Intervene: Modeling Pro-Social Bystander Behavior in College Students through Online Video.

This study evaluates the impact of a theory- and empirical evidence- based 20-minute video, Intervene, on college students' intentions to intervene on behalf of others in multiple problematic situations: an alcohol emergency, emotional distress, hazing, intimate partner violence, racial bias, sexual assault, and sexual harassment. A randomized controlled trial of undergraduate and graduate students (N = 1,243) was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the video as an intervention for increasing students' self-reported likelihood to engage in pro-social bystander behavior across these various situations. Results showed that participants who viewed the video online reported higher likelihood at 4 weeks post-viewing to intervene in situations involving hazing, intimate partner violence, racial bias, and sexual harassment than did their control group counterparts. Intervene is the first video-based bystander education intervention shown to be effective, even 4 weeks after viewing, at increasing college students' self-reported likelihood to intervene in multiple problematic social situations. Providing access to this free online video represents a cost-effective prevention and communication strategy that can be employed by other colleges and universities.

The glass is half full: evidence for efficacy of alcohol-wise at one university but not the other.

This research extends the growing literature about online alcohol prevention programs for first-year college students. Two independent randomized control studies, conducted at separate universities, evaluated the short-term effectiveness of Alcohol-Wise, an online alcohol prevention program not previously studied. It was hypothesized the prevention program would increase alcohol knowledge and reduce alcohol consumption, including high-risk alcohol-related behaviors, among first-year college students. At both universities, the intervention significantly increased alcohol-related knowledge. At one university, the prevention program also significantly reduced alcohol consumption and high-risk drinking behaviors, such as playing drinking games, heavy drinking, and extreme ritualistic alcohol consumption. Implications for the use of online alcohol prevention programs and student affairs are discussed.

A public health approach to preventing hazing on a university campus.

Objective: The present report describes a comprehensive, public health approach to hazing prevention on a university campus and evaluates its impact over time. Participants: Two different surveys (PULSE and MASCOT) were administered to college undergraduate students, in April 2013 (PULSE n = 6,190; MASCOT n = 3,117) and March 2015 (PULSE n = 4,892; MASCOT n = 2,259). Methods: A public health model of hazing prevention was implemented between 2011-2015. The MASCOT Survey assessed experiences of hazing and non-hazing behaviors, and the PULSE Survey measured beliefs and perceptions of social norms related to hazing. Results: Survey results showed lower levels of hazing experiences reported by students in 2011-2015 compared to 2009-2013 and increased endorsement of a positive normative belief about hazing from 2013 to 2015. Conclusions: The findings represent the first measurable decrease in hazing associated with prevention efforts in the literature, though design limitations preclude clear causal inferences. The results suggest that the university's strategies may have been effective at reducing hazing, and therefore serve as an important step forward in the field of hazing prevention research.

The slope of change: an environmental management approach to reduce drinking on a day of celebration at a US college.

OBJECTIVE: This research extends the literature on event-specific environmental management with a case study evaluation of an intervention designed to reduce student drinking at a university's year-end celebration. PARTICIPANTS: Cornell University undergraduates were surveyed each May from 2001 through 2009. Sample sizes ranged from 322 to 1,973. METHODS: Randomly sampled surveys were conducted after a large, annual spring campus celebration. An environmental management plan was initiated in 2003 that included increased enforcement of the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) law. RESULTS: In the short term, drinking at the campus celebration decreased while drinking before the event increased. Over time, the intervention significantly reduced high-risk drinking on the day of the event, especially among those under the age of 21. CONCLUSION: These findings are contrary to the argument that enforcement of MLDA laws simply leads to increased high-risk drinking, and therefore have implications for how colleges approach the challenge of student alcohol misuse.