Policy Development for the Reduction of Alcohol and Other Drug Problems at an Australian University

Universities, as with other workplaces, experience problems related to alcohol and other drug use by staff and students. There is little published information about the prevalence of these problems among students in the university setting in Australia as compared with the availability of information from the USA. Curtin University of Technology's experience with alcohol-related problems seems to be documented better than most other Australian institutions, and the available evidence indicates that the level of student alcohol consumption and reported alcohol-related problems is cause for concern. However, this is not to say that Curtin's problems may be any greater than those of any other Australian university with alcohol available on the premises. Many years of involvement in health promotion teaching and research, combined with identification of alcohol and drug related problems on campus, were thought to be the primary factors preceding the university's decision to begin the process of formulating comprehensive alcohol and other drug policy for staff and students. The absence of clear and consistent alcohol and other drug policy can lead to 1) undermining of the educational environment, 2) confusion about appropriate behaviour, 3) dealing with drug-related problems by inaction or arbitrary and inappropriate action. Alcohol and other drug policy has two main goals: problem reduction and better management of problems.     

Using Embeddedness Theory to Understand and Promote Persistence in STEM Majors

Student retention in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors is a national concern. Research typically emphasizes attrition in STEM fields by examining factors driving students to switch career paths. This study used embeddedness theory to instead focus on factors that better anchor students within their majors. Focus groups were conducted with 21 junior and senior students majoring in STEM to contextualize the 3 tenets of embeddedness: fit, links, and sacrifice. Results supported embeddedness theory as a viable framework for understanding and promoting STEM student retention because fit, links, and sacrifice were all cited as factors that enriched the student experience. Gender differences suggested a heightened sense of pride for women as compared with men who pursue STEM degrees. Results inform ways to contextualize quantitative measures of STEM embeddedness. To facilitate retention, career counselors, instructors, and others may assist students to frame challenge as normal among persisting STEM upperclassmen.     

NCWWI Tribal Traineeship Programs: Promoting Diversity in the Child Welfare Workforce

Twelve universities and one American Indian (AI) tribal college were selected for the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute’s 5-year stipend traineeship program. These tribal traineeships were designed to provide social work child welfare education for tribal and nontribal students. Twenty-two AI students and 58 nontribal students completed a bachelor or master’s of social work degree. The students’ field placements were in tribal agencies or public agencies that served a segment of the AI population. These programs were enhanced through the use of valuable relationships (i.e., partnerships, mentorships, allies), and cultural competence was a key aspect of the students’ education. The students’ education was enriched with a specific child welfare curriculum, cultural teachings, tribal traineeship collaborations, and tribal community events.     

Racial Attitudes in the Deep South: Persistence and Change at the University of Alabama, 1963–2013*

Using data from a unique series of surveys collected between 1963 and 2013, this study examines racial attitudes among young white adults in the Deep South over a 50-year period. Repeated surveys of University of Alabama students in 1963, 1966, 1969, 1972, 1983, 1988, and 2013 measured racial stereotypes, support for racial segregation, and in the 2013 study, racial resentment and support for ameliorative racial policies. Analyses show that in the 1960s endorsement of racial stereotypes was a powerful predictor of support for racial segregation. By the early 1970s, racial integration became a reality in the Deep South and, paralleling broad trends in U.S. society, endorsement of racial stereotypes and support for racial segregation declined. Simultaneously, threats to whites' position in the form of ameliorative racial policies (including affirmative action) emerged along with racial resentment. By 2013, racial resentment, rather than racial stereotyping, was the primary determinant of white students' opposition to racial change. Our findings support Herbert Blumer's (1958) argument that racial prejudice exists in a sense of group position, and that it functions to preserve the advantaged position of the dominant group regardless of changes in the form that prejudice takes.