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Research findings report

Roger Williams University Research findings report: drug and alcohol violations study From the Office of Student Affairs

Summary 1 Introduction 2 Project Scope 3 Research Methods 4 Research Results 4 Recommendations 6 Sources 8

Summary Comment by Dahliani Reynolds: You might think about using the subtitle for your running header since it’s more specific…

As the office of Student Affairs at Roger Williams University, it is our responsibility to investigate student activities on and off campus that may concern the safety and well-being of the student body. One of the major concerns that we have become aware of is a potential increase in drug and alcohol violations involving Roger Williams students. From previous studies done by the Roger Williams public safety department, it was shown that there has been a steady increase in the number of drug and alcohol violations, both on and off campus. Comment by Dahliani Reynolds: Good move to define the problem and indicate exigency.

The Roger Williams University website provides campus life information including the policies and guidelines of the university which will help us during our research to receive correct data. The current policies surrounding students’ alcohol and drug use both on and off campus have shown that the university needs to focus its attention more acutely on these issues. Other college and university policies and guidelines have helped us tremendously in figuring out how we can put a halt to the increase of alcohol and drug violations. By contacting the surrounding colleges and universities in the area we have found that there are many steps we can take to achieve this goal. We will do everything we can to ensure RWU is in line with current best practices to keep our environment safe and secure. Comment by Dahliani Reynolds: You might be more specific here: policies regarding alcohol and drug use (the university has all kinds of policies on a range of issues). Comment by Dahliani Reynolds: Hmmm… do the policies show the need to focus its attention, or the number of infringements show the need. Do you see what I’m getting at?

The policies at Roger Williams University have proven that they are effective but could be improved. By looking at other college and university policies, we have come up with the proof that illustrates that the Roger Williams University policies should be revised. Comment by Dahliani Reynolds: Again, it might be helpful to specify which policies you are referring to here.

These findings are based on the research we have conducted on the topics stated are closely tied into our recommendations. We began our research by looking into the Public Safety department here at RWU and comparing it to other colleges and universities in Rhode Island. One of the points we have found was relating the number of officers to the number of violations. We have also noticed a significant correlation between the number of alcohol and drug violations on and off campus to how it affects student academic achievement. Finally, it has been observed that other colleges and universities have been upgrading their alcohol and drug policies to include a “Three-strikes-and-you’re-out” policy. While Roger Williams may not have this policy currently in place, the research findings are described more in depth later on. Comment by Dahliani Reynolds: Huh? I’m not following you here… Comment by Dahliani Reynolds: What was this relationship? Comment by Dahliani Reynolds: Okay, this kind of discursive gesture is fine in the report itself. However, the executive summary needs to function independently. We need to be able to read the summary to get a full sense of your primary arguments without having to refer to the report.

Based on our research we have come to the conclusion that in order for Roger Williams University to lower the numbers of alcohol and drug related violations, the school should adopt stricter policies. While there are a number of other successful policies in place at other institutions, we feel that there are a few select strategies that would best suit Roger Williams. The policies which the school has had in the past, as well as the policies which are still being implemented, have proven to be inefficient and unfit for RWU. In conclusion this is because it is clear that the number of violations has been increasing steadily since 2010 and it is the duty of Roger Williams University to invest in the safety and well-being of its students as a whole. Comment by Dahliani Reynolds: This is a place to name the strategies (see my previous note). Comment by Dahliani Reynolds: Seems more an introductory point relating to exigency than a conclusion…

Introduction

When the word “college” comes to mind, what is pictured? Students sitting outside on the quad, books in hand, talking to each other? Or are wild parties pictured that only end when the ambulance is called? Unfortunately for Roger Williams, it seems that the latter is becoming more and more of a problem. In recent years, the number of alcohol and drug related incidents has been on a steady rise, according to a survey done every year by the Roger Williams department of Public Safety. However, even with the current system in place regarding drug and alcohol violations, the number continues to increase. There has to be a better way than just punishing those who get caught. Comment by Dahliani Reynolds: This doesn’t seem like a “however” statement since you’re making the same point in a different way (it’s an extension of the previous point, not a complication).

           Time and time again, the department of public safety has kept a strong hand across this campus, reminding the students of the zero-tolerance policy for drugs and the distribution and drinking of alcohol if they are underage. However, even though the current policies have been shown to be effective, there is still something missing. Currently, the policies are punishment oriented, meaning that if someone is caught, any penalty will be so great as to prevent the person from ever doing it again. That option works sometimes, but there needs to be a deterrent program on campus where students can go to hang out and relax instead of getting high or drunk.   Comment by Dahliani Reynolds: Really? Then why is the number of infringements increasing?

