!
STUDENT!SAFETY!IN!NOVA!SCOTIA:!
A!Review!of!Student!Union!Policies!and!
Practices!to!Reduce!the!Harmful!Effects!of!
Overconsumption!of!Alcohol!
February!2014!
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!
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PREPARED!FOR:!
Students!Nova!Scotia!
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!
PREPARED!BY:!
Martell!Consulting!Services!Ltd.!
!
Brian!Foster
!
!
1673!Barrington!St.!
Halifax,!Nova!Scotia!
B3J!1Z9!
902.422.4068!
www.studentsns.ca!
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TABLE!OF!CONTENTS!
!
Executive!Summary!......................................................................................................!i!
Glossary!of!Terms!........................................................................................................!ii!
1.0! Introduction!.......................................................................................................!1!
1.1! StudentsNS!................................................................................................................!1!
1.2! Study!Objectives!........................................................................................................!2!
1.3! Study!Approach!and!Scope!.........................................................................................!2!
1.4!! Study!Methodology!...................................................................................................!3!
1.5! Study!Limitations!.......................................................................................................!4!
1.6! Acknowledgements!...................................................................................................!5!
1.7! Overview!of!the!Report!..............................................................................................!5!
2.0! Alcohol!Consumption!in!Nova!Scotia!and!on!Nova!Scotia!Campuses!...................!7!
2.1! Statistics!on!Alcohol!Consumption!.............................................................................!7!
2.1.1! Drinking!on!Campus!...................................................................................................!8!
2.2!! Rise!in!Drinking!Rates!Among!Young!Women!............................................................!9!
2.2.1! Underage!Drinking!Patterns!Among!Nova!Scotian!Youth!..........................................!9!
2.3! !Harms!Associated!with!Heavy!Drinking!...................................................................!10!
2.3.1! Type!of!Harms!experienced!due!to!Heavy!Drinking!................................................!11!
2.4! The!Culture!of!Alcohol!on!Campus!...........................................................................!11!
2.4.1! Rapid!Consumption!of!Alcohol!................................................................................!12!
2.4.2! Peer!Expectations!....................................................................................................!12!
2.4.3! PreXDrinking!.............................................................................................................!12!
2.4.4! Drinking!Games!and!Trophies!..................................................................................!12!
2.4.5! Increase!in!Heavy!Drinking!by!Female!Students!......................................................!13!
2.4.7! Physical!Injuries!.......................................................................................................!14!
2.4.8! Disruption!to!Other!Students!..................................................................................!15!
2.5! Student!Union!Bars!and!Pubs!...................................................................................!15!
2.5.1! The!Role!of!the!Student!Bar!in!Student!Safety!........................................................!16!
2.5.2! Comparison!of!Campus!Bar!NonXCompliance!Rates!to!Private!Licensees!...............!17!
3.0! Environmental!Strategies:!A!Review!of!Student!Union!Alcohol!Policies!&!
Practices!....................................................................................................................!19!
3.1! Comparison!of!Campus!Bar!policies!to!‘Best!Practices’!.............................................!19!
3.1.1! Standard!Operating!Procedures!for!Campus!Bars!...................................................!20!
3.1.2! Beverage!Service!and!Restrictions!...........................................................................!21!
3.1.3! Additional!Safety!and!Transportation!Policies!.........................................................!23!
3.1.4!! Responsibility!for!Campus!Bars:!Student!Union!or!Administration?!......................!23!
3.2! Advertising!Policies!..................................................................................................!35!
3.3! Event!Risk!Assessment!Procedures!...........................................................................!36!
3.4! House!Councils!and!Societies!...................................................................................!39!
4.0! Individual!Strategies:!Other!Opportunities!for!Student!Union!Influence!...........!40!
4.1! Changing!the!Culture!................................................................................................!40!
4.!1.1! DeXnormalize!Heavy!Drinking!.................................................................................!41!
4.1.2! Providing!Options!that!Support!Relationship!and!Community!Building!..................!44!
!
4.2! Peer!Led!Programs!...................................................................................................!46!
4.2.1! Acadia’s!Red!and!Blue!Crew!....................................................................................!46!
4.2.2! Dalhousie!Faculty!of!Agriculture’s!RESPECT!Team!..................................................!47!
4.2.3! MSVU!Crew!..............................................................................................................!49!
4.2.4! University!of!Saskatchewan!.....................................................................................!49!
5.0! Recommendations!to!Student!Leadership!.........................................................!51!
5.1! For!Student!Union!Action!.........................................................................................!51!
5.1.1! Immediate!...............................................................................................................!51!
5.1.2! FollowXup!and!Complementary!...............................................................................!51!
5.1.3! Environmental!Interventions!...................................................................................!52!
5.1.4! Individual!Interventions!...........................................................................................!52!
5.2! For!Student!Union!Advocacy!....................................................................................!53!
i!
!
Executive)Summary!
Students!Nova!Scotia!(StudentsNS)!recognizes!that!alcohol!is!a!reality!of!student!life!on!Nova!
Scotia!campuses.!Alcohol!is!used!by!students!to!relax!and!have!fun!and!is!an!ingredient!in!many!
communityXbuilding!activities.!Most!student!unions!operate!bars!and!organize!programming!
that!includes!alcohol!consumption.!!
At!the!same!time,!StudentsNS!are!aware!that!many!students!at!university!are!engaging!in!heavy!
and!risky!drinking.!Ambulances!are!regularly!called!to!campus,!especially!in!the!first!two!months!
of!the!academic!year,!and!university!students!across!Canada!have!lost!their!lives!because!of!
alcohol!poisoning.!Other!harms!associated!with!heavy!drinking!include!academic!difficulties,!
depression,!fetal!alcohol!spectrum!disorder,!lost!friendships!and!injury!to!themselves!and!others!
including!assault,!unprotected!sex!and!sexual!assault.!
Student!leaders!know!that!prohibition!is!not!the!answer!to!student!drinking.!Instead,!they!have!
called!for!this!report!because!they!believe!student!unions!have!a!responsibility!to!implement!
policies!and!practices!that!encourage!the!safe!consumption!of!alcohol,!and!promote!a!moderate!
alcohol!culture!on!campus.!
Student!leaders!are!aware!of!their!responsibility!to!ensure!as!much!as!possible!the!safety!of!the!
student!body.!Students!pay!fees!which!support!the!student!union!office,!staff!and!services.!Most!
student!unions!are!also!chartered!by!their!membership!to!protect!their!best!interests!while!at!
university.!Student!safety!clearly!falls!within!the!jurisdiction!of!student!unions!from!both!a!moral!
and!legal!perspective.!!
This!report!is!written!for!student!leadership.!It!provides!statistics!on!alcohol!consumption!across!
Nova!Scotia!campuses,!an!overview!of!the!alcohol!culture!on!campus,!identifies!steps!that!
student!unions!and!other!student!leaders!are!currently!taking!to!reduce!and!eliminate!risky!
drinking!practices,!identifies!areas!where!change!is!required!and!provides!strategies!to!enhance!
the!safety!of!students.!
The!report!was!commissioned!by!StudentsNS!and!was!undertaken!by!Martell!Consulting!Services!
Ltd͘!!
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!
“We! can’t! control! everything! that! happens! on! campus! or! in! our!
communities! but,! where! we! can! make! a! difference,! we’re! committed! to!
doing! our! utmost! to! protect! our! students.! We! know! alcohol! prohibition!
doesn’t! work,! but! there! are! lots! of! things! we! can! do! to! build! a! positive!
culture!where!students!are!responsible!for!themselves!and!looking!out!for!
each!other.”!
X!Acadia!Students’!Union!President!
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ii!
Glossary(of(Terms!
Note:!Throughout!this!report,!as!is!commonly!the!case,!the!terms!heavy!drinking,!hazardous,!
harmful!drinking!and!high;risk!drinking!are!used!interchangeably.!!The!literature!would!suggest!
that!the!most!current!practice!is!to!use!the!term!“high;risk!drinking”,!which!is!considered!
drinking!anything!above!what!is!contained!in!Canada’s!Low!Risk!Alcohol!Drinking!Guidelines.1!
Best!practices:!Best!practices!are!interventions,!programs/services,!strategies,!or!policies!
which!have!demonstrated!desired!changes!through!the!use!of!appropriate!well!documented!
research!or!evaluation!methodologies.!They!have!demonstrated,!through!multiple!
implementations,!the!ability!to!be!replicated!and!the!potential!to!be!adapted!and!transferred.!A!
best!practice!is!one!that!is!most!suitable!given!the!available!evidence!and!particular!situation!or!
context.2!
Binge!drinking:!Is!defined!as!having!many!drinks!on!one!occasion:!five!or!more!drinks!for!a!
male,!or!four!or!more!drinks!for!a!female.3!
Drunkorexia:!The!term!given!to!selfXimposed!starvation!or!binge!eating/purging!combined!
with!alcohol!abuse.!A!study!by!the!University!of!Missouri!and!cited!in!Wikipedia!shows!that!
female!college!students!engage!in!a!combination!of!selfXimposed!malnutrition!and!heavy!
drinking!to!avoid!weight!gain!from!alcohol!and!male!students!engage!in!similar!behaviour!to!
save!money.4!!
Dry:!The!term!given!to!social!events!on!campus!where!alcohol!is!not!served.!
HighXRisk!Drinking:!Is!defined!as!drinking!five!or!more!drinks!for!males,!four!or!more!drinks!
for!females!on!any!occasion!at!least!monthly.5!!
Sexual!Assault:!Is!defined!as!any!unwanted!act!of!a!sexual!nature!imposed!by!one!person!
upon!another!and!includes!such!activities!as!kissing,!fondling,!oral!or!anal!sex,!intercourse,!or!
other!forms!of!penetration!without!consent.!
• Sexual!assault!can!occur!in!a!dating!relationship!or!a!marriage!
• Sexual!assault!can!happen!between!people!of!the!same!sex!
• Sexual!assault!is!an!offence!under!the!Criminal!Code!of!Canada.!
!
Wet!event:!The!term!given!to!special!events!on!campus!where!alcohol!is!served.!
Wet/dry!event:!The!term!given!to!social!events!on!campus!that!are!open!to!both!underage!
students!and!students!who!are!of!age!and!where!alcohol!is!present.!All!students!are!required!to!
signXin!and!show!students!IDs;!different!coloured!bracelets!are!handed!out!to!distinguish!the!
underage!students!from!the!ofXage!students
1!
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1.0 Introduction!
!
This!report!presents!a!further!examination!of!the!role!that!student!unions!can!play!in!student!
safety!across!six!Nova!Scotia!campuses.!It!provides!an!overview!of!the!alcohol!culture!on!Nova!
Scotia!campuses,!details!what!student!unions!are!presently!doing!to!ensure!the!safe!
consumption!of!alcohol,!and!offers!suggestions,!drawn!from!best!practices,!on!further!steps!
student!unions!can!take!to!reduce!harms!associated!with!the!overconsumption!of!alcohol.!!
!
The!report!is!a!companion!piece!to!the!StudentsNS!report:!“Student!Safety!in!Nova!Scotia:!A!
Review!of!Student!Union!Polices!and!Practices!to!Prevent!Sexual!Violence”!(January!2014).!
!
The!research!was!conducted!for!StudentsNS!by!Martell!Consulting!Services!Ltd.!and!was!made!
possible!with!support!from!six!participating!student!unions:!
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•
•
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•
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Acadia!Students’!Union!
Cape!Breton!University!Students’!Union!
Dalhousie!Agricultural!Students’!Association!
Mount!St.!Vincent!University!Students’!Union!
St.!Francis!Xavier!University!Students’!Union!
St.!Mary’s!University!Students’!Association!
!
Additional!funding!was!provided!by!the!Province!of!Nova!Scotia!and!Cape!Breton!University.!
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1.1! StudentsNS!
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Students!Nova!Scotia!is!the!primary!advocacy!organization!representing!Nova!Scotia’s!postX
secondary!students,!with!over!38,000!members!within!eight!independent!campus!associations.!
The!organization!has!a!mandate!to!promote!the!quality!of!postXsecondary!education,!including!
ensuring!that!it!supports!students’!lifelong!wellness.!
!
Students!Nova!Scotia!is!the!primary!advocacy!organization!representing!Nova!Scotia’s!postX
secondary!students,!with!over!38,000!members!within!eight!independent!campus!associations.!
The!organization!has!a!mandate!to!promote!the!quality!of!postXsecondary!education,!including!
ensuring!that!it!supports!students’!lifelong!wellness.!Alcohol!harms!are!among!the!most!serious!
health!issues!impacting!on!Nova!Scotia’s!students.!Nova!Scotia!student!unions!are!eager!to!
ensure!their!activities!are!protecting!and!enhancing!students’!safety!and!wellbeing.!
!
This!report!complements!the!Review!of!Student!Union!Policies!and!Practices!to!Prevent!Sexual!
Violence!released!in!January!2014.!A!Student!Wellness!Conference!at!Acadia!University,!March!
21,!will!bring!together!student!leaders!from!across!Nova!Scotia!to!discuss!the!two!review!
documents!and!next!steps.!Alcohol!consumption!is!a!reality!of!student!life!in!Nova!Scotia,!but!
the!ways!students!drink!can!and!must!change.!
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2!
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1.2! Study!Objectives!
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The!overall!goal!of!the!study!is!to!provide!student!unions!with!a!set!of!best!practices!relating!to!
the!safe!consumption!of!alcohol.!Participating!student!unions!intend!to!use!the!report!to!reduce!
the!negative!impacts!of!overconsumption!of!alcohol!and!in!so!doing,!expect!to!make!their!
students!more!safe!and!improve!their!relationships!with!regulatory!bodies,!their!local!
communities!(town!and!cities!that!host!the!universities)!and!their!membership.!
!
Specific!objectives!of!the!study!are!to:!
!
• Analyze!what!individual!student!unions!are!doing!regarding!alcohol!related!policies!and!
practices;!
• Provide!student!unions!with!comparative!information!on!their!provincial!peers;!and!
• Provide!recommendations!on!steps!individual!student!unions!can!take!to!encourage!and!
support!safe!alcohol!consumption.!
!
Supporting!objectives!include!identifying!the!roles!and!responsibilities!of!student!unions!in:!
Shaping!student!attitudes!and!behavior!towards!alcohol!consumption;!
Providing!students!with!healthy!and!safe!programming!options;!
Fostering!safety!and!healthy!attitudes!around!alcohol!in!student!union!run!bars!and!
(where!applicable)!student!residences;!
• Ensuring!student!safety!including!when!they!return!home!after!partaking!in!student!
activities!where!alcohol!is!available;!and!
• Ensuring!that!student!union!staff!(bar!management,!servers,!security)!are!adequately!
trained!with!respect!to!safe!and!healthy!consumption!of!alcohol.!
!
The!report!also!looked!at:!
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•
•
!
•
•
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What!constitutes!safe!consumption!of!alcohol;!
What!constitutes!healthy!attitudes!around!alcohol;!and!
What!constitutes!heavy!drinking!and!why!and!when!is!it!a!problem.!
1.3! Study!Approach!and!Scope!
!
In!spring!of!2012,!the!Nova!Scotia!Department!of!Health!and!Wellness!published!a!report!
entitled!“Reducing!Alcohol!Harms!among!University!Students:!Summary!of!Best!Practices“.!
Referred!to!as!the!Strang!Report,!it!provides!a!framework!for!universities!to!reduce!alcohol!
harms!by!focussing!on!three!types!of!interventions:!
•
•
Individual:!Programs!and!policies!that!can!change!individual!student!behaviour.!!
