The mission of the AOD Prevention Team is to reduce substance use and related harm among Ithaca College students in order to maximize student health, safety, learning, and success. Toward this goal, the AOD Team membership works in an interdisciplinary and collaborative manner to create policies, practices, and programs that align with best practices.
Our shared vision for students broadly encompasses six main areas:
Campus Culture: IC students will experience a supportive environment for making healthy, low-risk decisions regarding alcohol and other drug use;
Harm Reduction: IC students will understand the potential harm caused by substance use on their wellbeing and success, and will engage in effective harm reduction strategies;
Helping Resources: IC students will have ready access to compassionate, evidence-based programs and services for alcohol and other drug concerns when needed.
Peer Intervention: IC students will intervene appropriately with friends who engage in high-risk substance use to help them reduce risk and/or utilize campus services;
Policies and Practices: IC students will be well informed about campus policies and judicial consequences related to alcohol and other drug use, including the AOD Judicial Protocol and the Medical Amnesty Policy;
Social Options: IC students will find a variety of options for engaging socially in substance-free activities on campus;
The AOD Team first convened in January of 2010 and meets on a monthly basis during the academic year. Membership is prescribed by departmental representation, and currently includes:
- Nancy Reynolds, Program Director, Center for Health Promotion, Center for Counseling, Health and Wellness (Chair)
- Kristen Lind, Health Promotion Specialist, Center for Counseling, Health and Wellness
- Director, Center for Counseling, Health and Wellness
- Jacob White, Counselor, Counseling and Psychological Services
- Bonnie Prunty, Dean of Students
- Ron Trunzo, Interim Director, Residential Life and Judicial Affairs
- Michael Leary, Assistant Director, Judicial Affairs
- Sybil Conrad, Director, Campus Center
- Jess Shapiro, Assistant Director, Campus Center
- Linda Koenig, Title IX Coordinator
- Thomas Dunn, Lieutenant, Office of Public Safety and Emergency Management
- Academic Advisor, Academic Advising Center
- Mary Holland-Bavis, Office of Student Engagement
- Kevin Perry, Office of New Student and Transition Programs
- Eileen Roth, Residence Director, Residential Life and Judicial Affairs
- Michelle Holt, Nursing and Clinic Manager, Hammond Health Center
- Erienne Roberts, Associate Director, Intercollegiate Athletics
- Student Partners: Representatives from Students for a Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) and Student Governance Council (SGC)
The AOD Team works systematically and collaboratively to incorporate best practices in college substance abuse prevention. For a full list of the strategies that are currently being employed at IC, you may download the document, "Ithaca College Prevention Framework," located at the bottom of the screen.
One of the first tasks prioritized by the AOD Team was to more closely align the College’s judicial protocol with national best practice standards. The intent of this work was to improve the clarity and transparency of the campus Alcohol and Other Drug Policy and its related judicial protocol so that students and their parents would be better informed about the behavioral expectations for membership in the Ithaca College community. This intent is consistent with evidence-based environmental management strategies. According to NIAAA guidelines, institutions of higher education must create a “positive normative environment” by such measures as codifying community standards, consistently enforcing laws and policies, providing consistent messages about alcohol and other drugs, involving and empowering parents, and educating about policies and consequences of policy violations. (“A Call To Action: Changing The Culture of Drinking at U.S. Colleges,” National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, US Dept of Health and Human Services, April 2002. Updated, 2007).
In May of 2011, the Student Government Association (SGA) and Students for a Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) presented the Team with an Equalization Proposal which contained three recommendations for equalizing the judicial protocols for alcohol and marijuana violations. Two out of the three recommendations were already consistent with the revised protocol that had been drafted by the AOD Team. Philosophically, the AOD Team and the student groups were already in agreement. We shared the goal of creating a clearer, simpler, and more transparent protocol to address both alcohol and marijuana violations in a consistent manner. The AOD Team developed a revised Judicial Protocol for Alcohol and Marijuana through a thoughtful and collaborative process that included benchmark research of comparable and regional institutions, input from key stakeholders, and shared decision-making with student groups. Benchmarked schools included Binghamton, Bradley, Butler, Columbia, Cornell, Cortland, Drake, Elon, Mercer, Syracuse, UMASS Amherst, University of Rochester, and Villanova. Student representatives from SSDP and SGA joined the AOD Team in reaching consensus on the details of the final draft.
The AOD Team is committed to the notion of a fair, reasoned approach to alcohol and marijuana violations that prioritizes evidence-based education and intervention strategies over “punishment.” We are also committed to the goal of an equalized system of sanctions for alcohol and marijuana on the basis that both of these violations represent illegal and/or high-risk substance use. In addition, the occurrence of any one of these violations identifies a need for education and intervention on behalf of the involved student. Finally, the equalization of these violations facilitates a more streamlined, clear, and consistent approach to the adjudication of substance-related conduct. Our proposed revisions to the AOD Judicial Protocol were approved by President Rochon in April of 2012.The revised protocol was first implemented during the 2012-2013 academic year.
For more information on the AOD Team, contact Nancy Reynolds, AOD Team Chair, at nreynolds@ithaca.edu or 607-274-7933.