NYS Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services 

College Environmental Prevention Project 

As part of Onondaga Community College’s 2016-2017 biennial review of alcohol and other drug use data, co-occurring health and safety impacts, and related programming, the College pursued an opportunity for external funding to expand coalition-building, support planning, provide enhanced resources for prevention programming, and ensure ongoing assessment. As a result, in 2017 OCC received a five-year grant from the NYS Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Prevention Services to prevent and reduce underage alcohol consumption and other drug use by college students. Through this initiative, OCC will establish a Campus-Community Coalition to support its prevention program; conduct a needs assessment to inform planning; engage in professional development; and, implement an evidence-based screening, brief intervention, and referral process to promote the health and well-being of OCC students. The grant will enable OCC to hire a College Prevention Coordinator (CPC) to manage the project, increase professional development and training, and purchase assessment tools, such as the CORE survey, to integrate into its prevention program. 

Campus-Community Coalition: OCC will establish a Coalition to assist with a needs assessment, contribute to planning and preparations for a brief screening and intervention, and help develop referral sources and processes to assist students with high screening scores. The Coalition will include student representatives; parents; OCC faculty and staff; and, community-partners, including representatives from area businesses, the Central Region Prevention Resource Center, Prevention Network, the YMCA, SUNY Upstate Medical University, and the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office. The Onondaga County Department of Adult and Long Term Care Services will support the needs assessment and planning activities. 

Needs Assessment & Planning: In the first year of the project, OCC will conduct a needs assessment and develop a program plan that includes (1) Screening; (2) Social norming campaign and information to raise awareness about the AOD policy, enforcement, and healthy alternatives; (3) Training for night clerks, student leaders, welcome leaders, student patrols, and student-athletes to include identification of intoxication or impairment, health consequences of abuse, bystander training, and referral processes; (4) BASICS (Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students) and referrals to specialized services for students who violate the Code of Conduct; and, (5) Additional prevention and enforcement interventions to prevent access, implemented with Campus Safety and Security and the Onondaga Sheriff’s Office. 

Prevention Interventions: OCC will integrate evidence-based practices into its prevention program, emphasizing residential students, student leaders, and student-athletes. OCC plans to develop a social norming campaign, which will leverage the mtvU channel on campus and integrate a new Restorative Justice program for student-athletes and residence hall Learning Community members. 

Referral for Students: OCC will work with Prevention Network to train staff and student leaders and will develop a process to refer students who may exhibit moderate to severe substance use behaviors to local treatment programs for clinical assessment 

and treatment. 

Assessment: OCC will develop an evaluation plan during the first year to monitor student participation in interventions and assess learning outcomes and longer-term changes in attitudes and behaviors associated with the interventions. The plan will include assessment tools, including pre-/post-tests for each intervention. The CORE survey will be used to monitor changes in the population, including reduction in 30-day alcohol and drug use, and binge drinking; change in attitudes regarding underage alcohol consumption and drug use in the college population; and, reduction in AOD-related consequences (e.g., academic problems, overdoses).