           The main focus of this report is to bring to light the troubling statistics of students who are underage who are drinking both on and off campus; as well as the students who are doing drugs; both on and off campus. So far, we have researched other colleges and their policies regarding underage alcohol consumption, as well as their drug policies. This report will also give recommendations regarding improving the schools current policy regarding punishment and deterrence when dealing with drug and alcohol violations. With this report, we hope to make Roger Williams a safer and more secure learning environment for everyone. Comment by Dahliani Reynolds: Okay, I see this working to function as a forecasting statement, but it’s not quite there yet. We need to see how this paragraph is forecasting the report, not reflecting on the process of writing it. Do you see the difference?

          

Project Scope

The analysis and presentation of the status, findings, and recommendations of this project are an undertaking of decent size. Upon first glance, it can be assumed that colleges and universities around the region, country, and the whole world are closely tied to drugs and alcohol. Post-secondary education has taken a steep rise in popularity around the world in the past few decades alone. However, driving the demand for education through the roof. This has led to an increase in not only the numbers of students enrolled at post-secondary institutions around the world, but has led to the development of a  new type of culture surrounding colleges and universities today. While this project was concerned only with the suspected changes in drug and alcohol violations at Roger Williams University, it is key to keep in mind the changes in rates at surrounding universities and institutions in the region and on a global scale in order to compare the differences at hand. Comment by Dahliani Reynolds: Huh? I’m not following you here… Comment by Dahliani Reynolds: Rates of what? Comment by Dahliani Reynolds: Nice way to contextualize your study. In general, it’s clear and persuasive.

           On a more manageable scale, however, we first took a look at investigating our project at different levels within Roger Williams University itself. Here our findings were more acute and helped to give a better understanding and identify the individual problems at this particular university. In the research, we began by compiling data collected online from similar studies from other universities. Additionally, we researched and gathered information from the Roger Williams Public Safety department on campus, giving a depth of information scaling back three years to 2010. Below is a table taken from the RWU Public Safety Annual Security Report of some of the applicable information that helped us find our results (Safety and Security Report, 2012). Comment by Dahliani Reynolds: Maybe reverse the order? Seems like you have to identify problems before you can understand them… Comment by Dahliani Reynolds: As a reader, I expect that you’re going to discuss those specific problems here (or in a subsequent section) in some detail. Comment by Dahliani Reynolds: Nice use of the visual data!

From this table we can see the information from which we shifted through to discover the size and extent of the asserted problem at Roger Williams.

           Although this study included other university findings in regions both large and small, it is again emphasized that our conduct only includes those results as a comparison between Roger Williams and other related institutions. This helps find trends or patterns in the data and improves our gauge of where Roger Williams lies statistically as a private university in the New England area. Comment by Dahliani Reynolds: I’m getting lost here. Comment by Dahliani Reynolds: What does “this refer to here?

Research Methods

In order to enhance our knowledge surrounding the issues observed, we first had to research related topics in a very thorough manner. In doing so, there were multiple tools used. As mentioned in the Summary and disclosed in the Source Appendix, the multiple sources used ranged from the Roger Williams University website, to the sites of other universities in the Rhode Island and New England area. In addition to browsing those sites, search engines such as CQ Researcher, RefWorks, and the Roger Williams University Library Server Engine were used. By using such a diverse set of tools, the domains applied were in no way specific. This allowed the team to review articles, papers, studies, and reports of all types and compile the given information in such a way that benefited the project scope and the accuracy of the results. In doing so, the accuracy of the results improved substantially because the diverse arena of sources were then able to be cataloged to blend together many different aspects of the study itself. Comment by Dahliani Reynolds: RefWorks isn’t a search engine, but I see where you’re going with this… Comment by Dahliani Reynolds: I don’t know what this means.

           In the end, the study’s results were of the utmost importance. Because the research deals with student safety and well-being, it is important that this report be reviewed immediately. Additionally, the plethora of statistics and findings compiled henceforth should be taken seriously and dealt with in a professional manner.

