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Macquarie University and DrinkWise join forces to encourage responsible drinking on campus

Alcohol abuse, particularly among young people, is widely recognised as a major problem across Australia, with significant social implications and longer-term health impacts.

In response to this, Macquarie University has formed an innovative research partnership with DrinkWise Australia to encourage the responsible service and consumption of alcohol on its campus.

“We’re the first Australian university to tackle this problem head on,” said Deidre Anderson, Chief Executive of the University’s student services organisation U@MQ. “We’re an organisation which caters largely to young people at a key developmental stage in their lives, when their views and habits around alcohol are forming. We have a duty of care to provide those students with a safe and healthy learning environment.”

The partnership with DrinkWise will incorporate a three-stage, three-year study of campus attitudes, behaviours and practices towards alcohol and will produce a transportable model for managing alcohol in campus environments.

“We’ve elected to collaborate with DrinkWise because of its excellent reputation in promoting a culture of responsible drinking – their overall objective is perfectly in sync with ours,” Anderson said.

DrinkWise Chairman, Trish Worth, said that DrinkWise was pleased to support Macquarie University’s project to develop a more responsible drinking culture on its campus.

“I would like to congratulate the University on its vision and leadership in implementing this multi-faceted and long-term program to change the University community’s attitudes and behaviours towards the supply and consumption of alcohol, she said. "Australian attitudes to risky drinking, including a culture which accepts heavy drinking as a ‘rite of passage’ for young people, need to change. The research component of this project will provide valuable information on which to base future best practice alcohol management programs not only in other universities across Australia but in a variety of community settings.”

The Macquarie University project is one of several being undertaken by DrinkWise as part of its socio-cultural research programs exploring the drivers of drinking culture in Australia.

Students, together with staff, partner high schools, health services, police and local licensed venues will all play a key role in the study, which comprises the following:

Stage one – Surveying students, staff, high school partners and parents of children participating in U@MQ’s swim school to better understand their views about alcohol.

Stage two – Conducting more detailed research in a focus group setting.

Stage three – Evaluating the effectiveness of a related intervention program.

The data collection process is due to commence before the end of the year and ideas raised by those surveyed could result in new measures being trialled across the campus by early 2009.

Anderson said one idea already raised was the implementation of alcohol-free zones on campus where the consumption of alcohol would be prohibited.

“We want people participating in the study to set their own standards for responsible behaviour in relation to alcohol,” she said.“We don’t want to tell people how to live their lives – they can still drink and drink to excess if they choose to, but we’re not going to unwittingly contribute to the problem.”

The research collaboration with DrinkWise comes on top of Macquarie’s existing alcohol policy, which prohibits staff from serving alcohol to any person under 18, encouraging any person to drink rapidly or drink to intoxication, and serving any person who is intoxicated.

It is part of U@MQ’s broader aim of Macquarie becoming Australia’s healthiest campus by 2015.

Macquarie University students sailing to the next Olympics

While the London Olympics may still be four years away, Macquarie University students and competitive sailors, Amanda Scrivenor, Amelia Taylor and Jye Murray are one step closer to achieving their dream of competing at the Games.

Amelia and Amanda, both Macquarie Sport Scholars in 2008 who are also pursuing degrees in biological science, were selected for the Australian Racing and Development Squad based on the results they achieved at the recent Australian Women’s Match Racing Championships held in Fremantle, Western Australia.

They’ll attend a squad camp to be held at Hamilton Island from November 5 to10 and will then be competing at the Bavaria Youth International Match Racing Championships as a Yachting Australia Team on 24 November.

Likewise, Macquarie Sport Scholar and Laser sailor (men’s singled handed Olympic class) sailor, Jye Murray, who is pursuing a degree in actuarial studies and computing, was also selected for the Australian Sailing Development Squad for the 2008-2009 season as a result of his performance at the Open Match Racing National Championships which were held in Perth in September.

The University would like to congratulate Amanda, Amelia and Jye on their success and wish them luck as they race towards Olympic qualification.

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