Action Steps

Existing Initiatives

• Alcohol & Other Drugs Initiatives Committee
  The Alcohol Initiatives Committee is comprised of faculty and staff representing a cross section of the Rutgers New Brunswick community. Tasked with addressing the issue of alcohol and other drugs on campus, the Committee has implemented a number of strategies aimed at reducing risk.
• AlcoholEdu
  All new students are required to take this 2-part online course educating them on the facts and risks of alcohol use and abuse.
• Alcohol Education Mandated Workshop
  If a student commits an alcohol-related violation of the Student Code of Conduct, their first offense, depending on the nature of the violation, will generally result in being referred to a mandated alcohol education workshop run by Health Outreach, Promotion, and Education (HOPE). The HOPE program consists of a one-hour group workshop on responsible alcohol use. After completing the workshop, students are required to write a short paper reflecting on what they have learned from the experience.
• Annual Speaker Recruitment
  The committee recruits at least one high profile speaker of national recognition annually to present and discuss their area of expertise within Alcohol and Other Drugs to the campus community.
• Bystander Intervention Training
  This workshop, open to all students, staff, and faculty, trains participants how to recognize if someone has an issue with alcohol or other drugs and how to refer that person to the appropriate resource.
• New Jersey Higher Education Consortium on AOD Prevention
  Select members of the Committee meet monthly during the Fall and Spring semesters with other universities across New Jersey to discuss substance abuse policy at the state level.
• Party Smart Guide
  The Party Smart guide contains information that will help to reduce personal harm and accidental injuries while encouraging smart choices and informed decision-making. The Party Smart guide provides Rutgers University students with resources, information and tips related to responsible drinking and safer consumption of alcoholic beverages.
• Sports Club Education
  Beginning in September 2016, all sports clubs will participate in educational programming regarding alcohol, hazing, and sexual assault.
• TIPS (Training Intervention Procedures) Training
  This program provides education on social liability laws and bystander intervention training for incidents related to alcohol and other drugs. Training is open to all students, staff, and faculty. All fraternity and sorority chapters are required to have 25% of their total membership certified in TIPS. Certification is good for three years.
• Medical Amnesty
  In an effort to increase the reporting of incidents of alcohol and other drug use within the campus community, the Committee established immunity from legal implications for anyone who reports an incident related to alcohol consumption. The full policy can be found at www.studentconduct.rutgers.edu/medical-amnesty.
• Mandated Marijuana Education Workshop
  The marijuana education workshop is a one-hour program conducted with students that are referred from the Office of Student Conduct for marijuana related offenses.
• Substance-Free Social Events Block Programming
  Certain times of year, such as the first 6 weeks of the Fall semester or the end of the Spring semester, see an increase in social activity and increased risk of alcohol other drug use and abuse. The Committee created a coordinated calendar with an increase in substance free social events during these key times.
• Opioid Messaging Campaign
  The Committee created 6 informational messages to educate about the opioid crisis. Print and digital assets were distributed throughout campus.

• Pending Initiatives
• GIS (Geographic Information System) mapping project
  The Committee is assessing where alcohol and other drug offenses occur in the community in order to target outreach and education to those areas.
• Social Liability Law Education
  The Committee is working to create educational workshops for students and campus organizations to learn about social liability laws and how to host a party responsibly.

Do Something! is a simple way to express concern about a member of the Rutgers community.

If you’re concerned about someone, or yourself, and not sure where to start, visit www.dosomething.rutgers.edu or click on the icon found throughout the Rutgers sites. Do Something! will connect you with the appropriate expert and support resources. You always have the choice of submitting a concern anonymously.

Any number of issues from substance abuse or a mental health crisis to sexual assault or bias can interfere with someone’s well-being and success. The primary purpose of sharing a concern about someone is to help prevent those issues from getting worse.

Within one working day of receipt, online concerns are reviewed by the designated staff within the Dean of Students Office. Rutgers staff members will then reach out to students to investigate and offer assistance in a supportive manner. The goal is to help the students overcome the issues at hand while maintaining a healthy and safe environment on campus. We want our students not to just survive, but thrive.

Please note that Do Something is not meant for emergency situations. If you are experiencing an emergency, call 911.

Once a concern is shared, receipt will be confirmed. Confidentiality prevents further sharing of information.

Regardless of the situation, when you are concerned about the well-being of someone for any reason – Do Something! Ask for help.

Become an Alcohol & Other Drug (AOD) Peer Educator

AOD Peer Educators provide information, training, and education to students to help them make informed, responsible decisions regarding alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. Participating in health and wellness activities on campus as a student leader provides students with the skills to implement health education programming and conduct outreach. AOD Peer Educators earn hourly wages and can earn national certification in peer education.

AOD Peer Educators must take Peer Education Advocacy, an academic course offered through The Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. Acceptance to the course requires an application and interview. You must also participate in additional trainings throughout the year. For more information, visit the AOD Peer Educators site.

Join SHADES Theater

Using theater as a mode of education, SHADES actors write, edit, and act their own scenes that are reflective of issues and concerns Rutgers students may have. Tackling not only public health issues including those related to alcohol and other drugs, but issues related to racism, homophobia, sexism, and ableism, SHADES Theater interacts with their audience through two methods:

• Performing 5-minute scenarios that are realistic and relevant
• Staying in character while the audience asks them questions.

Actors are required to answer and interact with the audience through improv.

Through improv and acting, SHADES can give voice to the voiceless and can help create an environment where students are willing to discuss difficult topics with each other. For more information on SHADES theater, including audition dates, click here.