Environmental:!Programs!and!policies!that!alter!the!drinking!environment!to!provide!a!
safer!drinking!culture.!
3!
!
•
Systems:!Changes!outside!of!the!specific!university!context!that!will!lead!to!the!
implementation!of!population!level!alcohol!policies.!
!
For!each!of!these!interventions,!the!Strang!report!identified!a!set!of!best!practices!aimed!at!
reducing!harmful!student!drinking.!It!also!recommended!that!universities!include!as!many!
elements!as!possible!from!each!of!the!three!types!of!interventions!in!their!policies!in!order!to!
achieve!the!greatest!impact.!
!
The!focus!of!this!present!report!is!on!identifying!areas!that!student!unions!can!directly!impact!
such!as!student!unionXrun!bars,!special!events!and!activities!organized!by!the!student!union!or!
campus!societies!or!house!councils,!all!areas!of!influence!that!can!be!impacted!by!
environmental!interventions.!!
!
Best!practices!for!environmental!interventions!relevant!to!student!union!influence!were!drawn!
from!the!Strang!report!and!compiled!into!table!format;!and!used!as!the!standard!against!which!
policies!and!practices!from!the!six!participating!student!unions!were!compared.!
!
Individual!interventions!affecting!student!behaviour!also!fell!within!the!scope!of!this!present!
report.!Best!practices!relating!to!individual!interventions!were!reviewed!and!compared!against!a!
variety!of!interventions!in!place!across!the!six!participating!campuses.!
!
Systems!interventions!offer!student!unions!unique!opportunities!for!collaboration!with!
university!leadership!as!well!as!with!municipal,!provincial!and!federal!governments.!The!Acadia!
Students’!Union!offers!a!prime!example!where!student!leaders!have!worked!collaboratively!to!
effect!change!at!a!wider!university!policy!level!and!also!at!the!municipal!and!provincial!levels.!!
For!the!purposes!of!this!review!however,!recommendations!relating!to!systems!interventions!
have!been!focussed!primarily!on!the!role!that!student!unions!can!play!in!advocacy!to!both!
university!leadership!and!government.!Detailed!research!on!student!unions’!role!in!systems!
interventions!was!not!included!in!the!scope!of!the!study.!
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Example!of!a!Systems!Intervention!
!
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The!Community!Health!Board!in!Kingston/Greenwood!accessed!
!
funding!from!the!Mental!Health!and!Addictions!Strategy!for!a!
!
“Municipal!Alcohol!Project”!in!2014.!Partners!include!the!
!
Municipality!of!the!County!of!Kings,!the!AVDHA!Mental!
!
Health/Addiction!Services,!NSCC,!Acadia!including!the!student!
!
union!and!local!high!schools.!
!
!!
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1.4!! Study!Methodology!
!
In!planning!the!study,!Martell!Consulting!Services!Ltd.!worked!collaboratively!with!a!steering!
committee!set!up!by!StudentsNS!to!oversee!the!research.!The!committee!was!chaired!by!the!
!
4!
President!of!the!Acadia!Students’!Union!and!included!representatives!from!each!of!the!
remaining!five!participating!student!unions.!The!Executive!Director!of!StudentsNS!served!in!an!
advisory!role.!!
!
The!steering!committee!played!a!key!role!in!identifying!respondents!to!interview!on!campus!and!
compiling!an!interview!schedule.!Campus!interviews!were!conducted!over!a!sixXweek!period!
beginning!early!October!2013.!Each!campus!was!visited!over!two!to!four!days.!!
!
In!total,!some!73!student!union!and!university!representatives!were!interviewed!for!the!study.!
Some!were!interviewed!in!a!group!setting;!most!were!interviewed!individually.!Respondents!
interviewed!included:!
• Student!Union!executive!
• Student!Bar!management!
• Student!Services/Student!Life!
• Student!Health!Centre!
• Safety!and!Security!
• Housing/Residence!Life!
• Athletics!Department!!
• Counselling!Services!
• Sexual!Diversity!Centre!
• Women’s!Centre!
!
A!further!eight!interviews!were!held!with!offXcampus!health!experts!including!regional!staff!
from!Prevention!and!Health!Promotion,!Mental!Health!and!Addiction!Services;!the!Avalon!
Sexual!Assault!Centre,!Alternatives!in!Western!Nova!Scotia,!the!Antigonish!Women’s!Resource!
Centre!and!Sexual!Assault!Services!Association,!and!Venus!Envy.!In!addition,!the!consultant!
attended!two!workshops!over!the!study!timeframe!addressed!to!women,!sexual!violence!and!
the!link!to!alcohol.!
!
Statistics!were!reviewed!to!frame!the!discussion!on!alcohol!consumption!on!Canadian!
campuses;!as!well!as!a!limited!review!was!made!of!approaches!taken!by!other!Canadian!student!
unions!on!reducing!the!harms!from!alcohol.!
!
1.5! Study!Limitations!
!
The!tight!timing!required!by!the!interview!schedule!meant!that!not!all!potential!respondents!
were!available!on!the!days!identified!for!the!campus!visits.!In!those!instances!the!consultant!
attempted!to!either!make!a!repeat!campus!visit!while!driving!back!from!a!different!campus!or!
do!an!interview!by!phone.!Student!class!schedules!also!caused!some!difficulties!on!some!
campuses!in!scheduling!extended!interviews.!!
!
While!it!was!initially!intended!to!hold!a!series!of!group!discussions!with!students!across!the!
campuses,!this!methodology!was!discarded!due!to!the!difficulty!of!planning!group!discussions!
within!the!time!restrictions!of!the!campus!visits.!!
!
5!
!
Timing!precluded!undertaking!an!extensive!independent!literature!review.!Instead,!the!
methodology!drew!primarily!upon!the!research!undertaken!and!reported!in!the!Strang!report!
(2102),!with!some!additional!effort!looking!into!practices!across!Canadian!campuses!(University!
of!Saskatchewan,!Queen’s!University,!Guelph!University!and!Carleton!University).!
!
Finally,!while!StudentsNS!acknowledges!the!critical!role!that!Residence!policies!and!staff!play!in!
student!safety,!the!decision!was!taken!not!to!include!an!analysis!of!university!residential!policies!
relating!to!alcohol!and!alcohol!consumption!in!residence.!While!data!were!collected!on!
Residence!policies!across!the!six!participating!campuses,!it!was!determined!that!as!residences!
fall!outside!the!direct!scope!of!student!union!influence,!not!to!include!an!analysis!of!said!data.!
This!is!an!area,!however,!that!the!Department!of!Health!and!Wellness!and!universities!may!want!
to!investigate!further.!
!
1.6! Acknowledgements!
!
The!author!and!StudentsNS!would!like!to!express!our!appreciation!to!all!those!who!participated!
in!interviews!and!discussions!during!the!preparation!of!this!report.!Special!thanks!to!the!
StudentsNS!Alcohol!Project!Steering!Committee!representatives:!Committee!Chair!and!Acadia!
Students’!Union!President!Matthew!Rios,!Saint!Mary’s!University!Students’!Association!
President!Gorba!Bhandari,!Dalhousie!Agricultural!Students'!Association!VP!Internal!Jessica!
Compagnon,!Mount!Saint!Vincent!University!Students’!Union!President!Zach!Gallant,!StFX!
Students’!Union!President!Benjamin!GunnXDoerge,!and!Cape!Breton!University!Students’!Union!
President!Matthew!Latimer.!!
!
This!report!would!not!have!been!possible!without!the!leadership!of!the!student!union!
executives!and!councils!who!agreed!to!provide!funding!for!this!work,!along!with!the!Nova!Scotia!
Department!of!Health!and!Wellness!and!Cape!Breton!University.!
!
1.7! Overview!of!the!Report!
!
The!report!is!organized!into!an!executive!summary,!a!glossary!of!terms!and!five!chapters.!
•
•
!
Chapter!One:! Introduces!the!research,!describes!the!approach!and!methodology,!sets!
out!the!study!limitations!and!provides!acknowledgements.!
!
Chapter!Two:! Presents!comparative!data!on!drinking!patterns!of!the!Nova!Scotia!
population!and!the!general!Canadian!population;!and!drinking!patterns!of!students!on!
Nova!Scotia!campuses!and!students!on!other!Canadian!campuses.!It!also!presents!
insights!on!the!alcohol!culture!on!Nova!Scotia!campuses!drawn!from!the!campus!
interviews.!
6!
!
•
•
Chapter!Three:!Presents!an!assessment!of!policies!and!practices!in!place!at!each!of!the!
six!student!unionXrun!bars!against!a!set!of!standards!identified!as!best!practices!for!bar!
management!and!serving!practices.!It!also!looks!at!advertising!policies!relating!to!bar!
operations!and!the!alcohol!industry;!and!risk!assessment!procedures!in!place!across!the!
six!campuses!for!all!student!events.!
!
Chapter!Four:!Looks!at!ways!that!student!unions!and!other!student!leaders!can!
contribute!to!healthy!community!building,!and!provides!examples!of!studentXled!
initiatives!addressed!to!the!reduction!of!student!high!risk!drinking.!
!!
•
!
Chapter!Five:!Provides!student!unions!with!a!series!of!recommendations!designed!to!
reduce!heavy!drinking!on!campus,!enhance!student!safety!and!shift!the!culture!to!one!
of!moderate!alcohol!consumption.!
7!
!
2.0!Alcohol&Consumption&in&Nova&Scotia&
and$on$Nova$Scotia$Campuses!!
!“What!the!issue!comes!down!to!is!not!that!students!on!Nova!Scotia!
campuses!drink,!it!is!how!they!drink.”!
!
This!chapter!draws!upon!several!Canadian!surveys!to!compare!drinking!patterns!among!
the!general!Canadian!population!to!those!of!the!Nova!Scotia!population;!as!well!as!
compare!drinking!patterns!of!students!on!Nova!Scotia!campuses!to!those!of!students!on!
other!Canadian!campuses.!Campus!visits!and!interviews!provide!further!insights!into!the!
alcohol!culture!on!campus.!!
2.1! Statistics!on!Alcohol!Consumption!
!
Data!available!from!the!2012!Canadian!Community!Health!Survey!indicate!that!Nova!
Scotians!are!among!the!heaviest!drinkers!in!Canada.!Heavy!drinking!was!defined!in!that!
survey!as!‘five!or!more!drinks!at!a!sitting’.!The!survey!notes!that:!
•
•
•
The!2012!Nova!Scotia!rate!of!heavy!drinking!(combined!for!males!and!females)!is!
higher!than!the!Canadian!average!(22.3%!compared!to!17.4%)!with!the!Nova!
Scotia!rate!being!the!3rd!highest!when!compared!to!other!provinces/territories.!
North!West!Territories!has!the!highest!rate!(31.7%)!followed!by!Yukon!(22%).!
The!2012!heavy!drinking!rate!among!males!in!Nova!Scotia!is!also!3rd!highest!in!the!
country!up!from!an!8th!ranking!in!2011.!The!male!heavy!drinking!rate!increased!
from!27.8%!in!2011!to!30.6%!in!2012.!Males!in!Newfoundland!and!Labrador!had!
the!highest!rate!(40.2%)!followed!by!North!West!Territories!(39.4%).!
The!heavy!drinking!rate!among!females!in!Nova!Scotia!has!also!increased,!from!
13.5%!in!2011!to!14.7%!in!2012.!This!heavy!drinking!rate!among!females!is!the!5th!
highest!in!Canada,!up!from!6th!position!in!2011.!Females!in!North!West!Territories!
had!the!highest!rate!(31.%)!followed!by!Nunavut!(20.4%),!Yukon!(16.7%)!and!
Newfoundland!and!Labrador!(14.8%).!
!
!
!
!
Canada’s!Low]Risk!Alcohol!Drinking!Guidelines!recommend:!
XUp!to!15!drinks!a!week!for!males!(with!NO!MORE!than!three!drinks!on!
most!days)!
XUp!to!10!drinks!a!week!for!females!(with!NO!MORE!than!two!drinks!on!
most!days).!
published!2011!!
!
8!
!
2.1.1! Drinking!on!Campus!
!
Heavy!drinking!is!common!among!both!male!and!female!students!on!Nova!Scotia!
campuses,!echoing!the!high!rate!of!drinking!among!high!school!students!in!Nova!Scotia!
and!the!general!Nova!Scotia!population.!
!
The!2004!Canadian!Campus!Survey6,!which!gathered!information!from!a!random!sample!
of!6,282!fullXtime!undergraduates!across!40!Canadian!campuses,!indicates!that!more!than!
half!of!all!university!students!surveyed!in!Nova!Scotia!reported!engaging!in!heavy!drinking!
with!27.2!per!cent!drinking!heavily!at!least!weekly!and!24.6!per!cent!drinking!heavily!less!
than!weekly.!!
!
These!drinking!patterns!are!significantly!higher!than!those!found!on!other!university!
campuses!across!Canada,!where!18.4!per!cent!of!university!students!reported!heavy!
frequent!use!and!13.1!per!cent!reported!heavy!infrequent!use.!!
A!higher!percentage!of!Nova!Scotia!university!students!also!engage!in!hazardous!and!
harmful!drinking!(a!pattern!of!drinking!that!causes!damage!to!health,!either!physical!or!
mental)!than!do!other!Canadian!university!students!(49.7%!compared!to!34.8%).7!!
!
Figure!1!compares!Nova!Scotia!university!student!alcohol!usage!to!other!Canadian!
university!students.!While!the!data!indicate!similar!patterns!in!usage!between!Nova!Scotia!
and!other!Canadian!university!students!in!both!the!past!year!(95.1!per!cent!of!NS!
university!students!consumed!alcohol!versus!95.2!per!cent!of!other!Canadian!students)!
and!the!past!month!(92.5!per!cent!versus!89.8!per!cent),!the!data!on!heavy!drinking!and!
hazardous/harmful!drinking!emerge!as!red!flags!to!student!leadership,!university!
administration,!parents!and!health!professionals!alike.!
100%!
95.1%!95.2%!
92.5%!
Nova!Scopa!Universipes!
89.8%!
90%!
Other!Canadian!Universipes!
80%!
70%!
60%!
51.7%!
50%!
40%!
31.5%!
49.7%!
34.8%!
30%!
20%!
10%!
0%!
1
!
Past!Year!Use!
Past!Month!Use!
Heavy!Drinking!Panern! Hazardous/Harmful!Drinking!
(Audit!8+)!
!Figure!1: Alcohol!Use!Among!Undergraduate!Students!at!Nova!Scotia!and!Other!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Canadian!Universities,!20048
9!
!
2.2!! Rise!in!Drinking!Rates!Among!Young!Women!
!
!
Drinking!among!women,!and!in!particular!young!women,!is!on!the!rise.!This!trend!has!been!
identified!across!North!America!both!off!and!on!campus,!including!Nova!Scotia!campuses.!
!
The!2012!Canadian!Community!Health!Survey!which!compared!selfXreported!alcohol!
consumption!rates!for!males!and!females!in!Canada!between!2003!and!2009X2010,!showed!no!
statistically!significant!change!in!risky!alcohol!consumption!for!males!aged!15!and!over.!!
!
Data!on!females!age!15!and!over!on!the!other!hand,!showed!a!statistically!significant!increase!
from!!
19.7!%!to!21.82%!over!the!same!period.!
!
The!most!recent!results!from!the!Canadian!Community!Health!Survey!also!report!a!decrease!in!
heavy!drinking!among!males!(down!from!26.8%!in!2011!to!24.3%!in!2012)!whereas!for!females,!
it!indicated!no!significant!change!from!2011!(10.7%!compared!to!11.4%).!!
