Mobilizing for Change: A Case Study of a Campus and Community Coalition to Reduce High-Risk Drinking

Campus and community coalitions include a partnership between campus leaders and community stakeholders and can effectively
address the environment that may promote high-risk drinking. Despite evidence suggesting that coalitions may be effective
vehicles for producing sustainable changes in college drinking, few campuses work within such a structure. The purpose of
this study was to examine the effectiveness of a campus and community coalition to implement environmental changes and thereby
reduce high-risk drinking and associated consequences. This study utilized a case study method to tell the story of a campus
and community coalition (CCC) implemented on a large university campus in the Northeast. The study employed multiple methods
including archival document review, review of campus and community level data (i.e. alcohol-related arrests and sanctions)
and analysis of student level data. The case study discusses the strategies employed, the environmental changes that occurred
and the impact these changes have had on student drinking and consequences. Since implementing the campus and community coalition,
the campus has seen an increase in enforcement by campus and local police, changes in community by-laws, and significant reductions
in student drinking and consequences. The data provide evidence that a comprehensive approach to reducing high-risk drinking
can have an impact on the campus and community environment, which in turn impacts student drinking and associated consequences.
The CCC utilized a strategic and comprehensive approach to substance abuse prevention, allowing all participants to have a
shared understanding of the challenges and best practices. Implications for research and practice are also discussed.