Urging College Alcohol and Drug Policies That Target Adverse Behavior,Not Use

Abstract

Although “zero tolerance” policies are being enacted on campuses nationwide, these policies may not be the most effective means of creating safer and healthier environments for students. Many historical precedents illustrate the value of moderation over prohibition College drug and alcohol policies should focus primarily on dysfunctional and disruptive student behaviors, not on student drug and alcohol use only.     

GotFlu Channel: An Online Syndromic Surveillance Tool Supporting College Health Practice and Public Health Work

Abstract

Objective: Develop a tool to ease the burden of H1N1 influenza on a campus clinic by promoting self-care, generating medical notes, and identifying vulnerable students. Participants: Students at Brock University, a mid-sized urban campus; Brock's Student Health Services; and Niagara Public Health. Methods: Students accessed a controlled portal of Brock's Web site and self-identified onset/offset of influenza-like symptoms. Daily sign-in numbers were monitored and nonidentifiable aggregate data transferred to the local public health unit. Results: There was concordance among the number of college students signing in, local school absenteeism rates, and local rates of laboratory-confirmed influenza. Many visits to the campus health clinic were averted, 1,432 students used the tool. Conclusion: The online, real-time surveillance tool was effective in monitoring influenza activity on campus, providing timely health advice, decreasing unnecessary visits to the campus medical clinic, and assisting local public health in surveillance activities.     

Pemoline in Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Predictors of Nonresponse

Abstract

The psychostimulants are the most widely used treatment modality for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Although positive responses to psychostimulants have been demonstrated, 46% of adults with ADHD, on average, are nonresponsive or cannot tolerate the medications because of adverse effects. We reviewed the charts of 43 students treated with pemoline and studied parameters of nonresponse. Sixteen (37%) met the study definition of nonresponse. Of these, 5 (12%) were symptom nonresponders and 11 (25%) were nonresponders because of adverse effects. We found a significant relationship between age and nonresponse resulting from adverse effects, yet no other factors predicted nonresponse to pemoline. Clinicians should consider using smaller starting doses of pemoline in adults to minimize adverse effects.     

Alcohol-Related Emergency Department Visits Associated With Collegiate Football Games

Abstract

Objective: In 2003, after several post–college football game riots, multiple strategies including strict enforcement of open container laws were instituted by the authors’ city and university. The authors compared alcohol-related visits to the on-campus emergency department (ED) associated with home football games in 2002 and 2006, hypothesizing that alcohol-related visits should decline. Participants: ED patients during home game weekends. Methods: Retrospective cohort study comparing the 2002 and 2006 home games—similar seasons wherein the team went undefeated. Logistic regression assessed the impact of environmental and patient characteristics on the likelihood of an ED visit being alcohol related. Results: In total 2,220 visits in 2002 and 2,146 visits in 2006 were reviewed. Alcohol-related visits increased from 2002 (7.9%) to 2006 (9.5%, p = .06). Despite community interventions, the odds of an ED visit being alcohol related increased (odds ratio [OR] 1.3, 95% confidence interval [CI₉₅] 1.06–1.64). Conclusions: Community measures did not reduce alcohol-related visits to the ED.     

African music: negotiating a space in contemporary society

This paper explores the notion of African music as a way forward to negotiate a ‘space’ in contemporary society. The word ‘space’ is used as a metaphor to explore and experiment with the dynamics of culture and hybridity. The authors view themselves as ‘agents of change’ and knowledgeable professionals in the teaching of African music, one based in South Africa (Johannesburg) and the other in Australia (Melbourne). They reflect on examples from their own teaching and learning experiences as they argue that the translation of ‘traditional’ African music can only be brought about by means of cultural dialogue, within cultures and between cultures. This paper also addresses the issues of cultural authenticity as a redefined and renegotiated space when teaching and learning African music. The authors also consider the difficulties of addressing ‘difference’ and ‘otherness’ when teaching African music, with South Africa and Australia both previously seen as outposts of the British Empire. They contend that such differences can prove to be productive and rewarding through subtle mediation and accommodation when crossing cultural borders.     

An Ecological Approach to Racial Environments and Their Relationship to Mental Health

Although research has demonstrated that aspects of racial environments such as racial experiences and racial diversity can relate to psychological health and well-being, few studies have examined what specifically happens when individuals move from one racial environment to another. The present study asked 179 African Americans transitioning to a predominantly white institution (freshmen or junior transfers) about racial diversity (percentage of African Americans) at their prior institution, racial experiences at their prior institution, and racial experiences at the current institution and examined how these characteristics related to self-reported depression. Overall, we found that more negative previous racial experiences predicted greater depressive symptoms in college. Results also revealed a significant three-way interaction such that more positive current racial experiences predicted less depressive symptoms, but only for those students coming from predominantly negative racial environments—low racial diversity and more negative racial experiences. Our findings highlight the complex role of past and present racial environmental factors in influencing psychological health. Implications for African American college students’ success and well-being are discussed.     

TimeOut@UCLA: An Intergenerational Respite Care and Workforce Development Program

TimeOut@UCLA is an intergenerational program that recruits undergraduate college students to provide companionship to older adults with early Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia in a community setting, providing respite for their caregivers. In the program, 86 students and 89 seniors participated from September 2015 to December 2016. This program appears to reinforce positive attitudes about working with older adults among undergraduate students and gives caregivers an innovative option for respite time.     

Exploring Underlying Dimensions of Social Connectedness in the Experiences of Suspended Young People from Ethnically Diverse Populations in the USA

In the USA, out‐of‐school suspension leaves numerous young people in transition, caught between the school and their communities. A limited body of literature neither documents the experiences of suspended young people from ethnically diverse populations nor provides insight into the spaces they occupy. This study used an exploratory mixed methods design to identify psychological, social and spatial dimensions of social connectedness in the experiences of suspended young people participating in a community intervention. The study aimed to explicate social connectedness as a protective factor and how underlying dimensions of social connectedness construct sites of recovery for suspended young people.