Staff editorial: Substance abuse counseling shows worth

Tuesday, August 25, 2009 - 12:03 AM

Student code of conduct administrators have a new plan when it comes to enforcing drinking policies on campus, and so far, it’s working.

The BASICS program, a cooperation between student conduct and the police department, brings learning experiences into drinking violations rather than solely discipline.

Since the program started last year, it has shown promise.

In a biannual study after the program started, about 80 percent of University of Nevada, Reno students consumed alcohol, a number that dipped just below the national average for the first time in 10 years. The research also showed that the percentages of UNR students who use alcohol decreased in every category, including underage drinking and binge drinking.

We applaud the organizers’ efforts and hope they continue in the same direction. If UNR is able to cut down on student alcohol abuse, nothing but good will come from it.

The student conduct office will have more time to focus on other parts of its job, such as plagiarism and hazing. The police department can spend its time and money focusing on other aspects of student safety. Students will be healthier and have fewer confusing mornings, when they try to piece together the previous night’s happenings.

But most importantly, less drinking will help avoid such tragedies as Mike Pietrzak’s death after he fell down the stairs after drinking in September 2007, and a night of partying that ended with a heated dispute and a triple murder in October later that year.

The BASICS program gives conduct violators one-on-one sessions, making the experience more fitting for adults, rather than a high school-ish, one-size-fits-all lecture.

By personally tailoring a session to educate students who violated campus alcohol policies about the effects of alcohol and drug abuse, UNR has a better chance at making a lasting impression on students.

Quite possibly the only thing missing from a nearly perfect educational program is eager students.

Students need to take the dangers of alcohol abuse and school policies seriously in order for the program to be successful. Perhaps the new approach will help with this part.

The Nevada Sagebrush can be reached at editor@nevadasagebrush.com.