high-risk drinking among their students through innovative strategies based on current science. The number of member schools has increased to 19 and significant progress has been achieved.

Member colleges are: Central Community College, Chadron State College, Clarkson College, Concordia University, Creighton University, Hastings College, Kaplan University, Metropolitan Community College, Mid-Plains Community College, Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture, Nebraska Wesleyan University, Northeast Community College, Peru State College, Southeast Community College, University of Nebraska at Kearney, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Wayne State College and Western Nebraska Community College.

The NCC receives financial support from U.S. Department of Education and the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety through grants administered by the Nebraska Prevention Center for Alcohol and Drug Abuse at UNL. The center offers technical assistance and support to member institutions across the state and is working to build capacity amongst member schools and their local resources such as community coalitions, Nebraska Health Departments and Regional Prevention Offices.

WRITER: Megan Franklin, Project Coordinator, Nebraska Prevention Center for Alcohol and Drug Abuse