Research Results

All college and university campuses have some sort of department dealing in public safety, or as others call it, a department of safety and security. However the department is labeled, their job is to monitor all student related activities, whether on or off campus, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The department makes every effort to keep the campus and its students safe and secure by keeping an eye on activities and by working together with the local police and fire departments. According to the US Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE, 2014), only Roger Williams University, Johnson & Wales University, and Salve Regina University have solely unsworn, security-based officers. The rest of the schools in Rhode Island, Brown University, the University of Rhode Island, and Rhode Island College have sworn officers. Brown and URI have security officers as well as their sworn officers. Having both sworn officers and security officers gives the campus more security and that helps decrease drug and alcohol violations on and off campus. Comment by Dahliani Reynolds: Interesting…

According to the Roger Williams University website, rwu.edu (“The Department of Public Safety,” 2014), there are 20 full-time security officers who assist the campus community with numerous services including the enforcement of local, state, and federal laws, as well as the campus rules and regulations. At Brown University, the Brown.edu (“The Police and Law Enforcement,” 2014) site states that there are 80 campus police officers who also help to prevent campus incidents and violations. In 2010, the number of crimes committed and reported at Roger Williams was 536 (Safety and Security Report, 2012), while the number of crimes reported at Brown University was 119 (Annual Security Report, 2012), These statistics are significantly different because the Brown University website, Brown.edu (“Enrollment Statistics,” 2014), states that it has an undergraduate population of 6,182; almost double that of the 3,735 undergraduate students RWU has on their site, rwu.edu (“RWU Enrollment,” 2014). Clearly these statistics show that, knowing Brown has both sworn and security officers, it is clear that the Public Safety department plays a big part in keeping campuses safe, as well as trying to keep it alcohol and drug free. Comment by Dahliani Reynolds: Not necessary to include the url here. Comment by Dahliani Reynolds: What kind of crimes? How do we know the crimes are related to drugs/alcohol? Comment by Dahliani Reynolds: Need one more sentence here to drive home your point that the statistics are significant because Brown is bigger AND has a lower rate of crime. Comment by Dahliani Reynolds: Good point, though I suppose it’s possible that there might be other reasons for Brown’s good record…

Many college and university campuses are “dry campuses,” meaning alcohol is banned, regardless of the owner’s age or intention to consume it elsewhere. RWU’s Alcohol Policies and Guidelines states, “On south campus, all alcohol, including empty containers, is prohibited anywhere in the buildings or surrounding areas regardless of a persons’ age. This includes parking lots and walkways.” This policy is directed only towards the south campus, which means that if a student is 21 years of age and on the north half of campus, it might be harder for the person to be found at fault. Cedar Residence Hall, a freshmen only dormitory at Roger Williams with an occupancy of 350 residents, is a dry residence hall. The university has staff that conduct bag checks at the door, however they are the only residence hall on this campus that does this procedure. Rhode Island College is a fully dry campus. Therefore, the college states on ric.edu that it has the right to inspect all bags or possessions brought into the residence halls (“Statement,” 2014). Because RIC is a dry campus, allowing bag inspections have helped their campus and student safety. Having a dry campus eliminates public drinking. Even though students still may choose to engage in such a legal activity, this policy still reduces alcohol activity on and off campus. Comment by Dahliani Reynolds: Good—this is pretty clear!

Through extensive research, our findings on the increase in drug and alcohol use among students both on and off campus has yielded worrying results. Not only have students been cited on campus for possession of alcohol, but several undercover operations at local bar’s, Finn’s Sports Taphouse & Grille and The Beach House to give a couple examples, have resulted in the arrest of approximately 31 RWU students. Charges included underage drinking or possession of alcohol, possession of a fake ID, hosting an alcohol related party off campus with minors present, and distribution of alcohol to minors. There was also one count of driving under the influence, one count of fighting, and two counts of public urination. Director of Student Conduct and Community Standards Helen Hartzell said “This is substantially higher than what we normally see within a two week period. Out of those 31 charges however, not all of them are at one location. We did have a spike at one location.” That location, which has confirmed to have had an “exorbitant amount of fake ID’s” in the past two weeks is Finn’s Sports Taphouse & Grille. (Scofield, pg. 1, 2014) Comment by Dahliani Reynolds: This is important information to indicate the exigency, but it seems out of place given that you’ve just been talking about policies/guidelines. Maybe this section needs to be moved to a different place in the report…

           The violations that are taking place on campus are even more troubling. While students will not be brought up on criminal charges when they are cited by the school, they do face hefty fines and removal from housing. If it is not their first offense, they face extended removal from housing, probation, and even suspension from the University if the violation is severe enough. If a student is found in possession of drugs, the penalties range from one week removal from housing and a $150 fine, to suspension from RWU. If a student is found distributing drugs on campus, they face immediate suspension, sometimes even expulsion. Over the course of the last few years, there have been a total of 15 arrests on campus for alcohol violations, and a total of 1,198 disciplinary actions taken against students. In regards to possession of drugs, there have been a total of 81 arrests on campus, and 187 disciplinary actions. With each year, the numbers of disciplinary actions are slowly increasing, but the number of arrests have all but dissipated. (Source: Public Safety Survey 2010-12 academic years). Comment by Dahliani Reynolds: Ever? Comment by Dahliani Reynolds: There are some proofreading problems, but good information to include (though, as with the previous paragraph, I wonder if this is the best place for it).