!
The!alcohol!industry!was!cited!in!large!measure!for!the!increase!in!women’s!drinking!of!hard!
liquor,!citing!the!popularity!of!coloured!bottles,!catchy!ads!as!well!as!high!sugar!content!to!mask!
the!taste!of!liquor.!The!recent!film,!Killing!Us!Softly:!Advertising’s!Image!of!Women!documents,!
in!graphic!images,!the!tie!between!the!rise!in!women’s!drinking!and!the!alcohol!industry’s!
marketing!practices.!
!
!
!
“More! women! are! drinking,! and! the! women! who! drink! are! drinking!
!
more,! in! some! cases! matching! their! male! peers.! This! is! the! kind! of!
!
equality!nobody!was!fighting!for.”!
!
!
–!New!York!Magazine,!December!2008.!
!
!
!
2.2.1! Underage!Drinking!Patterns!Among!Nova!Scotian!Youth!
!
While!data!on!alcohol!consumption!among!students!by!gender!on!Nova!Scotia!campuses!are!not!
available,!data!do!exist!on!drinking!patterns!by!gender!among!underage!Nova!Scotian!youth.!!
The!Alcohol!Indicators!Report!(2011)!notes!that!the!Student!Drug!Use!Surveys!(implemented!in!
randomly!selected!classes,!grades!7,!8,!10!and!12,!across!Nova!Scotia!since!1991)!show!a!
reduction!in!heavy!drinking!by!underage!males!between!2002!and!2007!yet!an!increase!in!heavy!
drinking!by!underage!female!over!the!same!period,!
!
In!2002!and!2007,!young!males!had!heavy!drinking!rates!of!31.1!and!28.3!percent,!respectively!
while!young!females!had!heavy!drinking!rates!of!27.1!and!27.2!percent,!respectively.!Prior!to!
those!years,!male!students!were!more!likely!to!report!heavy!drinking!than!female!students.!
!
10!
!
Overall!all!years,!heavy!drinking!increased!by!age.!These!patterns!suggest!that!Nova!Scotia!
students!graduating!from!grade!12!likely!transfer!their!high!school!heavy!drinking!patterns!to!
the!university!or!community!college!setting.!
!
In!fact,!a!recent!study9!(2013)!that!followed!992!first!year!students!(average!age!18.4)!at!three!
New!England!universities!has!found!that!female!students!were!more!likely!to!drink!more!than!
male!students.!Students!were!asked!to!complete!an!online!survey!about!their!alcohol!
consumption!every!two!years!over!the!academic!year,!in!which!they!indicated!their!daily!
consumption!in!the!previous!7!days.!It!found!that!of!the!students!who!had!at!least!one!drink!
during!the!year,!60!percent!of!males!and!64!percent!of!females!reported!exceeding!the!weekly!
guidelines!at!least!once.!Males!were!slightly!more!likely!to!exceed!daily!limits!than!female!
students,!28!percent!versus!25!percent.![Note:!American!guidelines!are!lower!than!Canadian!
guidelines.!They!suggest!that!men!drink!no!more!than!four!drinks!daily!and!14!drinks!weekly;!
and!women!no!more!than!three!drinks!a!day!and!seven!drinks!a!week.!]!
!
Drinking!patterns!are!also!influenced!by!relationships.!Research!from!Dalhousie!University!
(2012)10!among!young,!heterosexual!dating!couples!indicates!if!one!partner!drinks!heavily!the!
chance!is!high!that!the!other!partner!will!also!be!drinking!heavily.!!
2.3! !Harms!Associated!with!Heavy!Drinking!
!
Figure!2!is!a!rough!approximation!of!a!chart!taken!from!the!Alcohol!Indicators!Report!2011.!It!
indicates!that!in!2007!approximately!26!percent!of!university!students!in!Nova!Scotia!reported!
alcoholXrelated!problems!either!due!to!their!own!drinking!or!that!of!others!compared!to!19.5%!
of!other!Canadian!university!students.!
30%!
Nova!Scopa!
Canada!
25%!
20%!
15%!
1995!
1996!
1997!
1998!
1999!
2000!
2001!
2002!
2003!
2004!
2005!
2006!
2007!
!
!
Figure'2:!!Proportion!of!Students!Experiencing!Alcohol6Related!Harms!in!2004,!Nova!Scotia!
''''and!Other!Canadian!Universities!
!
11!
!
2.3.1! Type!of!Harms!experienced!due!to!Heavy!Drinking!
!
The!type!of!harms!experienced!by!university!students!as!a!consequence!of!heavy!drinking!are!
documented!in!the!Canadian!Campus!Survey!(2004).!Findings!indicate!that!almost!four!in!ten!
university!students!in!Nova!Scotia!experienced:!
•
•
•
•
having!a!serious!argument,!!
being!pushed,!hit!or!assaulted,!!
experiencing!sexual!harassment,!or!!
being!a!victim!of!sexual!assault!or!date!rape!as!a!result!
of!another!student’s!drinking.!!
One!consequence!
of!heavy!drinking!is!
death.!
!
The!Canadian!Campus!Survey!also!found!that!almost!three!in!ten!students!have!had!unplanned!
sex!or!unsafe!sex!due!to!their!own!drinking.!
!
The!risk!of!injury!(concussion!or!broken!bones!from!alcoholXinduced!falls)!or!death!from!acute!
alcoholXrelated!harm!increases!with!the!amount!of!alcohol!consumed!at!a!sitting.!
!
Two!Queen’s!University!students,!and!one!St.!Thomas!student,!died!in!2010!as!a!result!of!heavy!
drinking.!In!2011!an!Acadia!University!student!died!as!a!result!of!heavy!drinking.!
Women&and&Drinking.Related&Harms&
Canadian11!public!health!authorities!are!highlighting!that!young!women’s!heavy!drinking!habits!
will!result!in!longXterm!harm!such!as!increased!risk!for!osteoporosis,!heart!disease,!stroke,!high!
blood!pressure,!liver!disease!and!breast!cancer.!!
!
2.4! The!Culture!of!Alcohol!on!Campus!
!
Heavy!drinking!among!students!was!confirmed!by!student!
leadership!across!all!six!campuses!participating!in!the!research.!
“All!agree!drinking!here!is!a!
The!prevailing!attitude!on!campus!towards!drinking!was!
must.!It’s!the!culture;!we!
characterized!as,!“You!are!not!experiencing!university!correctly!if!
get!shitXfaced!and!drink!to!
you!are!not!partying.”!Heavy!drinking!has!become!so!normalized!
the!limit.”!
in!the!culture!that!students!in!general!do!not!see!it!as!an!issue!
but!rather!as!their!‘way!of!life’.!
X!Male!University!Student!
!
Respondents!linked!the!culture!of!heavy!drinking!on!campus!to!
!
the!province’s!overall!culture,!with!drinking!beginning!as!early!
as!grade!seven!and!increasing!steadily!throughout!high!school.!Respondents!also!noted!that!
during!the!junior!and!senior!high!years,!students!have!very!limited!access!to!education!on!the!
harms!of!alcohol.!Underage!drinking!moves!onto!campus!as!most!firstXyear!students!are!18!
years!of!age!and!the!legal!age!for!drinking!in!Nova!Scotia!is!19.!This!would!be!as!true!for!Nova!
Scotia’s!community!college!system!as!it!is!for!universities.!
!
12!
!
2.4.1! Rapid!Consumption!of!Alcohol!
!
Rapid!and!overconsumption!of!alcohol!is!prevalent!across!
all!campuses!to!the!point!that!students!“can’t!remember,!
pass!out!and!vomit”.!ShotXgunning!of!alcohol!(consuming!
alcohol!at!a!high!rate!of!speed)!“is!huge”!on!many!
campuses!to!get!drunk!quickly!and!catch!up!to!the!party.!!
!
There!were!also!reports!of!students!not!eating!before!
drinking!in!order!to!save!calories!(drunkorexia),!get!drunk!
faster!and!to!save!money.!
2.4.2! Peer!Expectations!
“It’s!a!shots!culture,!
with!drinking!games!
and!getting!
hammered!fast…this!
comes!out!of!high!
school.!It’s!a!‘why!
bother!drinking!if!
you!can’t!get!
sloshed’!attitude.”!
X!Male!University!
Student!
!
!
There!are!peer!expectations!around!alcohol!overXconsumption!and!the!type!of!alcohol!
consumed!tied!to!gender.!One!Addictions!worker!shared!that,!“Male!students!are!expected!to!
drink!a!12!pack!of!beer!or!a!bottle!of!rum!or!whiskey!(at!a!sitting).!These!are!‘masculine’!drinks!
and!they!need!to!drink!the!whole!thing…they!are!considered!‘weak’!if!they!can’t!drink!it!all.”!!
!
There!was!also!some!suggestion!that!students!are!aware!of!the!drinking!patterns!on!other!
campuses!and!that!status!is!attached!to!outXdrinking!their!college!rivals.!
!
2.4.3! PreXDrinking!
!
“It’s!not!just!
about!having!a!
beverage!it’s!
about!having!an!
outer!body!
experience.”!
X!Safety!&!
Security!staff!
PreXdrinking!by!students!in!their!rooms!before!going!to!the!campus!
bar!was!raised!on!each!campus!as!very!common!and!as!a!way!for!
students!to!ensure!inebriation.!Cost!also!affects!location!of!drinking!
and!encourages!preXdrinking.!
!
!“Students!are!money!conscious.!It’s!cheaper!to!drink!a!$2!bottle!of!
beer!from!the!NSLC!than!a!$5!beer!in!the![campus!bar].”!(Student!
leader);!“Pre;drinking!was!not!as!big!when!shots!were!$1”!(Bar!
manager);!and!”When!the!campus!pubs!offered!drinks!at!low!prices,!
there!was!less!pre;drinking.!“!(Bar!manager).!
!
!
2.4.4! Drinking!Games!and!Trophies!
!
Although!all!campuses!have!policies!that!ban!drinking!games!in!residence,!students!and!staff!
alike!report!that!drinking!games!in!residence!are!common.!Residence!staff!report!that!noise!
levels!are!the!trigger!for!resident!assistants!(RAs)!to!knock!on!student!doors;!students!on!the!
other!hand!report!that!‘ratting!out!their!fellow!students’!is!something!that!some!RAs!find!
difficult!to!do.!!
!
13!
!
Trophies!(empty!bottles)!are!also!banned!from!residences!yet!some!students!report!they,!like!
drinking!games,!still!exist.!
!
NekNomination!is!an!example!of!a!dangerous!drinking!challenge!that!has!recently!moved!onto!
campuses!worldXwide.!!NekNomination!is!played!onXline,!the!aim!of!which!is!to!down!a!pint!of!
alcohol!and!then!nominate!someone!else!to!do!the!same,!giving!them!a!window!of!25!hours!to!
do!so.!Most!people!who!take!part!make!a!video!of!themselves!carrying!it!out,!and!post!it!on!
social!media.!As!of!late!February!2014,!!five!young!people!in!Britain!have!died!as!a!result!of!the!
game.!
!
The!recent!response!by!both!Acadia!University!and!Mount!St.!Vincent!students!to!
NekNomination!is!heartening,!showing!that!student!power!can!easily!change!what!is!a!very!
dangerous!drinking!game,!into!RakNomination,!an!event!that!celebrates!random!acts!of!
kindness.12!
2.4.5! Increase!in!Heavy!Drinking!by!Female!Students!
!
Respondents!on!all!six!campuses!reported!an!increase!in!the!incidence!of!female!students!
drinking!heavily;!preXdrinking!was!also!cited!as!common!for!female!students!as!for!male!
students.!Campuses!health!providers,!safety!and!security!staff,!residence!staff,!student!services!
staff!and!bar!managers!all!reported!similar!findings.!
!
On!some!but!not!all!campuses,!women!were!seen!as!part!of!the!‘shot!culture!‘!and!matching!
their!male!friends!drink!for!drink.!Bar!managers!reported!that!“It’s!very!common!for!women!to!
take!several!shots!of!hard!liquor”;!and!“I!see!women!drinking!heavily,!keeping!up!with!their!male!
colleagues…”!!
!
“I!see!more!females!drinking!heavily!at!the!bar!today!than!when!I!went!to!
college.!Today!it’s!more!50:50.!And!girls!are!more!open!to!talking!about!it!&!they!
text!pictures!of!themselves!drinking.”!
X!Campus!bar!manager!
!
!
2.4.6! Link!between!Overconsumption!and!Sexual!Assault!!
!
“The!rape!culture!has!grown!with!the!drinking!culture.!It’s!normalized,!sex!and!drinking.!
It’s!the!perfect!storm.”!(Student!union!leadership)!
!
In!the!StudentsNS!review!(2014)!of!student!union!policies!and!practices!to!prevent!sexual!
violence,!campus!health!professionals!were!reported!as!stating!that!as!high!as!90!to!95!percent!
of!the!sexual!assaults!on!campus!fall!into!the!category!where!alcohol!has!inhibited!judgement!
and!impaired!any!communication!around!consent.!!
!
!
14!
One!respondent!!went!so!far!as!to!say:!
!
“If!the!university!takes!care!of!the!alcohol!problem,!then!sexual!assault!will!be!
taken!care!of!(too).”!(Sexual!assault!nurse!examiner)!
!
Much!of!the!conversation!was!related!to!potential!victims’!vulnerability:!!
!
“So!often!the!girls!don’t!make!the!connection!until!it’s!too!late.!They’re!going!out!for!a!
drink…but!then!they!can’t!think!straight!and!they!are!now!at!a!risk!for!sexual!assault.”!
(Health!Centre!director)!!
!
“When!the!female!students!are!overdrinking!they!lose!control,!they!pass!out!and!people!
take!advantage!of!them.!This!is!a!common!occurrence!in!residence.”!(Student!Union!
leadership)!
!
As!argued!in!our!recent!review!on!sexual!assault!prevention,!individuals!can!and!do!use!alcohol!
deliberately! to! disinhibit! themselves,! at! times! with! respect! to! sex,! and! in! these! circumstances!
individuals! can! have! even! greater! difficulties! assessing! and! communicating! consent.! These!
quotes! speak! to! a! legitimate! concern! about! the! vulnerability! created! by! overconsumption! of!
alcohol,! but! the! emphasis! on! victims’! “risk”! in! consuming! alcohol! neglects! to! recognize! the!
impacts!of!alcohol!on!a!person’s!likelihood!to!perpetrate!or!be!a!passive!bystander.!Perpetrators!
can!use!alcohol!as!a!weapon,!while!it!can!also!feed!attitudes!and!judgements!that!may!lead!an!
individual!to!commit!sexual!assault.!!
!
“Alcohol!increases!the!likelihood!of!sexual!assault!occurring!among!acquaintances!during!social!
interactions! through! several! interrelated! pathways…including! beliefs! about! alcohol,! deficits! in!
higher! order! cognitive! processing! and! motor! impairments! induced! by! alcohol! and! peer! group!
norms!that!encouraged!heavy!drinking!and!forced!sex.”!(Abbey,!2002).!!
!
Perpetrators!of!sexual!assault!are!always!solely!responsible!for!their!actions.!There!needs!to!be!
an!ongoing!dialogue!and!action!around!how!to!prevent!sexual!assaults,!much!of!which!must!
focus!on!empowering!men!as!positive!bystanders.!At!the!same!time,!we!must!balance!women’s!
right!to!be!unafraid!with!their!right!to!know!which!choices!may!make!them!vulnerable.!Certainly!
the!evidence!does!suggest!that!reducing!heavy!drinking!across!our!communities!would!help!
prevent!many!sexual!assaults.!!
