Emory Report
September 4, 2007
Volume 60, Number 2


   
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September 4, 2007
Revised drug, alcohol policy consolidates University guidelines

By kim urquhart

The University’s policies regarding alcohol and drug abuse are now available online. Faculty, staff and students can review the policy on the new policies and procedures Web site at www.policies.emory.edu/8.8#16.

The policies are not new: Emory continues its commitment to complying with all federal, state and local laws that regulate or prohibit alcoholic beverages or illicit drugs. It is, however, the first time the University’s guidelines on drugs and alcohol have been consolidated for easy access, review and uniformity.

“Many different policies and procedures from across the University that were reported in different places, and practiced in different corners of the campus, are now all together in one policy that is publicly posted on the policy Web site,” said Senior Vice President and Dean of Campus Life John Ford.

The Alcohol and Drug Abuse Policy includes general state and county restrictions; an appendix with resources for education, consultation and counseling; cross-links to other policies; and a new University-wide registration form that consolidates procedures for campus events where alcohol will be served.

Ford recommends that every member of the campus community review the policy. “We may not know about the laws, or think that because we’re inside a university we don’t have to abide by them, so it’s helpful for people to read the policy and know what is expected of us from that perspective,” he said.

Consolidating the University’s guidelines for alcohol and drug use was one of the recommendations that emerged from the President’s Task Force Report on Alcohol and Other Drugs. The University Senate endorsed the revised guidelines last spring.

Ford said that the policy is part of a larger effort at Emory — as well as universities across the country — to prevent alcohol and drug abuse. The policy is intended to be prevention-oriented, he said, rather than regulation- or enforcement-oriented.

“It should not result in drastic changes as far as most people’s behavior,” he said. “We hope, though, that it will help us by having everything together in one place, and by having more campus awareness that we might prevent problems.”

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