Recommendations

Since Roger Williams University alcohol and drug violations has increased steadily throughout the years, it is more than enough proof that the current policies that the university is enforcing are not working. When we look at Roger Williams policies and the student’s response to them, and then compare them to other universities’ with stricter policies and the number of alcohol and drug related violations the school has, it is clear that being more strict with students will lead to a reduction of violations. Comment by Dahliani Reynolds: I’m seeing a few problems with singular/plural agreement…

When it comes to alcohol related incidents such as consumption, possession and alcohol paraphernalia, there are up to three violations before suspension at RWU. Other universities such as Rhode Island College, Brown University, Bryant University, and University of Rhode Island have up to one or two violations before suspension or expulsion. All of these universities have lower alcohol and drug violations in comparison to Roger Williams. One thing that we have noticed is that several universities have a mandatory class or seminar for their freshman students, where security officers and/or persons with knowledge in the field talk about safety, substance abuse and its consequences. We believe that this should be implemented at Roger Williams, like at the University of Rhode Island, where students have to take “URI 101,” a mandatory course for freshman (Richmond, 2006). The university should guide and help the new students whom are not prepared for the exposure of alcohol and drugs that is common at college parties. This “Health 1:1” seminar that Roger Williams’ students have to take after their third violation should be at the beginning of their college years as a form of prevention, not after violations have taken place as a punishment. Comment by Dahliani Reynolds: One more sentence articulating your point: RWU should have stricter policies. Comment by Dahliani Reynolds: Seems like a sensible recommendation.

Another policy that we believe RWU should take into account from the University of Rhode Island is their “three-strikes-and-you’re-out” policy on the students that partake in illegal use of drugs and alcohol. Even though Roger Williams have similar policies, they are not as harsh. Strictness from part of the university is needed, since their “third-violation-and-you’re-suspended” is evidently not working and has failed to reduce the number of violations in the matter. RWU current policies regarding alcohol and drug violations lead to punishment such as housing suspension, reduction of merit points, and fines; while on the other hand URI’s three-strikes-policy leads to expulsion, therefore lowering their violation rates.

For Roger Williams, we recommend that they should lower the number of alcohol and drugs violations from three, to one or two maximum and consider expulsion depending on the magnitude of the violation. The school should also implement a seminar or class for freshmen students to help and prevent future misconducts and violations.  And the “dry-areas” of the campus and the number of public safety officers should increase. Comment by Dahliani Reynolds: Okay, good. This is a very clear articulation of what you are recommending.

Roger Williams’ current alcohol and drug policies are not giving the desirable outcomes, and we believe it is because the school is not being strict and cautious enough. We hope that our research and recommendations are taken into consideration and that they will lead to positive changes not only for students, but for the whole Roger Williams community.

Sources

Safety and Security Report. Roger Williams University, Department of Public Safety. (2012).

    Clery Statistics. Retrieved from

http://www.rwu.edu/sites/default/files/annual_security_report.pdf

OPE. United States Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education. (2014).

Rhode Island Institutions. Available from http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/az.html

The Department of Public Safety. Roger Williams University, Department of Public Safety.

(2014).

About. Available from

http://www.rwu.edu/about/university-offices/public-safety/about

The Police and Law Enforcement. Brown University, Department of Public Safety. (2014).

About the Department. Available from

http://www.brown.edu/Administration/Public_Safety/about/

Annual Security Report. Brown University, Department of Public Safety. (2014).

    Drug and Alcohol Abuse. Retrieved from

http://www.brown.edu/Administration/Public_Safety/news/2012%20Annual%20Report.pdf

Enrollment Statistics. Brown University, Department of Admissions. (2014).

    Enrollment Statistics. Total. Retrieved from

http://www.brown.edu/about/facts/enrollment

RWU Enrollment. Roger Williams University, Department of Admissions. (2014).

    RWU Enrollment. Undergraduate. Retrieved from

http://www.rwu.edu/about/who-we-are/fast-facts

Statement. Rhode Island College, Residential Life and Housing. (2014).

    Policies. Alcohol Policy. Available from

http://www.ric.edu/residential-Life/policies_alcohol.php

Richmond, Jayne, Dean. (2006). Textbook and Course Curriculum.

    In URI 101 Traditions and Transformations (Section 53). Available from

http://www.uri.edu/accreditation/selfstudy/AppendicesStandard6/Appendix6.25URI101Syllabus.pdf

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