!
2.4.7! Physical!Injuries!
!
Other!harms!cited!in!the!interviews!arising!from!overXconsumption!related!to!physical!injuries!
arising!from!an!individual’s!overconsumption.!One!health!centre!director!reported!that!80!
percent!of!her!emergency!calls!are!alcoholXrelated!and!that!in!September!2013,!all!of!her!calls!(8!
in!total)!were!alcoholXrelated,!commenting!that!“September!is!a!very!dangerous!month.”!
!
Security!Staff!from!a!number!of!campuses!spoke!to!the!particular!vulnerability!of!women!when!
overXdrinking,!citing!examples!of!being!out!of!control,!falling!outside,!as!well!as!losing!their!cell!
phones!and!their!ID!cards.!
15!
!
“This!week!a!group!of!4!friends!went!downtown!and!got!loaded.!All!were!drunk!and!
one!was!very!drunk.!On!exiting!the!taxi!when!they!returned,!one!fell!and!hit!her!head!
&!the!other!girls!carried!her!upstairs.!The!RA!immediately!called!the!RN!and!911!was!
called.”!
X!University!employee!
!
2.4.8! Disruption!to!Other!Students!
!
For!those!students!who!do!not!drink,!or!who!drink!in!moderation,!heavy!drinking!by!their!dormX
mates!can!be!extremely!disruptive.!“There!is!too!much!noise!which!affects!studying;!dishes!
shake!in!the!residence!rooms!because!the!noise!is!so!loud!from!partying”!and!“You!have!to!leave!
your!room!to!get!any!studying!done”!are!the!experiences!shared!by!students!at!one!university.!
Students!also!talked!about!the!vomit!that!gets!in!the!heating!vents!and!other!physical!damage!
to!the!residences!caused!by!outXofXcontrol!students!when!engaging!in!heavy!drinking.!
2.5! Student!Union!Bars!and!Pubs!
!
Each!of!the!six!participating!student!unions!runs!a!
student!bar!on!their!campus.!The!bar!is!a!location!for!
socializing,!a!venue!for!special!events!(both!dry!and!
Advice!to!Student!Unions!
wet)!a!source!of!fundraising!as!well!as!a!source!of!
from!a!bar!manager:!“If!you!
partXtime!employment!for!students.!!
want!students!in!the!bar!to!
!
act!like!humans,!treat!them!
Over!the!past!few!years,!several!of!the!student!bars!
like!humans.!Give!them!
have!gone!through!major!reorganizations!with!a!view!
respect!when!they!enter,!
to!enhancing!student!safety.!Five!of!the!six!bar!
put!in!place!bartender!
managers!have!been!hired!within!the!past!4!–!5!
training,!security!at!the!
years.!Today’s!campus!bar!managers!bring!
door,!a!signXin!policy,!
professional!management!skills!and!experience!in!the!
establish!policies!and!
private!sector!to!the!position.!Interviews!indicate!
processes!and!stick!with!
they!are!on!top!of!the!Province’s!liquor!laws,!ensure!
them.!‘No!one!gets!in!drunk.!
their!door!and!bar!staff!have!the!appropriate!training!
No!one’.”!
and!monitor!staff!to!ensure!regulations!are!enforced.!
As!one!bar!manager!noted,!“I!even!get!compliments!
from!the!Province’s!liquor!inspectors.”!
!
Some!recently!hired!bar!management!spoke!about!‘cleaning!up!the!bar’.!At!Cape!Breton!
University!(CBU),!this!has!meant!“taking!The!Pit!from!a!place!where!it’s!known!for!fighting,!and!
drinking!your!face!off,!to!a!place!where!students!can!socialize,!dance!and!have!fun!in!a!good!
atmosphere…and!where!the!kids!feel!safe,!where!there!are!no!fights.“!
!
!
16!
Key!changes!implemented!at!the!CBU!bar!include!instituting!
and!enforcing!a!signXin!policy!to!discourage!offXcampus!
“I’m!hard!on!my!guys!
visitors.!Three!years!ago,!the!bar!was!reportedly!a!favourite!
but!they!know!what!
dropXoff!spot!for!offXcampus!visitors,!drug!use!and!fights.!
to!expect.!I!know!the!
Today!90!percent!of!bar!patrons!are!CBU!students.!A!
liquor!laws!and!the!
second!change,!supported!by!the!local!liquor!inspector,!
inspectors!and!I!
keeps!The!Pit!open!to!1:40!am!(the!bar!stops!serving!at!1!
expect!the!laws!to!be!
am)!to!allow!the!students!to!dance!and!get!hydrated.!“We!
kept!and!enforced.”!
see!this!as!a!safety!measure.!It!also!ensures!that!students!
don’t!leave!the!bar!en!masse!which!cuts!down!on!fighting!
X!Bar!manager!
and!shoving!when!waiting!for!a!cab!(as!the!majority!of!CBU!
students!live!off;campus).”!(Bar!manager)!
!
!
Management!at!Vinnie’s!Lounge,!the!studentXrun!bar!at!Mount!St.!Vincent!University!has!also!
instituted!a!signXin!policy,!with!a!similar!objective!of!discouraging!offXcampus!visitors!to!the!bar.!
All!guests!must!have!student!IDs!and!Security!is!alerted!if!anyone!underage!is!caught!drinking.!
!
2.5.1! The!Role!of!the!Student!Bar!in!Student!Safety!
!
All!campus!bars!make!their!space!available!for!allXage!special!events!which!allow!first!year!
students!the!opportunity!to!have!fun!on!campus!outside!of!residence.!This!practice!is!
encouraged!by!Residence!staff!because!it!“gets!the!first;years!out!of!their!rooms!where!they!
would!otherwise!be!drinking”.!!
!
Dangerous!drinking!by!underage!first!year!students!in!their!rooms!was!
“We!don’t!say!
one!of!the!most!commonly!cited!concerns!by!Residence!staff.!At!the!
‘don’t!drink’.!
same!time!university!staff!across!the!campuses!recognize!that!banning!
We!tell!them!
alcohol!from!residence!is!impractical.!Instead!Residence!staff!ensure!
‘do!it!this!way’.”!
that!their!resident!assistants!and!related!staff!receive!inXdepth!training!
on!the!signs!of!intoxication!and!emergency!procedures;!and!that!
X!Housing!
programming!is!delivered!during!orientation!and!over!the!year!which!
Coordinator!
addresses!safe!drinking!practices!and!the!harms!that!can!result!from!
risky!drinking.!!
!
!
Special!events!held!in!the!bar!are!wet/dry!events!(with!the!exception!of!orientation!when!they!
are!all!dry)!and!all!students!are!required!to!sign!in!showing!student!IDs.!Different!coloured!
bracelets!are!given!out!to!identify!the!underage!from!the!older!students.!Sober!representatives!
from!the!event’s!sponsoring!organization!are!also!required!to!be!in!attendance!as!an!increased!
safety!measure.!Most!of!the!bar!managers!also!bring!in!extra!security!to!secure!the!perimeter!of!
the!bar!(e.g.!prevent!underage!students!from!coming!and!going!for!drinking!purposes).!
!
As!a!further!incentive!to!get!students!out!of!their!rooms,!one!Residence!coordinator!suggested!
student!bars!reduce!the!cover!charge!for!underage!students,!“Don’t!punish!the!underage!at!the!
door!to!make!up!for!their!not!drinking.!We!want!the!students!to!attend!the!special!events!so!they!
won’t!be!drinking!in!their!rooms!”!!
!
!
17!
A!number!of!respondents,!including!bar!management,!also!spoke!to!a!role!for!the!broader!
university!community!in!shifting!the!focus!away!from!drinking!to!socializing.!In!their!vision,!
the!campus!bar!on!Friday!afternoons!would!become!a!venue!where!the!university!
community!(faculty,!staff!and!students)!could!share!ideas!over!a!beer.!The!focus!of!the!event!
would!be!the!relationship!not!the!alcohol.!!
!
!“I!want!the!campus!bar!to!be!the!place!where!faculty,!staff!and!students!are!
comfortable!to!come!and!socialize.!I!see!this!as!leading!to!higher!standards,!better!
service!and!a!great!social!atmosphere.!I!can!see!it!leading!to!a!good!turnover,!where!we!
would!get!more!people!through,!and!have!less!drinking!per!person.”!(bar!manager)!
!
2.5.2! Comparison!of!Campus!Bar!NonXCompliance!Rates!to!Private!
Licensees!!
!
Attention!to!student!safety!and!Nova!Scotia’s!liquor!laws!is!reflected!in!compliance!rates!of!
campus!bars!documented!in!liquor!inspection!reports!obtained!by!StudentsNS!and!reported!in!
the!tables!below.!
!
Tables!2.5.1!and!2.5.2!summarize!relevant!campus!bar!liquor!inspection!data!and!private!
licensee!liquor!inspection!data,!respectively.!The!tables!indicate!that!over!the!period!January!1X
December!2013,!each!of!the!campus!bars!was!visited!at!a!significantly!higher!rate!than!a!typical!
licensee.!Bars!at!Dalhousie!University!(Halifax!campus)!received!the!most!visits!by!liquor!
inspectors!(36!visits!over!the!year)!with!Mount!St.!Vincent’s!student!unionXrun!bar!receiving!the!
fewest!visits!(six!over!the!year).!In!comparison,!the!average!number!of!visits!made!by!liquor!
inspectors!to!nonXcampus!based!lounges!over!the!same!time!period!was!2.9.!These!data!indicate!
that!provincial!liquor!inspectors!place!a!high!priority!on!ensuring!campus!bars!are!run!in!a!
responsible!and!safe!manner.!
!
The!tables!also!speak!to!compliance!rates!and!indicate!a!perfect!compliance!rate!for!five!of!the!
six!student!union;run!campus!bars!that!participated!in!the!research.!The!sixth!campus!bar,!run!
by!the!student!union!at!Mount!St.!Vincent,!had!one!nonXcompliance!in!the!form!of!a!verbal!
warning!over!the!year,!making!the!average!nonXcompliance!rate!for!these!six!studentXrun!bars!
0.75%.!For!comparison!purposes,!the!average!nonXcompliance!rate!for!nonXcampus!based!
lounges!was!1.6%!over!the!same!period.!These!statistics!confirm!findings!from!interviews!with!
campus!bar!managers!that!their!operations!are!run!with!a!strict!eye!paid!to!provincial!liquor!
regulations!and!student!safety.!!
!
We!did!find!that!student!unionXrun!bars!at!Dalhousie!University’s!Halifax!campus!had!five!nonX
compliances!over!the!year!(consisting!of!three!verbal!warnings!and!two!written!warnings)!for!an!
average!nonXcompliance!rate!of!13.8%!over!the!year.!The!Dalhousie!Student!Union!did!not!
participate!in!the!StudentsNS!research,!however
18 Table 2.5.1 Student Union Bar Inspection Results for the period of Jan. 1, 2013-­‐Dec.. 31, 2013 University Total Inspections Total Licensees Total Non-­‐
Compliances Acadia (Axe Lounge) Cape Breton (The Pit) Dalhousie Faculty of Agriculture (The Barn) Dalhousie (includes Grawood, T-­‐Room, Grad House) Mt. St. Vincent (Vinnie’s Lounge) St. Francis Xavier (Golden X Inn) St. Mary’s (Gorsebrook Lounge) Totals Totals excluding Dalhousie Hfx campus 30 25 7 1 1 1 0 0 0 Average Non-­‐
compliance per Inspection 36 1 5 13.8% 6 1 1 16.6% 11 1 0 23 1 0 138 132 7 6 6 1 4.3% 0.75% Table 2.5.2 NS Liquor Inspection Results by License Type for the period of Jan. 1, 2013-­‐Dec. 3, 2013 License Type Total Inspections Total Licensees Total Non-­‐
Compliances 17 8 375 950 Average # Inspections per Licensee 4.6 1.4 5.8 6.4 5 18 76 94 Average Non-­‐
compliance per Inspection 1.3% 3.2% 1.2% 0.64% Beverage room Cabaret Club Eating establishment Lounge Special premises 371 556 6436 14699 13992 2656 410 297 2.9 11.2 223 52 1.6% 2.0% 19!
!
3.0!Environmental,Strategies:,A,Review,of,
Student'Union'Alcohol'Policies'&'Practices!
“Targetting!settings!on!campus!where!the!majority!of!heavy!drinking!occurs!
(e.g.!campus!bars)!appears!to!be!effective!in!reducing!the!incidence!and!
likelihood!of!intoxication!among!college!students.”!(The!Strang!Report)!
!
Research!undertaken!across!North!American!campuses!and!summarized!in!the!Strang!Report!
points!to!the!effectiveness!of!strategies!for!risk!reduction!that!reduce!the!supply!of!(availability!
or!access!to)!alcohol!to!students!and!shift!the!drinking!culture!to!one!of!moderation.!!
!
Examples!from!the!six!student!unionXrun!bars!on!campus!offer!student!leadership!a!starting!
point!to!address!highXrisk!drinking!and!the!reduction!of!harms!associated!with!overconsumption!
of!alcohol.!
!
In!this!chapter,!policies!and!practices!in!place!at!each!of!the!six!student!unionXrun!bars!are!
assessed!against!a!set!of!standards!identified!as!best!practices!for!bar!management!and!serving!
practices.!It!also!looks!at!advertising!policies!relating!to!bar!operations!and!the!alcohol!industry.!
!
Individual!risk!assessment!procedures!in!place!across!the!six!campuses!which!identify!and!
minimize!the!risks!associated!with!all!studentXrun!special!events!and!activities!are!examined!as!
well.!
!
3.1! Comparison!of!Campus!Bar!policies!to!‘Best!
Practices’!
!
To!compare!policies!and!practices!in!place!at!the!six!campus!bars,!best!practices!drawn!from!the!
Strang!Report!and!supplemented!by!practices!taken!from!Queen’s!University,!have!been!reX
organized!into!three!categories:!
• Standard!operating!procedures!for!campus!bars!!
• Beverage!service!procedures!and!restrictions!
• Student!bar!transportation!practices!!
!
A!set!of!tables!has!been!designed!which!compares!policies!in!place!at!each!of!the!six!campus!
bars!to!these!three!sets!of!best!practices.!Each!table!sets!out!the!best!practices!in!brown in !the!
leftXhand!column.!Individual!campus!bar!practices!are!presented!in!individual!columns,!
identified!by!their!respective!campus!across!the!top.!!
• Where!the!campus!bar’s!activities!exceed!the!best!practice,!it!is!highlighted!in!green. !
• Where!the!campus!bar!conforms!with!the!best!practice,!it!is!highlighted!in!white.!!
• Where!the!campus!bar!has!approximate!conformity!to!the!best!practice,!it!is!highlighted!
in!yellow.!
•
Where the campus bar fails to conform to the best practice, it is highlighted in red.
20!
!
•
!Where!there!is!limited!or!no!conformity!between!the!best!practice!and!the!campus!bar!
practice,!there!is!no!highlighting.!!
!
3.1.1! Standard!Operating!Procedures!for!Campus!Bars!!
!
Table!3.1.1!summarizes!a!set!of!best!practices!relating!to!standard!operating!procedures!for!
campus!bars!and!pubs.!These!best!practices!provide!campus!bar!management!with!a!set!of!tools!
intended!to!maximize!the!risk!management!of!their!operations!and!heighten!student!safety.!
!
A!reading!of!the!table!indicates!reasonable!conformity!between!the!studentXrun!bars!and!the!
best!practices!contained!in!the!Strang!Report.!Of!the!nine!recommended!best!practices,!all!six!
student!unions!have!implemented!five.!All!campus!bars:!
