A study of campus fraternity and sorority advisors regarding alcohol education strategies used on college campuses

Abstract

“There is no greater public health hazard on American college and university campuses than the abuse of alcohol” (Misch, 2010, p. 232). The purpose of this study was to examine alcohol education strategies presently used in fraternity and sorority life offices on college campuses. Specifically, this study compared the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) recommendations for alcohol education strategies and current campus practices for fraternity and sorority campus-based professionals. Comparisons were made through the use of an electronic survey of members of the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors (AFA). Of the 545 members that were surveyed, 176 of the participants completed the survey. A backwards elimination regression was used to determine the best predictors of the amount of alcohol education strategies being used with both individual demographic characteristics and the institutional profiles. Results from the tests indicated that the AFA members that use the most alcohol education strategies are typically male and have been advising fraternities and sororities for more than three years. The types of institution where the most alcohol education strategies are being used are typically public institutions, smaller than 10,000 students, the fraternity and sorority community was less the 20% of the undergraduate population, and the advisor was aware of the NIAAA Study, A Call to Action: Changing the Culture of Drinking at U.S. Colleges (2002).