Alcohol & Other Drugs

In 2019, Provost Drell appointed the Alcohol Solutions Group to work with the Law and Policy Lab at Stanford Law School in collecting data, studying the issues and gathering feedback.

New Opportunities and Programs

Below, you will find a short summary of the current student and staff working group plans under development. There are many opportunities for ongoing student involvement. In the coming months, we will be providing more information on how to join in.

• RAs in undergraduate dorms will: 
  • receive enhanced training to support them in their roles as they help residential students navigate their personal development and responsible decisions, as well as disrupt unhealthy campus norms.
  • have access to financial and programmatic support to offer weekend substance-free events in dorms across campus.
• The Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL) Working Groups are examining the intersection of substance use and Greek life on campus and will make recommendations for systemic change for Greek organizations to contribute to a healthy campus, including harm reduction and education regarding alcohol and other drugs.
• The Office of Substance Use Programs Education & Resources (SUPER) is expanding its outreach efforts to:
  • offer robust alcohol and drug education programming in frosh dorms.
  • extend outreach efforts to students across the four years of their undergraduate education.
  • introduce a new Peer Educators program to offer local programming and education support in each of the new ResX neighborhoods.
• The Well House, a newly-designated residential learning community, will welcome residents in fall 2021. This new theme house will provide substance-free and wellness living on the Row for 51 undergraduate students with the oversight of a Resident Fellow and will provide community-wide substance-free programming and resources for all students.  
• Stanford will foster and create a chapter of the national Collegiate Recovery Program (CRP) in fall 2021 to offer comprehensive and holistic support for students who belong or seek to belong to the substance recovery community.
• Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) will hire two new counselors specifically trained in the treatment of substance use disorders. In addition to offering direct clinical support for students, these counselors will offer outreach and education support for the Well House and the CRP community.
• Recognizing that our community extends beyond campus, we will invite Stanford parents and families to offer feedback on the alcohol and drug norms and challenges that their students face along with the opportunity to be informed partners during their students’ college experience.
• A new, streamlined system for party and event planning for student organizations will be developed and piloted via CardinalEngage.

Policy and Accountability

In addition to the actions described above, we are working on an updated student alcohol and other drug policy and accountability framework that will clearly articulate state and federal legal requirements we must follow and the corresponding accountability processes to ensure a safer campus.  We would like to thank the many students who provided specific feedback to the Alcohol Solutions Group on the very sensitive and important topics of policy and accountability. We heard you when you said the following, summarized here as ASG recommendations:

1. Clearly defined expectations for intervention, referral, and reporting.
2. Accountability for all students and student groups that is equitable, transparent, and enforceable.
3. A culture of care that also includes the role of individual and community (student organization, residence hall, team, etc.) accountability.

We are committed to implementing these student-informed recommendations.