!
• Ensure!that!their!bar!staff!are!trained!in!responsible!bar!service.!In!Nova!Scotia!the!
formal!training!program!is!called!Serve!Right.!The!Serve!Right!training!is!paid!for!by!the!
student!unions.!
• Ensure!that!door!staff!are!trained!in!security!measures!and!nonXviolent!intervention!
techniques.!Some!bars!use!student!door!staff!trained!by!campus!Security!or!other!
campus!staff!(e.g.!Student!Community!Development);!other!student!bars!contract!with!
private!security!services!for!their!door!staff.!
• Control!entrance!and!check!for!legal!age!and!student!IDs!during!special!events!and!
highXrisk!periods.!
• Implement!special!procedures!during!highXrisk!periods!(e.g.!implement!coat!and!bag!
checks;!serve!alcohol!in!plastic!containers).!!
• Refuse!entrance!to!inebriated!students!and!remove!inebriated!students.!In!both!cases!
bar!staff!ensure!the!inebriated!students!are!seen!safely!home!by!sober!students,!
security!or!members!of!studentXled!safety!programs.!
!
Best!practices!also!encourage!the!reduction!of!bar!hours.!While!
Best!practices!from!the!
each!of!the!six!bars!have!different!hours!of!operation,!all!have!two!
literature!recommend!
to!three!days!a!week!when!the!bar!is!closed!and!other!days!when!
that!universities!hold!
the!bar!closes!early!in!the!early!evening.!Best!practices!would!
classes!on!Fridays!to!
suggest!there!still!may!be!room!for!a!further!reduction!of!hours!on!
discourage!heavy!
some!campuses.!While!the!Cape!Breton!&!St.!Mary’s!campus!bars!
drinking!on!Thursday!
have!shortened!bar!hours!on!Thursday!evenings!(close!at!7!pm!and!
evenings.!Limiting!bar!
8!pm!respectively)!all!other!campus!bars!are!open!until!1!am!on!
hours!on!Thursday!
Thursday!evenings.!!Feedback!from!bar!management!and!others,!
evenings!is!seen!as!a!
however,!suggests!that!further!reduction!of!bar!hours!may!in!fact!
complementary!
be!an!unsafe!practice!as!it!may!encourage!students!to!go!off!
measure.!
campus!to!drink!or!to!drink!in!their!rooms.!For!this!reason,!this!
review!is!not!recommending!a!further!reduction!of!bar!hours.!!
!
!
!
21!
!
A!smaller!number!of!student!unions!also!have!the!following!best!practices!in!place:!!
!
• Impose!a!‘no!admittance!after!12!am’!policy!(the!pub!at!Dalhousie!Faculty!of!Agriculture!
has!a!‘no!admittance’!policy!after!11:30!pm).!(This!measure!is!designed!to!minimize!
disruption!in!the!bar!which!occurs!through!introducing!new!patrons!to!the!mix!who!may!
have!been!pre;drinking!or!who!may!(try!to)!power!drink!to!‘catch!up!to!the!party’.!
However,!discussions!with!bar!management!suggest!that!closing!the!campus!bar!early!
may!encourage!students!to!pass!over!their!campus!bar!in!favour!of!downtown!bars!
where!fewer!monitoring!mechanisms!may!be!in!place.)!
• Limit!number!of!guests!by!implementing!a!1:2!or!1:1!student!to!guest!ratio!(the!bar!at!
Cape!Breton!University!allows!students!to!only!sign!in!one!guest!and!the!student!is!
responsible!for!the!conduct!of!the!guest.!(This!measure!has!reportedly!cut!down!on!
non;student!visitors!to!the!bar!and!associated!fights!making!for!a!safer!environment!in!
the!campus!bar).!
!
3.1.2! Beverage!Service!and!Restrictions!
!
Table!3.1.2!summarizes!a!set!of!best!practices!relating!to!beverage!service!and!restrictions!in!
campus!bars!and!pubs.!These!best!practices!provide!campus!bar!management!and!staff!with!a!
set!of!tools!to!reduce!the!overconsumption!of!alcohol!and!the!harmful!effects!of!
overconsumption.!
!
The!table!shows!moderate!conformity!between!the!best!practices!recommended!in!the!Strang!
Report!and!the!practices!in!place!across!the!six!participating!student!bars!and!pubs.!All!six!
student!unions!follow!six!of!the!15!recommended!best!practices.!They:!
Ensure!that!nonXalcoholic!drinks!are!available.!(Most!bars!also!have!the!nonXalcoholic!
drink!located!in!a!highly!visible!location.)!
Provide!light!alcohol!choices!(beer!and!coolers).!
Do!not!serve!nuts!or!chips!(highly!salted!foods!that!promote!thirst).!
Limit!the!number!of!drinks!that!can!be!served!to!a!person!at!one!time.!(The!limit!in!all!
six!bars!is!two!drinks!per!person!at!any!one!time.)!
Limit!the!size!of!drinks!containers!to!reflect!standard!drink!sizes.!(The!exception!across!
all!bars!are!pitchers!that!hold!four!servings!of!draft!beer.)!
Ban!drinking!games!and!game!wheels!that!mix!drinks.!
•
•
•
•
•
!
•
Why!Campus!Bars!Should!Ban!‘Last!Calls’!
‘Last!calls’!encourage!rapid!consumption!of!alcohol!which!can!lead!to!high!levels!
of!intoxication!&!place!students!at!risk!for!selfXinjury!or!injury!of!others.!
!
!
!
22!
!
Additional!best!practices!in!place!at!two!or!fewer!student!unionXrun!bars!include:!
!
• Eliminating!‘last!calls’!(only!the!bar!at!Cape!Breton!University!reported!having!no!‘last!
calls’);!and!
• Banning!the!sale!of!caffeinated!energy!drinks!or!preXmixed!caffeinated!alcoholic!
beverages!(only!the!bar!at!Dalhousie!Faculty!of!Agriculture!prohibits!the!sale!of!these!
products).!
• Providing!nonXalcoholic!beverages!free!of!charge!to!designated!drivers!(the!Dal!
Agricultural!Campus!and!StFX!are!the!only!bars!reporting!this!practice).!
Why!Campus!Bars!Should!Ban!Caffeinated!Energy!Drinks!
Simply!put,!mixing!energy!drinks!(which!acts!as!stimulants)!with!alcohol!(which!
is!a!depressant)!masks!an!individual’s!ability!to!accurately!determine!his!or!her!
level!of!intoxication.!!
Evidence!cited!in!the!Strang!Report!shows!that!individuals!who!consume!alcohol!
together!with!caffeinated!energy!drinks!experience!a!significantly!higher!
prevalence!of!negative!alcoholXrelated!consequences!compared!to!those!who!
consume!alcohol!without!the!addition!of!caffeine.!These!include!higher!rates!of:!
•
•
•
•
•
Being!taken!advantage!of!sexually;!
Taking!advantage!of!another!person!sexually;!
Riding!in!an!automobile!with!a!driver!who!is!under!the!influence!
of!alcohol;!
Driving!while!under!the!influence!of!alcohol;!
Being!hurt,!injured!and!requiring!medical!attention.!
!
!
None!of!the!six!student!unionXrun!bars!reported!having!the!following!
best!practices!in!place:!
•
•
•
!
Banning!single!shots!of!liquor.!
Limiting!the!amount!of!spirits!in!
drinks!to!1!oz.!(all!bars!sell!2oz!
shots).!!
Putting!in!place!alcohol!pricing!that!
reflects!the!percentage!of!alcohol!
(i.e.!beverages!that!contain!less!
alcohol!than!calculated!in!one!
standard!drink!are!priced!lower!than!
drinks!containing!one!standard!drink!
of!alcohol!and!vice!versa).!
!
Banning!single!
shots!&!doubles!
in!mixed!drinks!
are!measures!to!
reduce!rapid!&!
overX
consumption!of!
alcohol.!
Students!are!
money!
conscious.!
Putting!lower!
prices!on!lite!
alcoholic!drinks!
may!reduce!
consumption!of!
drinks!with!a!
higher!alcohol!
content.!
!
23!
!
3.1.3! Additional!Safety!and!Transportation!Policies!
!
Measures!in!place!at!the!six!campus!bars!which!address!the!safety!and!transportation!of!
students!when!leaving!a!campus!bar!were!compared!against!best!practices!taken!from!Queen’s!
University’s!Alcohol!Policy!(see!table!3.1.1):!
•
•
•
Encourage!the!use!of!harm!reduction!or!emergency!services!(as!needed)!by!bar!staff!
when!removing!patrons!from!onXcampus!establishments;!
Find!appropriate!accompaniment!to!ensure!the!patron’s!safe!return!to!home;!
Provide!a!taxi!chit!(and!call!a!taxi)!to!ensure!safe!transport!if!no!other!safe!
transportation!home!is!available!to!a!patron!removed!from!an!onXcampus!
establishment.!!
!
The!table!indicates!that!only!two!of!the!bar!managers!(Acadia!and!Cape!Breton!University)!
reported!that!their!bar!staff!have!received!training!in!harms!reduction!and!emergency!
procedures!and!are!comfortable!to!know!when!to!call!911.!In!both!instances,!training!has!been!
provided!by!paramedics!with!Emergency!Health!Services,!Nova!Scotia.!!
!
All!six!bar!managers!reported!practices!to!ensure!a!student!is!never!left!on!their!own!(find!a!
sober!friend!to!walk!them!home!or!call!campus!security!or!use!student!walk!home/drive!home!
service).!Some!bar!staff!also!alert!the!RAs!when!students!leave!the!bar!to!return!to!residence!so!
they!can!be!met!and!taken!care!of.!This!practice!was!reported!by!bar!managers!at!the!Cape!
Breton!and!St.!Mary’s!University!student!bars.!
!
Only!the!St.!Mary’s!University!student!union!provides!taxi!chits!to!take!offXcampus!students!
home.!However!bar!management!at!each!of!Cape!Breton,!Dalhousie!Faculty!of!Agriculture!and!
Mount!St.!Vincent!reported!the!practice!of!personally!calling!taxis!(with!most!paying!for!the!
taxis!themselves)!if!there!was!no!other!way!for!offXcampus!students!to!return!home!safety.!At!
Acadia!and!StFX!bar!management!call!their!respective!student!union!shuttle!service!to!transport!
offXcampus!students!home.!!
3.1.4!!Responsibility!for!Campus!Bars:!Student!Union!or!Administration?!
!
Some!question!the!appropriateness!of!campus!bars!falling!under!
“I!didn’t!want!to!
the!jurisdiction!of!student!unions.!Proponents!of!this!position!
be!in!the!position!
hold!that!responsibility!for!campus!bar!operations,!procedures!
of!losing!a!
and!policies!should!fall!to!university!administration!(e.g.,!Student!
student.”!
Services);!with!student!unions!maintaining!responsibility!for!all!
events!planning.!There!are!two!reasons!for!this!position.!First,!the!
!;!Ex;bar!manager!
university!in!all!cases!holds!the!license!for!the!campus!bars.!!
!
Secondly,!bar!management!are!employees!of!the!student!union!
!
and,!according!to!bar!manager!feedback,!can!face!significant!pressure!when!trying!to!implement!
safetyXmeasures!unpopular!to!the!student!body!(signXin!policies;!banning!happy!hours;!banning!
Jager!bombs![a!cocktail!combination!of!an!energy!drink!with!a!70!percent!proof!German!liquor]).!!
!
24!
!
One!bar!manager!reported!concerns!of!job!security!because!of!friction!between!student!union!
agendas!and!safety!procedures!that!bar!management!would!like!to!implement.!!
!
A!second!bar!manger,!in!position!less!than!3!years,!chose!to!resign!because!of!concerns!related!
to!student!safety.!Her!decision!was!sealed!when!the!university!ignored!her!requests!for!an!
increased!security!presence!outside!the!bar!during!busy!times.!
!
!A!Third!Way!
An!alternative!to!moving!responsibility!for!the!campus!bar!from!under!the!student!union’s!
jurisdiction!is!to!build!a!more!collaborative!relationship!between!the!student!leadership!and!
university!administration.!!
!
Acadia!University,!for!example,!has!a!longXstanding!practice!of!involving!
“The!Student!
student!leadership!in!policy!development.!Students!are!routinely!built!
Union!is!
into!policy!discussions!and!their!voice!is!sought!even!in!instances!where!
involved!at!
measures!are!unpopular!with!the!student!body.!“It’s!good!be!
every!table!as!
challenged.!And!we!know!we!can’t!clamp!down!too!far!cause!we!don’t!
an!equal!
want!to!drive!the!students!off!campus.”!
partner.”!
!
Collaboration!at!Acadia!is!further!facilitated!through!coXlocation!of!
X!President,!ASU!
university!and!student!union!staff!in!the!same!building.!Opportunities!
for!communication!are!frequent,!making!for!a!comfortable!and!
!
frequent!exchange!of!ideas.!“It’s!the!casual!communication!that’s!
important;!stopping!and!chatting!in!the!hallway!which!builds!a!natural!relationship.!On!top!of!
that!there!are!regular!meetings.!We!see!co;location!as!a!best!practice.”!(Director,!Student!
Affairs)!
!
At!Cape!Breton!University!at!least!one!student!sits!at!every!university!committee!that!creates!
policy.!For!example,!CBU!has!a!Lounge!Management!Committee,!which!specifically!creates!
policy!and!makes!decisions!regarding!operations!of!its!pub,!includes!university!senior!
administration!and!student!union!representation.!Its!most!effective!policy!to!date!(the!signXin!
policy!which!has!decreased!violent!incidents!this!year!by!more!than!80%)!was!created!through!
policy!collaboration!by!committee!members.!
!
At!Mount!St.!Vincent!and!the!Dalhousie!Faculty!of!Agriculture,!respondents!reported!good!
communication!between!the!student!union!and!the!university,!facilitated!through!frequent!
meetings!and!small!campus!size.!At!StFX!respondents!reported!positive!steps!towards!
collaboration!through!a!number!of!joint!student!union/university!initiative
“There!needs!to!be!a!good!working!relationship!with!this!role!(bar!manager)!on!any!
campus!and!open!communication!with!frequent!updates.!Not!having!this!can!cause!so!
many!issues.”!
X!Housing!Director!
!
25#
!
Table#3.1.1:#
!
Best#Practices#relating#to#standard#operating#procedures#for#Campus#Bars#and#Pubs:!Designed(to!provide(bar(management(with(
a(set(of(tools(to(maximize(the(risk(management(of(their(operations(
Policies#and#Practices!
1. !Require!all!staff!be!certified!in!
responsible!bar!service!(e.g.,!
Serve(Right).!
2. Ensure!that!bar!staff!trained!in!
security!measures!are!available!
during!peak!drinking!periods.*!
3. Review!hours!of!operation!with!a!
view!to!reducing.!
4. Control!entrance!to!licensed!
establishments!at!peak!drinking!
times!and!check!for!legal!age!and!
student!IDs.!
5. Impose!a!‘no!admittance!after!12!
am’!policy!at!large!facilities.!
6. Implement!special!procedures!
during!highDrisk!periods!(such!as!
nights!where!it!is!known!there!
will!be!heavy!drinking).!Examples!
include!serving!all!alcohol!in!
plastic!cups;!implementing!a!
mandatory!coat!and!bag!check.!
7. Limit!number!of!guests!by!
implementing!a!1:2!or!1:1!
student!to!guest!ratio.!
Acadia#University#
All!bar!staff!are!trained!and!certified!in!
