A campus-community coalition to control alcohol-related problems off campus: An environmental management case study

The authors report on the effects of a university and community coalition i n preventing problems related to college students' off-campus drinking. The Albany, New York, Committee on University and Community Relations used str ategies based on an environmental-management approach that focuses on chang ing the environment in which individuals make decisions about alcohol consu mption and related behaviors. Committee initiatives included improving enfo rcement of local laws and ordinances, creating a safety-awareness campaign for off-campus students, and developing a comprehensive advertising and bev erage-service agreement with local tavern owners. The initiatives were asso ciated with a decline in the number of alcohol-related problems in the comm unity, as indicated by decreases in the number of off-campus noise ordinanc e reports filed by police and the number of calls to a university-maintaine d hotline for reporting off-campus problems. An environmental management ap proach, the authors suggest, has promise as an effective means of preventin g alcohol-related problems among college students.