Syracuse University to host statewide conference on reducing alcohol abuse

Syracuse University to host statewide conference on reducing alcohol abuseMarch 04, 2003Michele M. Jachimmmjachim@syr.edu

Top university administrators will join with students and community leaders from across New York for the “American Campus and Alcohol Conference” March 9-11 at the Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel to discuss ways to deal with alcohol abuse among college students.

The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) awarded a $20,000 grant to SU and the Syracuse Area College Community Coalition -a partnership of community prevention groups, local neighborhood associations, law enforcement agencies, liquor licensees, community agencies, and colleges and universities-that will fund the conference. Colleges and universities from across the state will send teams comprised of college administrators, counselors, students and community leaders. Institutions that will be represented at the conference include SU, Le Moyne College, Cornell University, SUNY Cortland, SUNY Plattsburgh, SUNY Morrisville, SUNY Albany, SUNY Potsdam, Onondaga Community College, University of Buffalo, SUNY Brockport, Rochester Institute of Technology, Nazareth College, Cazenovia College, Pace University, and Ithaca College. Participating law enforcement agencies, in addition to the New York State Police and the Syracuse Police Department, include police departments from Auburn, Cortland, and Kirkland.

“It will be a true benefit to our students to work with colleagues across the state, along with experts in the industry, to identify programs that have a track record of working and then to discuss ways these programs can be implemented on various campuses,” says Barry L. Wells, senior vice president and dean of student affairs.

The conference will host five keynote speakers at the Regency Ballroom of the Sheraton:

• March 9 at 7 p.m., Peter Lake, professor at Stetson University College of Law, will deliver an address at 7 p.m. entitled, “The Rights and Responsibilities of Modern Colleges and Universities: Who Assumes the Risk?” Lake, who has been teaching torts, insurance, and jurisprudence at Stetson since 1990, formerly worked as a litigation associate at the law firm of Cahill, Gordon and Reindel in New York City.
• March 10 at 9 a.m.,Edward Wolgate, Deputy Commissioner and Director of Enforcement, will present his comments on “Working with the State Liquor Authority and Local Liquor Licensees.” Appointed by Gov. George E. Pataki in May 1999, Kelly’s major responsibilities include overseeing the licensing of retail and wholesale liquor vendors, bringing disciplinary charges against offenders and inspecting premises where alcohol and liquor are sold.
• March 10 at 12:30 p.m., H. Wesley Perkins will discuss his research and findings on, “Social Norms Approach to Alcohol Abuse Prevention of the College Campus.” Perkins, a professor of sociology at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, is the project director of the Alcohol Education Project at Hobart and William Smith, an initiative providing research, educational resources, and strategies to reduce alcohol and other drug abuse locally and nationally.
• March 11 at 9 a.m., Syracuse Police Department Chief Dennis DuVal will deliver his presentation, “Working with Local Law Enforcement Agencies to Address Substance Abuse.” A two-time All American in basketball as a four-year player during his time as an undergraduate at SU and two-year NBA player, DuVal became the first African American police chief of the Syracuse Police Department in 2001.
• March 11 at 12:30 p.m., Betty Waters Straub will deliver an address, “How to Save Your Sanity: Evaluating Campus Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) Programs.” Straub, who has experience in the areas of counseling and substance abuse in higher education, has served since 1999 as an evaluator and consultant for the Higher Education Center for AOD Prevention.

“The three-day conference will include these lectures and more from administrators, experts and liquor authorities,” says Laura M. Madelone, director of the Office of Off-Campus Student Services. “Working with nationally recognized experts, teams will develop action-oriented plans to decrease campus alcohol abuse. During the conference, breakout sessions will allow officials from different schools to collaborate and plan actions and programs that they can take back to their communities and that will be a real benefit.”

For more information, contact the Office of Off-Campus Student Services at 443-5389 or via e-mail at lmmadelone@syr.edu.