Ohio University

skip to main content

Ohio Alerts

Information for Parents

 

 

Overview

Most of our students make great choices and decisions while at Ohio University. They study hard, make friends, get involved, prepare themselves for life and career, and are responsible citizens. They take advantage of the opportunities available to them, and make great contributions to the University and Athens communities.

But, because we care about students' health and safety, students' academic success, and the welfare of our campus and community, we are concerned about those students who make poor choices – those who choose to drink excessively, or in a high-risk way.

High-risk drinking is the excessive consumption of alcohol that leads to serious negative consequences, not only for those who are drinking but for others around the person drinking. The negative consequences include academic failure, accidents, falls, fights, injuries, sexual assaults, vandalism, and arrests.

High-risk drinking poses a significant health and safety risk to college students across America. You can play a critical role in helping your student limit the risk, and we hope you'll join us in doing all that we can to help every student and our community avoid these types of consequences. Details on how you can help follow in this website.

Thank you for the support that you continue to provide to your student and to Ohio University.

 

 

What Parents Can Do

There are several key ways that you can support your student and help limit risks related to alcohol:

  • Attitude . Don’t assume in conversations with your student or other students here that getting drunk or drinking shots or blacking out or other high-risk drinking behaviors are necessarily a part of college life. Students often take cues from parents as to what is “normal” college behavior.
  • Prepare . Make certain that your student understands the health and safety consequences of high-risk drinking. As students begin to make more decisions about how to live their lives, they need to know the consequences of poor decisions.
  • Question . Call or email your student regularly during the first several weeks of their college experience and ask about how they are spending their time. Express your views on anything you hear that sounds unsafe or unhealthy.
  • Remind . Remind students of their personal, educational and/or career goals. Talk routinely about why they are in school and what they hope to achieve. Provide positive feedback on their involvement in low-risk activities (joining clubs, attending campus events, volunteering, working, etc.). Weave these ideas into your conversations with your students, not as an alternative to high-risk drinking, but as part of a great college experience.
  • Learn . Take time to educate yourself about alcohol and its relationship to  health,  safety  and  academic performance at college.
  • Support . If you believe that your student has a drinking problem, support them in getting assistance. Suggest they complete an anonymous on-line  self-assessment  or that they have a confidential conversation with a counselor at Counseling & Psychological Services, 337 Hudson Health Center, (740) 593 - 1616.
  • Act . If you believe your student has a drinking problem and he or she is at risk for serious harm, consult with a counselor at Counseling & Psychological Services, 337 Hudson Health Center, (740) 593 - 1616 or, in an emergency, contact the Office of the Dean of Students, Baker University Center, 740-593-1800 or the Ohio University Police Department, Scott Quad, (740) 593 - 1911 (24/7).

 

 

If Your Student Has a Problem

If you believe that your student has a drinking problem, support them in getting assistance. Suggest they complete an anonymous on-line self-assessment at  www.alcoholscreening.org  or that they have a confidential conversation with a counselor at Counseling & Psychological Services, 337 Hudson Health Center, (740) 593-1616. If you believe your student is at risk for serious harm due to alcohol use, consult with a counselor at Counseling & Psychological Services, 337 Hudson Health Center, (740) 593-1616 or, in an emergency, contact the Office of the Dean of Students, Baker University Center, 740-593-1800 or the Ohio University Police Department, Scott Quad, (740) 593-1911 (24/7).

 

 

About Discipline

We care about the health, safety and success of students, but we also care about the welfare of the campus and community. When a student's behavior violates the Student Code of Conduct (due to alcohol use or for some other reason), the student will be disciplined. Complete text of the Student Code of Conduct and a description of the process employed to address allegations of violations is  here.

A couple of key highlights of the disciplinary system as it relates to alcohol are:

  • Depending upon the specific misbehavior, a student’s first offense of our Student Code of Conduct can result in suspension or expulsion.
  • Sanctions for first-time alcohol-related violations will include a referral to an appropriate intervention designed to get the student back on track as well as a $100 fine.
  • If a student has earned less than 90 credit hours and is under 21, parents will be notified if the students is found responsible for an alcohol-related violation of the Student Code of Conduct.
  • If a student is found responsible for an alcohol-related offense of the Code while on probation for an alcohol-related offense (even if either is minor), the student can expect to be suspended from the University.
  • If a student is charged with a crime in the Athens community, the case will be addressed in the local court but also be heard by University Judiciaries. If the student is found responsible in both venues, the student will receive two separate sanctions – one from the local court and one from the University.

 

 

Risk Reduction

While we recognize our obligation to enforce all local, state and federal law related to alcohol, we also know that not all students under the age of 21 will abstain from using alcohol. For those students who choose to consume alcohol, preventing alcohol-related problems is important. Research findings indicate that “risk reduction” strategies are effective for reducing alcohol consumption and abuse among college students, including those under 21 and those over 21. We employ the risk reduction model as a dimension of our overall strategy to reduce high-risk drinking. The risk reduction model systematically works toward increasing the incidence of abstinence among college students while at the same time decreasing high-risk use and associated problems.

 

 

AlcoholEdu for College

All new students at Ohio University are required to successfully complete a 2 ½ hour online alcohol education course called "AlcoholEdu for College." This nationally-distributed program is interactive and employs cutting edge technology, and is intended to challenge students' expectations around alcohol while enabling them to make healthier and safer decisions. It does not assume that a student drinks. Parents or others can view or complete the course themselves by using the "Parent Login" available  here.