ServeRight.(Refresher!training!is!provided!
every!3!years.!
All!bar!staff!are!trained!in!nonDviolent!
conflict!resolution!&!situational!training!
based!on!real!–life!scenarios.!!
Cape#Breton#University#
All!bar!staff!are!trained!and!certified!in!
ServeRight.!
Dalhousie#Faculty#of#Agriculture#
All!bar!staff!are!trained!and!certified!in!
ServeRight.!
Bar!manager!hires!professional!security!
company!to!provide!door!management,!
crowd!control!&!handling!of!irate!
customers.!
Closed:!Sun.!Open:!MonDThur:!noon!to!
Closed:!Sun,!Mon,!Tues.!Open:!Wed:!5!pm!
to!1!pm;!Thurs:!8!pm!to!1!pm;!Fri:!4!pm!to!1! 7pm;!Fri:!noon!to!1am;!Sat:!10pm!to!1am.!
While!the!bar!closes!at!1!am,!the!premises!
am;!Sat:!8!pm!to!1!am!(and!special!events!
stay!open!until!1:45!am!to!allow!students!
by!request).!
to!dance!&!get!hydrated!before!leaving.!!
All!patrons!must!show!their!student!IDs!at!
The!bar!has!a!signDin!policy;!and!all!patrons!
door.!
must!show!their!student!IDs!at!door.!
Bar!staff!are!also!trained!in!security,!OH&S,!
First!Aid!and!WHMS.!
Students!can!enter!up!until!closing!time.!
Students!can!enter!up!until!closing!time.!
There!is!no!admittance!after!11:30!pm.!
Drinks!are!available!in!both!glass!and!
plastic.!On!nights!that!are!extra!busy,!
(more!than!150!in!bar!and!have!people!
standing)!the!bar!shifts!from!glass!to!plastic!
for!safety!reasons!but!still!give!out!beer!
bottles.!
Staff!always!do!bag!checks!at!the!door!&!
coat!checks!after!Thanksgiving.!!
Security!routinely!does!searches,!pat!
downs!and!visual!checks.!Bar!manager!will!
bring!in!Safety!&!Security!in!addition!to!
regular!security!from!9!pm!to!1!pm!on!
highDrisk!nights.!!Also!frequently!partners!
with!CBU!&!CBRM!police!dept!to!have!
police!officers!present!at!high!risk!events!
(costs!approx.!$180!per!hour!but!the!
student!union!does!it!to!ensure!student!
safety).!
No!restrictions!
The!bar!has!a!policy!of!allowing!students!to!
sign!in!one!guest!only!&!the!student!is!
responsible!for!conduct!of!their!guest.!!
!
All!bags/jackets!always!stay!downstairs!in!
the!cubbyholes!–!they!are!never!allowed!in!
the!pub.!!
!
At!special!events!–!e.g.!Woodsmen!
Weekend,!the!2!regular!Security!
complement!is!supplemented!with!2!RCMP!
officers,!2!additional!Security!and!extra!bar!
staff!as!well.!There!are!also!mandatory!coat!
checks!at!specials!events!like!Woodsmen!
Weekend.!
!
The!campus!bar!has!a!1:2!student!to!guest!
ratio.!
Closed:!Sun!D!Wed.!!
Open:!Thurs!–!Sat,!10:30!pm!to!1am!!
All!patrons!must!show!their!student!IDs!at!
door.!
26#
!
!
!
!
!
8. Refuse!entrance!to!persons!who!
appear!to!be!or!who!are!
intoxicated;!and!remove!persons!
who!appear!to!be!or!who!are!
intoxicated.!
If!potential!patron!exhibits!overt!signs!at!
entrance,!they!are!denied!entrance.!Staff!
ensure!they!are!seen!safely!home!...walked!
home!by!Safety!&!Security!or!by!friends.!If!
at!facility,!numerous!staff!could!step!in;!
they!would!refuse!service!&!use!team!
approach!to!approach!and!let!patron!know!
they’ve!had!too!much!to!drink.!Staff!would!
ask!a!friend!to!walk!them!home!or!offer!
Safety!&!Security!walk!home!service.!Tell!
them!if!they!leave!(safely)!they!won’t!get!
written!up.!But!If!patron!gets!belligerent,!
bar!mgt!will!call!S!&!S!and!write!them!up.!
The!patron!then!has!to!see!the!Coordinator!
of!Student!Community!Development!who!
oversees!the!nonDacademic!judicial!
process.!
9.!Implement!a!Buddy!System,!
Bystander!Intervention!Program!
or!Designated!Driver!Program!to!
help!intoxicated!students!arrive!
home!safely.!
Acadia!has!developed!and!implemented!its!
Red(Watch(Band(program,!(Red!and!Blue!
Crew,!2012).!
!
If!someone!is!obviously!inebriated,!they!are!
denied!entrance.!Security!also!confiscates!
alcohol;!and!does!not!allow!patrons!to!
enter!with!coffees!or!open!water/pop!
bottles.!!
!
Once!inside,!the!manager!keeps!a!close!eye!
on!the!students.!If!awake!and!inebriated,!
staff!will!identify!a!friend!to!take!them!
home;!or!call!a!cab!and!make!sure!the!
cabbie!has!their!address.!If!on!campus,!
staff!get!Security!to!take!patron!home!
while!also!notifying!the!RA!of!the!details.!
Sometimes!the!bar!tender!will!also!take!a!
student!home.!!
!
If!students!fall!asleep,!manager!takes!to!
her!office!to!monitor!them.!If!unable!to!
wake!them,!or!unconscious,!911!is!called.!!
The!bar!manager!indicated!she!would!like!
to!have!all!her!staff!trained!in!the!
Bystander!Intervention!Program;!as!well!as!
in!nonDviolent!crisis!intervention!
techniques.!Training!should!be!available!
too.!(Note:!the!bar!manager!is!a!certified!
instructor!in!nonDviolent!crisis!
intervention.)!
There!is!no!entry!for!patrons!who!appear!
to!be!inebriated;!staff!look!for!reasons!not!
to!let!them!in!as!admittance!is!seen!as!a!
privilege,!not!a!right.!
!
Once!inside!if!inebriated,!bar!staff!calls!
campus!Security!to!help!safely!remove!
patron!from!the!pub.!!
!
!
!No policy.
27#
!
Table#3.1.1#con’t:#Best#Practices#relating#to#standard#operating#procedures#for#Campus#Bars#and#Pubs:!Designed(to!provide(bar(management(
with(a(set(of(tools(to(maximize(the(risk(management(of(their(operations(
(
Policies#and#Practices!
1.!Require!all!staff!be!certified!in!
responsible!bar!service!(e.g.,!Serve(
Right).!
2.!Ensure!that!bar!staff!trained!in!
security!measures!are!available!during!
peak!drinking!periods.!
Mount#St.#Vincent#
University#
All!bar!staff!training!in!Serve(Right.!
Chief!of!Security!provides!door!staff!with!
training!in!intervention!techniques!(how!to!
ask!patrons!to!leave)!&!door/monitoring!
techniques.!!
Closed:!SatDSun.!Open:!MonDWed:!4:30!pm!
–!10!pm;!ThursD!Fri:!4:30!pm!–!1am.!!
St.#Francis#Xavier#
University##
St.#Mary’s#University#
All!bar!staff!training!in!Serve(Right.!They!
also!receive!sessions!on!nonDviolent!crisis!
intervention!techniques.!!
Security!staff!are!trained!specifically!on!
asking!patrons!to!leave,!IDing,!and!
expectations!from!the!liquor!inspector!and!
the!license!holder!for!the!University!
Closed:!Sun!–!Tues.!Open:!WedDFri:!5!pm!–!
1!am.!Sat:!8pmD1am!(open!at!1:30!pm!for!
Home!Football!Games).!
All!bar!staff!receive!training!in!Serve(Right.!!
The!door!staff!are!contracted!from!private!
security!company!&!have!received!door!ID!
training!and!intervention!techniques!
4.!Control!entrance!to!licensed!
establishments!at!peak!drinking!times!
and!check!for!legal!age!and!student!
IDs.!
5.!Impose!a!‘no!admittance!after!12!
am’!policy!at!large!facilities.!
6.!Implement!special!procedures!
during!highDrisk!periods!(such!as!nights!
where!it!is!known!there!will!be!heavy!
drinking).!Examples!include!serving!all!
alcohol!in!plastic!cups;!implementing!a!
mandatory!coat!and!bag!check.!
Door!staff!ask!each!patron!for!student!ID!
and!bracelet!(one!colour!for!underage,!
one!colour!for!drinking!age.)!No!underage!
guests!are!allowed.!
No!policy.!
Bar!staff!not!allowed!to!pat!people!down!
but!always!ask!patrons!to!pat!themselves!
down!if!they!have!a!coat.!Also!ask!girls!to!
open!purse!and!show!contents,!remove!
sweaters!etc.!
Patrons!can!enter!until!12:45!am!if!they!do!
not!show!signs!of!alcohol!consumption.!
The!bar!implements!a!mandatory!coat!&!
school!bag!check!every!night.!The!bar!also!
limits!the!amount!of!pitchers!and!doubles!
being!sold!to!maintain!care!and!control!of!
the!licensed!area.!
7.!Limit!number!of!guests!by!
implementing!a!1:2!or!1:1!student!to!
guest!ratio.!
9.!Refuse!entrance!to!persons!who!
No!policy.!
No!policy.!
Closed:!SatDSun.!Open:!Mon!11:30!am!–!
7:30!pm;!Tues!11:30!am!–!10:30!pm;!Wed!
11:30!am!D1!am;!Thurs#11:30#am#–#8#pm;!
Fri!11:30!am!–!1am.!Thurs!&!Fri!nights!are!
Special!Events/!Society!nights.!
All!patrons!are!required!to!show!
government!issued!IDs!at!the!door.!NonD
SMU!students!need!to!be!signed!in!during!
evening!hours!and!for!all!special!events.!
The!bar!has!a!‘no!admittance’!policy!after!
midnight.!
Bag!checks!are!done!during!busy!times.!!
Every!day!after!5!pm!the!bar!switches!to!
plastic!cups!for!beer.!Shots!are!drunk!at!
the!bar.!
Staff!are!more!‘on!their!toes’!during!high!
risk!nights.![!e.g.,!on!St.!Paddy’s!Day,!the!
manager!meets!with!bar!staff!before!the!
door!is!opened!to!remind!staff!that!the!
students!are!their!friends!&!classmates!&!
that!the!bottom!line!is!to!make!sure!
everyone!wakes!up!the!next!day.]!
No!policy.!
If!door!staff!suspects!someone!is!
Any!patrons!showing!signs!of!intoxication!
Bar!staff!assess!them,!have!a!conversation!
3.!Review!hours!of!operation!with!a!
view!to!reducing.!
!All!patrons!are!required!to!show!student!
IDs!at!the!door.!
!
28#
!
!
!
appear!to!be!or!who!are!intoxicated;!
and!remove!persons!who!appear!to!be!
or!who!are!intoxicated.!
intoxicated!at!entry,!they!get!manager!or!
assistant!manager!to!do!the!assessment.!
Once!in!the!bar!and!getting!intoxicated,!
the!patrons!are!invited!outside!the!pub!to!
have!a!word.!If!judgement!call!required,!
door!staff!bring!in!bar!manager!to!
determine!next!step.!If!person!can’t!stand,!
is!vomiting,!are!asked!what!alcohol/drugs!
they’ve!taken;!what!food!they’ve!eaten.!
Will!release!an!intoxicated!student!to!a!
sober!friend!but!not!to!a!drunk!friend.!A!
few!times!have!called!an!ambulance;!in!
other!cases!bar!mgt!alerts!Security!or!
MSVU!Crew!to!come!and!meet!them.!Staff!
never!leave!the!student!alone.!
10.!Implement!a!Buddy!Program,!
Bystander!Intervention!Program!or!
Designated!Driver!Program!to!help!
intoxicated!students!arrive!home!
safely.!
Staff!never!leave!the!student!alone.!Will!
call!MSVU!Crew!or!Security.!
!
are!not!permitted!into!the!licensed!area!
and!are!asked!to!leave!the!line!up!
immediately!escorted!out!of!the!building!
by!XPatrol.!If!patrons!are!found!to!be!
showing!signs!of!intoxication!on!premises,!
security!staff!will!address!the!patron!away!
from!their!friends!in!a!safe,!well!lit!location!
and!ask!them!to!leave.!In!both!cases,!staff!
will!look!for!friends!of!the!individual!to!
accompany!them!on!the!way!home.!Staff!
will!also!go!to!get!the!individual’s!coat!
from!coat!check!if!required.!Staff!do!not!
allow!a!guy!to!walk!an!inebriated!girl!
home…will!bring!in!XPatrol!who!go!in!pairs!
or!go!by!van,!again!with!XPatrol!in!pairs.!
Van!is!paid!by!Student!Union!from!bar!
profits.!In!the!case!of!students!not!in!
control!of!their!faculties,!XPatrol!will!
assess!and!make!the!decision!on!whether!
medical!attention!or!police!attention!is!
needed.!
Identify!sober!friends!to!walk!home;!or!
have!XPatrol!drive!or!walk!the!student!
home.!!
which!is!not!a!quick!job;!the!door!and!bar!
staff!work!as!a!team,!and!are!always!
monitoring!the!patrons.!
!
Bar!staff!asks!who!they’re!at!the!bar!with!
and!get!a!friend!who!is!not!intoxicated!to!
take!them!home;!if!need!be,!will!pay!for!a!
cab!and!get!Security!to!make!sure!they!get!
in!the!cab;!or!get!campus!Security!to!walk!
them!home!if!live!on!campus.!Bar!staff!
also!alert!the!RAs!to!let!them!know!
students!will!be!arriving!and!the!condition!
they!are!in.!Bar!staff!liability!coverage!is!
limited!to!within!15!feet!of!the!door.!
Identify!sober!friend!or!campus!Security!to!
walk!home;!or!get!cab!paid!by!SMUSA!to!
drive!home.!
29#
!
3.1.2:# Best#Practices#related#to#Beverage#Service#and#Restrictions:!Designed(to(provide(bar(management(and(staff(with(a(set(of(tools(to(reduce(
the(overconsumption(of(alcohol(and(the(harmful(effects(associated(with(the(over?consumption(of(alcohol.(
(
Policies#and#Practices!
Acadia#University#
Cape#Breton#University#
Dalhousie#Faculty#of#Agriculture#
1.!Ensure!that!nonDalcoholic!beverages!are!
visibly!available!at!all!times!and!available!at!
lower!prices!than!alcoholic!beverages,!or!free!
of!charge.!
2.!Ensure!that!light!alcohol!choices!are!
13
available. !
3.!Ensure!the!availability!of!fresh!and!
14!
interesting!foods!where!alcohol!is!served. !
∗∗
NonDalcoholic!drinks!are!available.!
Soft!drinks!cost!$1.00;!bottled!water!is!
$2.00.!Tap!water!is!free.!
!
The!dispensers!are!below!eye!level!so!
are!not!easily!seen.!!
!
!
Have!Coors!Light/Keiths/!Bud!in!
bottles!as!well!as!3!lite!choices!on!tap.!
Wed!night!is!wing!night.!No!food!is!
served!Tues,!Fri,!Sat.!Snack!food!is!
available!downstairs!(and!outside!the!
Bar)!in!the!Student!Union!market.!
Nuts!and!chips!are!not!served!in!the!
Bar.!
The!Bar!sells!Jager!bombs!(a!shot!of!
black!licorice!liquor!added!to!3!ozs!of!
an!energy!drink).!!
NonDalcoholic!drinks!are!visibly!available!
at!all!times!at!a!lower!cost!than!
alcoholic!beverages.!NonDalcohol!drink!
sales!have!increased!300%!under!the!
present!manager!&!include!a!good!
variety!of!soft!drinks,!juices!&!also!nonD
alcohol!‘drinks’!like!Shirley!Temples,!
cocktails.!A!hydration!station!is!also!set!
up!with!pitchers!of!water!kept!full.!
NonDalcoholic!drinks!are!visibly!available!
at!all!times.!NonDalcoholic!drinks!are!
free.!
Light!alcohol!choices!are!available.!
Have!Keiths!lite!and!Bud!lite!and!they!
are!visible.!
No!food!is!served.!The!university!
cafeteria!is!downstairs!and!serves!food!
for!special!events!
6.!No!single!shots!of!alcohol!(shooters)!
The!Bar!has!a!separate!Shooters!bar!
and!sells!both!1!oz!and!2!oz!shots.!
On!Thurs!nights!a!full!menu!is!available!
until!10!pm.!On!all!other!nights,!as!well!
as!during!special!events,!a!full!menu!is!
available!until!7!pm.!
Nuts!and!chips!are!not!served!in!the!
Bar.!
Bar!tenders!are!not!allowed!to!mix!
caffeinated!alcoholic!drinks!but!
students!are!allowed!to!mix!their!own.!
They!are!sold!mostly!during!the!day!but!
on!Fri!nights,!the!bar!may!sell!5!cans!of!
an!energy!drink.!There(is(not(a(huge(
market(for(Jager(bombs(at(CBU.!
The!bar!sells!shooters!but!they!are!less!
popular!than!mixed!drinks.!
7.!Limit!amount!of!spirits!in!drinks!to!1!oz.!
The!bar!sells!both!singles!(1!oz)!and!
doubles!(2!ozs).!
Drinks!are!limited!to!2!per!person!at!
any!one!time.!!
The!bar!sells!both!singles!(1!oz)!and!
doubles!(2!ozs).!
Drinks!are!limited!to!2!per!person!at!any!
one!time.!
4.!Ensure!that!high!salt!content!foods!(nuts,!
15
chips)!are!not!served!as!they!promote!thirst. !
5.!No!sale!of!caffeinated!energy!drinks!or!preD
mixed!caffeinated!alcoholic!beverages!
8.!Limit!the!number!of!drinks!that!can!be!
purchased!by!any!person!at!one!time!
Nuts!and!chips!are!not!served!in!the!
Bar.!
The!sale!of!caffeinated!energy!drinks!or!
preDmixed!caffeinated!alcoholic!
beverages!is!prohibited.!
The!bar!sells!shooters!but!they!have!to!
be!drunk!at!the!bar.!‘The!campus!is!not!
a!shooter!culture.’!
The!bar!sells!both!singles!(1!oz)!and!
doubles!(2!ozs).!
Drinks!are!limited!to!2!per!person!at!any!
one!time.!The#limit#on#drinks#per#person#is#
4#per#evening#–#the#Smart#Serve#limit.!
Patron!is!then!cut!off!&!given!water.!
30#
!
9.!Regulate!service!of!alcohol!after!12!am!
10.!Limit!the!size!of!drink!containers!to!reflect!
standard!drink!sizes.!
11.!Have!alcohol!pricing!reflect!the!percentage!
of!alcohol!(i.e.!beverages!that!contain!less!
alcohol!than!calculated!in!one!standard!drink!
are!priced!lower!than!drinks!containing!one!
standard!drink!of!alcohol).!!
12.!No!‘Happy!Hours’!or!discount!sales.!
13.!Eliminate!games!that!create!mixed!drink!
‘specials’!for!the!night.!
The!Shooter!bar!does!have!a!shooter!
wheel!–!if!it!lands!on!a!‘shot,!the!price!
drops!from!$5.75!to!$4.25.!
The!bar!has!‘last!call’!at!12:40!am.!
14.!Eliminate!‘last!calls’.!
!
!
Drinks!are!limited!to!one!per!person!
at!12:45!am.!
Size!of!drink!containers!at!bar:!16!oz!
for!beer;!5!oz!for!wine;!1!or!2!oz!for!
spirits.!Pitchers!are!48!oz!(do!not!
allow!60!ozs).!
Bar!prices!are!set!high!to!limit!the!
number!of!drinks!per!patron!(though!
recognizes!this!may!lead!to!preD
drinking).!Bar’s!approach!is!to!monitor!
the!students!in!the!bar.!!
The!bar!does!not!have!‘happy!hours’!
but!does!reduce!prices!for!special!
events!(e.g.,!on!Alexander!Keith’s!bD
day!a!pitcher!is!reduced!from!$16!to!
$13.)!and!the!bar!usually!has!a!special!
every!night.!On!Friday!nights,!patrons!
can!play!‘!a!shooter!wheel’!at!the!
Shooter!Bar.!If!it!lands!on!a!shot,!the!
cost!is!dropped!from!$5.75!to!$4.25.!
The!bar!has!theme!night!(e.g.!Screech!
night)!but!there!are!no!games!or!
hidden!ingredients.!Patrons!always!
know!what!they!are!drinking.!
!
Drinks!are!limited!to!2!per!person!at!any!
time.!
Drink!containers!reflect!standard!drink!
sizes!as!governed!by!the!liquor!control!
laws.!
Drinks!are!limited!to!2!per!person!at!any!
time.!
Drink!containers!reflect!standard!drink!
sizes!as!governed!by!the!liquor!control!
laws.!
Beer!and!shots!cost!$4.50;!shooters!cost!
$5.00!and!wine!costs!$4.75.!
Draft!is!$3.00;!bottle!beer!is!$4.00;!high!
balls!$3.75!and!shooters!are!$3.25.!Sells!
nothing!below!the!minimum!prices!set!
by!the!province.!
The!bar!does!not!have!‘happy!hours’.!
Addiction!Services!say!‘happy!hours’!
promote!power!drinking!but!the!
manager!indicates!the!Student!Union!
wants!them!back!because!they!get!
students!out!of!the!residences!where!
they!drink!behind!closed!doors.!‘Happy!
hours’!are!seen!as!a!‘doubleDedged!
sword.!!
The!bar!has!no!drinking!games!or!
wheels.!
The!pub!does!not!have!‘happy!hours’!
but!every!night!there!is!something!on!
special;!e.g.,!Draft!is!available!at!$2.75.!
The!bar!has!no!‘last!calls’.!!
The!pub!has!‘last!call’!at!12:30!am!and!
the!pub!closes!at!12:45!am.!
The!pub!has!no!drinking!games!or!
wheels.!
31#
!
3.1.2#con’t:#Best#Practices#related#to#Beverage#Service#and#Restrictions:!Designed(to(provide(bar(management(and(staff(with(a(set(of(tools(to(
reduce(the(overconsumption(of(alcohol(and(the(harmful(effects(associated(with(the(over?consumption(of(alcohol.(
Policies#and#Practices!
Mount#St#Vincent#University#
St.#Francis#Xavier#University#
St.#Mary’s#University#
1.!Ensure!that!nonDalcoholic!beverages!are!
visibly!available!at!all!times!and!available!at!
lower!prices!than!alcoholic!beverages,!or!free!
of!charge.!
2.!Ensure!that!light!alcohol!choices!are!
available!
3.!Ensure!the!availability!of!fresh!and!
interesting!foods!where!alcohol!is!served!
Pop!and!water!are!available!at!a!lower!
cost!than!alcohol!and!some!are!free.!
Signs!are!available!identifying!drink!
choices.!
The!bar!stocks!a!selection!of!3!to!4!lite!
beers!and!one!lite!cooler.!
A!food!menu!with!a!good!choice!is!
available!at!all!hours!the!bar!is!open.!
The!menu!is!on!the!tables.!
NonDalcoholic!beverages!are!available!at!
all!times,!are!visible!&#are#free#for#
designated#drivers.!!
NonDalcoholic!beverages!are!available!at!
all!times,!are!visible!&are!priced!at!a!
lower!cost!than!alcohol.!Water!is!free!
by!the!glass.!
Lite!choices!are!always!available.!Coors!
lite!is!the!best!seller.!
A!full!bar!food!menu!is!available!until!7!
pm.!
4.!Ensure!that!high!salt!content!foods!(nuts,!
chips)!are!not!served!as!they!promote!thirst.!
5.!No!sale!of!caffeinated!energy!drinks!or!
preDmixed!caffeinated!alcoholic!beverages!
6.!No!single!shots!of!alcohol!(shooters)!
7.!Limit!amount!of!spirits!in!drinks!to!1!oz.!
8.!Limit!the!number!of!drinks!that!can!be!
purchased!by!any!person!at!one!time!
Nuts!and!chips!are!not!served!in!the!
Bar.!!
There(is(a(store(across(the(hall(where(
‘junk’(food(is(available.(
The!Bar!sells!caffeinated!energy!drinks!
and!allows!patrons!to!mix!them!with!
alcohol.(The(bar(gets(many(requests(for(
them.!
The!Bar!sells!both!1!oz!and!2!oz!shots.!
All!the!‘girlie’!shooters!are!low!alcohol!–!
11D12%.!
The!bar!sells!both!singles!(1!oz)!and!
doubles!(2!ozs).!
Legally!drinks!are!limited!to!2!per!
person!at!any!one!time.!May!sell!more!
during!nonDbusy!times!when!bar!tender!
can!see!the!#!of!people!at!the!table.!
After!‘last!call’,!drinks!are!limited!to!one!
per!person.!
The!bar!stocks!lite!beers!
The!bar!operates!a!food!menu!from!
5pm!–!8pm!on!the!days!it!is!open.!Pub!
food!and!mains!are!available.!Late!night!
different!societies!will!sell!grilled!cheese!
sandwiches!to!raise!money!for!their!
groups!
Nuts!and!chips!are!not!served!in!the!
Bar.!
!
!
Nuts!and!chips!are!not!served!in!the!
Pub.!
The!Bar!sells!caffeinated!energy!drinks!
and!allows!patrons!to!mix!them!with!
alcohol.!Staff!do!not!mix!them.!!
The!bar!sells!Jager!bombs.!
The!bar!sells!shooters.!Usually!it!i!s!guys!
who!buy!shooters!for!their!male!friends.!
Shots!are!the!most!popular!drink!on!
Wed!nights.!Usually!sell!upwards!of!100!
shots;!75!to!males,!25!to!females.!!
The!bar!sells!both!singles!(1!oz)!and!
doubles!(2!ozs).!
The!bar!encourages!two!drinks!to!a!
person.!Staff!uses!common!sense;!if!a!
person!is!buying!for!the!varsity!team,!
and!staff!can!see!the!team,!then!will!sell!
them!and!hand!them!over!to!the!team.!
The!bar!sells!both!singles!(1!oz)!and!
doubles!(2!ozs).!
Drinks!are!limited!to!2!per!person!at!any!
one!time.!
32#
!
9.!Regulate!service!of!alcohol!after!12!am!
Drinks!are!reduced!to!one!per!person!
after!‘last!call’.!
Drink!containers!reflect!standard!drink!
sizes!as!governed!by!the!liquor!control!
laws.!
Bar!does!not!underprice!as!it!is!seen!as!
encouraging!overconsumption.!A!single!
costs!$4.50,!a!double!costs!$9.00!(no!
savings).!18!oz!draft!costs!$5.25;!bottled!
beer!&!well!shots!cost!$4.50.!‘Alcohol!is!
a!responsibility,!not!a!right’.!
Drinks!are!limited!to!2!per!person!at!any!
time.!
Drink!containers!reflect!standard!drink!
sizes!as!governed!by!the!liquor!control!
laws.!
The!bar!has!three!price!points!daily.!See!
below.!
12.!No!‘Happy!Hours’!or!discount!sales.!
The!bar!has!‘student!saver!hours’!from!
4:40!pm!to!7!pm!on!both!draft!&!
bottled!beer!&!well!shots.!!
13.!Eliminate!games!that!create!mixed!drink!
‘specials’!for!the!night.!
14.!Eliminate!‘last!calls’.!
The!bar!has!no!drinking!games!or!
wheels.!
The!DJ!announces!last!call!at!12:40!am.!
After!‘last!call’,!drinks!are!limited!to!one!
per!person.!
The!bar!offers!Happy!Hour!from!5!pm!to!
9!pm!but!prices!are!reduced!on!draft!
beer!only;!($14!for!a!pitcher!and!$4!a!
shot.!From!9!pm!to!10!pm,!prices!are!
reduced!on!well!shots!&!draft!($13!for!a!
pitcher!&!$2.50!a!shot.!From!10!pm!to!
closing!the!bar!offers!specific!specials!
with!remaining!prices!regular!($16!
pitcher,!$4!shot).!Wine!is!always!$6.50!
(200ml!bottle).!!
The!bar!has!no!drinking!games!or!
wheels.!
The!bar!has!‘last!calls’!at!12:30!am.!
10.!Limit!the!size!of!drink!containers!to!
reflect!standard!drink!sizes.!
11.!Have!alcohol!pricing!reflect!the!
percentage!of!alcohol!(i.e.!beverages!that!
contain!less!alcohol!than!calculated!in!one!
standard!drink!are!priced!lower!than!drinks!
containing!one!standard!drink!of!alcohol).!
!
!
!
Drinks!are!limited!to!2!per!person!at!any!
time.!
Beer:!16!oz!glass!for!a!14!oz!pour;!20!oz!
glass!for!a!18!oz!pour;!60!oz!pitcher!for!
a!56!oz!pour!
$4.25!a!beer!,!$4.00!for!draft;!$16!a!
pitcher!(4!drafts);!$4.50!well!shot,!$4.75!
wine.!
!
!
The!bar!has!a!daily!‘happy!hour’!from!4!
pm!to!6:30!pm!and!on!Wed!nights!from!
9!pm!to!10:30!pm.!Prices!are!$3!a!shot;!
$3.50!a!draft;!$4.00!a!beer.!
The!bar!has!no!drinking!games!or!
wheels.!
There!is!a!‘last!call’!at!12:30!am.!
33#
!
3.1.3:#Best#Practices#relating#to#Transportation:16Designed(to(ensure(that(any(person,(who(is(or(appears(to(be(intoxicated,(will(not(be(permitted(
to(leave(the(premises(until(reasonable(steps(have(been(taken(to(ensure(that(person’s(safe(accompaniment(or(transport.(
Policies#and#Practices#
Acadia#University#
Cape#Breton#University#
Dalhousie#Faculty#of#Agriculture#
1.!Staff!involved!in!removing!patrons!from!onD
campus!establishments!will!encourage!the!use!
of!harm!reduction!or!emergency!services!as!
needed.!
Emergency!Health!Services!(EHS)!
personnel!has!provided!EHS!training!to!all!
bar!staff,!(and!residence!staff!&!House!
Councils).!Staff!have!been!provided!with!a!
level!of!comfort!to!pick!up!the!phone!and!
make!the!911!call!if!there!is!any!doubt!of!
a!patron’s!safety.!
Emergency!Health!Services!(EHS)!
personnel!has!provided!EHS!training!to!
all!bar!staff,!(and!residence!staff!&!
House!Councils).!Staff!have!been!
provided!with!a!level!of!comfort!to!pick!
up!the!phone!and!make!the!911!call!if!
there!is!any!doubt!of!a!patron’s!safety.!
Bar!staff!call!campus!Security!to!help!
safely!remove!patron!from!the!pub!
and!determine!next!steps.!!
2.!Staff!will!make!every!effort!to!find!
appropriate!accompaniment!to!ensure!the!
patron’s!safety.!
Use!Safety!&!Security!walk!home!service!
or!the!student!union’s!shuttle!service.!Bar!
staff!also!call!Residences!to!alert!them!to!
student!on!their!way!so!the!RAs!are!ready!
for!them.!OffDcampus!students!have!the!
same!access!to!Shuttle!service!as!onD
campus!students.!
If!awake!and!inebriated,!bar!manager!
tries!to!identify!a!friend!to!take!patron!
home;!gets!Security!to!take!home;!or!
sometimes!the!bar!tender!will!take!a!
student!home.!Also!notifies!the!RA!of!
the!details.!!
3.!If!no!safe!transportation!home!is!available!
to!a!patron!removed!from!an!onDcampus!
establishment,!a!taxi!chit!will!be!provided!(and!
a!taxi!called)!to!ensure!safe!transport.!
The!Student!Union’s!shuttle!service!will!
take!offDcampus!students!home.!
Policies#and#Practices#
1.!Staff!involved!in!removing!patrons!from!onD
campus!establishments!will!encourage!the!use!
of!harm!reduction!or!emergency!services!as!
needed.!
Mount#St.#Vincent#University#
If!person!can’t!stand,!is!vomiting,!
manager!or!assistant!manager!are!called!
&!ask!what!alcohol/drugs!they’ve!taken;!
what!food!eaten.!Bar!staff!have!called!an!
ambulance!on!occasion.!
2.!Staff!will!make!every!effort!to!find!
appropriate!accompaniment!to!ensure!the!
patron’s!safety.!
Bar!staff!will!release!an!intoxicated!
student!to!a!sober!friend!but!not!to!a!
drunk!friend;!in!other!cases!bar!staff!alert!
Security!or!MSVU!Crew!to!come!and!
meet!them.!Staff!never!leave!the!student!
alone.!
For!offDcampus!students,!the!bar!staff!
calls!a!cab,!puts!them!in,!pays!out!of!
own!pocket.!Efforts!are!made!to!have!a!
friend!accompany!them.!
St.#Francis#Xavier#University##
For!those!students!not!in!control!of!
their!faculties,!XPatrol!will!assess!and!
make!the!decision!on!whether!medical!
attention!or!police!attention!is!needed.!
XPatrol!are!trained!in!determining!if!
medical/police!attention!is!required.!
Bar!staff!typically!try!to!find!friends!of!
the!individual!to!take!responsibility!for!
getting!them!home!safe;!XPatrol!will!
also!assist.!There!is!also!a!walk!home!
service!on!campus!and!a!drive!home!
service!for!students!off!campus.!!
!
!
In!the!past,!Security!would!make!the!
call,!would!walk!or!watch!the!
student!walk!home!(all!3!Residences!
are!within!eyesight)!of!pub.!Head!
office!recently!changed!the!rules!so!
that!Security!are!no!longer!allowed!
to!stand!outside!the!building!where!
the!pub!is!located.!
For!offDcampus!students,!the!bar!
staff!calls!a!cab!&!puts!them!in.!
Efforts!are!made!to!have!a!friend!
accompany!them.!!
St.#Mary’s#University#
If!student!is!intoxicated!to!point!of!
requiring!medical!intervention,!
campus!security!is!called!who!in!turn!
call!911.!
If!student!lives!on!campus,!bar!staff!
will!get!friends!to!walk!home.!Or!the!
door!staff!will!walk!home.!(Campus!
security!will!not!provide!this!service).!
34#
!
!
3.!If!no!safe!transportation!home!is!available!
to!a!patron!removed!from!an!onDcampus!
establishment,!a!taxi!chit!will!be!provided!(and!
a!taxi!called)!to!ensure!safe!transport.!
!
!
Bar!staff!will!call!a!taxi!and!see!that!
student!is!accompanied!for!safety.!Bar!
staff!pay!out!of!own!pocket!if!student!
unable!to!pay.!
STFX!has!a!van!paid!by!Student!Union!
(from!bar!profits)!that!is!used!to!drive!
offDcampus!students!home.!!
If!offDcampus,!staff!will!call!a!taxi!
paid!for!by!the!Student!Union.!Will!
attempt!to!find!a!friend!to!accompany!
in!taxi!
!
35#
3.2# Advertising#Policies#
Evidence!from!a!literature!review!carried!out!for!the!Nova!Scotia!Department!of!Health!
Promotion!and!Protection!(2009)!indicates!that!advertising!by!the!alcohol!industry!both!
encourages!youth!(aged!15D26)!to!takeDup!drinking!as!well!as!increase!their!consumption!if!
already!drinking.!Evidence!also!ties!repeated!exposure!to!advertising!by!the!alcohol!industry!to!
overconsumption!of!alcohol!by!young!people.!17!!!
Student!unions!can!limit!the!impact!of!the!alcohol!industry!on!students!by!putting!in!place!an!
advertising!policy!to!govern!their!student!bars!(including!special!events).!The!alcohol!policies!in!
place!at!both!Queen’s!University!and!Guelph!University!provide!examples!of!best!practices!
relating!to!restrictions!on!advertising!including:!
No!advertising!of!any!event!that!promotes!excessive!consumption!of!alcohol!as!the!
focus!of!the!event.!
• No!advertising!that!links!drinking!to!improved!health,!intellectual!or!physical!
performance.!
• No!advertising!that!links!drinking!to!improved!social!status!or!popularity.!
• No!advertising!that!promotes!sexism!or!discrimination.!
• No!advertising!of!prices.!Events!can!be!advertised!(e.g.,!Martini!Monday)!but!the!price!is!
to!be!excluded.!
!
A!further!best!practice!explicitly!prohibits!the!association!of!sex!and!alcohol!or!implying!sexual!
attractiveness!or!sexual!success!due!to!alcohol!consumption.!!
Advertising!in!place!at!the!student!unionDrun!bar!at!Dalhousie’s!Faculty!of!Agriculture!is!
governed!by!a!strict!code.!They!are!the!only!bar!of!the!six!that!bans!usage!of!liquor!logos!on!
posters!and!other!advertising!media.!All!others!use!‘blanks’!provided!by!liquor!companies!for!
promotion!purposes.!The!‘blanks’!come!with!the!company!logo!(but!no!pictures!or!products).!!
!
The!Agricultural!campus’s!student!union!also!prohibits!the!advertising!of!drink!prices!on!all!
posters!and!on!their!website.!!
!
While!bar!management!at!Mount!St.!Vincent!and!St.!Mary’s!University!use!posters!and!other!
media!to!promote!the!event!(e.g.,!Martini!Monday)!they!do!not!advertise!prices.!
!
The!bars!at!each!of!Acadia!and!StFX!however!do!advertise!pricing!on!posters!and!their!websites.!
Some!student!unions!also!permit!the!alcohol!industry!to!advertise!inside!their!bars!on!clocks!etc.!
and!in!their!student!newspapers.!
!
The!effectiveness!of!student!union!policies!in!restricting!advertising!by!
“!We!treat!alcohol!
the!alcohol!industry!on!campus!is!compromised!by!the!lack!of!campusD
and!tobacco!very!
wide!policies!on!advertising.!At!St.!Mary’s!University,!for!example,!the!
differently.!We!don’t!
Athletics!Department!has!an!agreement!with!a!large!beer!company.!As!
have!a!cigarette!
one!of!the!Huskies!major!sponsors,!they!have!advertising!in!all!the!
package!blown!up!on!
football!programs!and!are!invited!to!the!Athlete!Awards!reception.!
the!sports!field.”!
Although!in!2013,!St.!Mary’s!went!tobaccoDfree,!at!football!games!there!
is!a!huge!blowup!of!a!beer!can!on!the!field!alongside!a!beer!truck.!!
•
!
36#
3.3# Event#Risk#Assessment#Procedures#
!
As!part!of!their!mandate!Student!Unions!provide!a!wide!range!of!social!programming;!they!also!
support!student!societies!and!house!councils!which!also!put!on!special!events!for!their!
members.!Some!events!are!wet,!some!dry!and!some!are!wet/dry.!In!all!cases,!the!student!union!
and!university!staff!require!all!primary!sponsors!of!the!event!to!complete!an!events!risk!
assessment!form.!!
!
Tools!that!determine!level!of!risk!associated!with!holding!special!student!events!on!or!offD
campus!are!considered!a!best!practice.!Known!as!Event&Risk&Assessment!procedures,!these!tools!
require!students,!when!planning!any!special!event!(alcoholic!or!nonDalcoholic),!to!complete!a!
checkDlist!and!review!it!with!university!safety!staff!as!a!condition!of!holding!an!event.!This!
process!is!intended!to!help!students!think!about!risks!and!come!up!with!strategies!to!reduce!
risks.!!
!
Table!3.3.1!summarizes!current!risk!assessment!practices!in!place!across!the!six!campuses!and!
used!by!student!leaders!when!planning!events.!A!review!of!the!table!indicates!that:!
•
•
•
•
Three!of!the!six!student!unions!have!detailed!events!planning!forms!and!processes!in!
place!which!meet!the!suggested!best!practice!(Acadia,!Cape!Breton!University!and!
StFX).!
A!fourth!student!union!has!a!policy!and!checkDlist!in!progress!(Mt.!St.!Vincent).!
A!fifth!has!a!review!process!but!no!form!(Dalhousie!Faculty!of!Agriculture).!
The!sixth!has!an!events!form!but!the!information!required!is!minimal!and!not!clearly!
specified!(St.!Mary’s).!
!
An!example!of!a!risk!assessment!tool!considered!a!best!practice!tool!is!replicated!in!Figure!3.3.2.!
!
!
!
37#
Table#3.3.1#
Procedures#relating#to#Event#Risk#Assessment
University*
Acadia*
University*
Cape*Breton*
University*
Dalhousie*
Faculty*of*
Agriculture*
Mount*St.*
Vincent*
University*
St.*Francis*
Xavier*
University*
!
#
*Risk*–*Criteria*Assessment*Tools*or*Procedures*
The$Acadia$Students’$Union$requires$an$‘Event$Request$Form’$be$
completed$and$reviewed$by$the$ASU’s$Building$&$Events$Manager$for$all$
student$events$over$15$people.$The$form$requires$Club/House$Council$
information$(names$and$contact$information;$information$on$type$of$event$
(wet,$dry,$wet/dry);$location;$number$of$attendees;$start/end$times;$cost$
of$admission;$sober$attendees’$names/student$numbers;$theme$
requested;$sponsor;$and$music$source.).$The$checklist$requires:$1$sober$
per$75$attendees;$‘adequate’$amount$of$food$per$attendee;$poster$
approval;$hydration$station/mock$cocktail.$The$event$form$and$waiver$
must$be$passed$in$one$week$before$date$of$event.$
The$CBU$Students’$Union$has$adopted$a$detailed$8$page$Society$Event$
Planning$Form.$It$collects$information$on$the$host$group;$primary$event$
organizer;$alcoholUrelated$details;$food$details;$student$ages;$ID$requireU
ments;$transportation$details;$physical$activity$&$personal$safety$risks;$
community$relations$(on$&$off$campus)$risks;$&$proposed$budget.$The$
form$must$be$submitted$14$days$prior$to$the$event,$to$be$reviewed$and$
signed$by$the$CBU$Campus$Affairs$coordinator$and$Director$of$Finance$
and$Operations$for$approval$and$signature.$*
There’s!a!procedure!rather!than!a!form!in!place!at!the!Dalhousie!Agricultural!
Students’!Association.!At!the!start!of!each!semester,!the!Students’!
Association!compiles!all!upcoming!events!and!meets!with!the!Assistant!Dean!
to!review!all!campus!alcoholDrelated!events.!
The!university!has!expanded!the!mandate!of!its!Large!Events!Committee,!
made!up!of!Security,!Housing,!bar!manager,!&!VP!Life,!to!review!all!special!
events,!large!&!small.!The!Committee!is!in!process!of!developing!one!set!of!
standards,!a!check!list,!to!identify!problems!before!they!happen,!(e.g.,!preD
drinking.)!!
The!university!has!a!detailed!six!page!Event!Risk!Assessment!Form!for!all!
events!which!must!be!submitted!to!an!Events!Review!Committee!10!days!
prior!to!the!scheduled!event!(the!committee!meets!every!Wed.!am).!The!
form!collects!information!on!event!(name/date/start!&!end!time/!name!of!
host!group;!info!on!primary!event!organizer!and!description!of!the!event.!It!
requires!information!on!expected!number!of!guests!including!number!of!StFX!
students!and!nonDstudents!(under!19!and!over!19);!location!of!event;!alcohol!
involvement!both!before!event!and!at!event!including!liquor!services!
contract;!safety!&!security!presence!including!signature!of!S&S!manager;!
details!on!food;!details!on!transportation;!details!on!physical!activity/safety!
risk!including!proof!of!first!aid!if!relevant;!community!relations!risk.!Several!
signatures!from!the!sponsoring!organization!are!required!&!If!alcohol!is!
involved,!the!signature!of!the!Supervisor,!Liquor!Services!is!required.!
!
!
38#
St.*Mary’s*
University*
The!St.!Mary’s!University!Students’!Association!requires!all!student!societies!
planning!an!event!that!includes!‘Alcohol,!Transportation!or!Activity’!to!
complete!a!2!page!‘Student!Event!Risk!Management!Form’!for!review!by!the!
Student!Union!Society!coordinator!10!days!before!the!planned!event.!The!
form!collects!very!basic!information.!
!
Table#3.3.2#
#
Risk#Criteria#For#Events#Serving#Alcohol18*
Determine(the(overall(risk(of(your(event(by(selecting(either(the(low,(medium(or(high(rating(for(
each(of(the(criteria(in(the(left(hand(column.(One(or(more(criteria(which(have(a(rating(of(High(
can(raise(the(overall(risk(of(the(event(to(high.(For$an$event$that$is$calculated$as$an$overall$medium$
risk$or$above,$strategies$must$be$put$in$place$to$reduce$the$level$of$risk.$
$
Venue$
Advertising$
Alcohol$
Low$Risk$Event$
Medium$Risk$Event$
High$Risk$Event$
On$campus$licensed$
NonUalcoholic$and$
alcoholic$beverages$
NonUalcoholic$
beverages$served,$light$
beer$only,$no$spirits$
Off$campus$licensed$
‘Happy$Hour’$drinks$
Other$
All$you$can$drink$
packages$
Full$strength$and$light$
beer,$wine,$spirits$and$
water$
Food$
Two/three$course$
meal$served$near$start$
of$event$
Supervision$
Length$of$event$
Bar$Staff$
Dedicated$supervision$
<2$hours$
Trained$paid$staff$
Bar$Service$
Type$of$activity$
Cash$(licensed)$
Low$key$
Accessibility$
Majority$can$walk,$get$
taxis$or$use$public$
transit$
Event$starts$and$
finishes$in$one$location$
NonUalcoholic$
beverages$served,$full$
strength$beer$as$well$
as$light$beer$and$wine$
Food$(dips,$cheese,$
crackers$etc)$available$
½$hour$before$alcohol$
available$
Part$time$supervision$
2U4$hours$
Combination$of$paid$
staff$and$volunteers$
(trained$and$
untrained)$
Combination$
Special$occasion$
Crowd$mix$
>Number$of$females$
Majority$must$drive,$
taxis$and$public$transit$
available$
Event$starts$in$one$
place$then$people$are$
encouraged$to$move$to$
another$
Females$equal$to$males$
Number$of$People$
Underage$present$
Broad$age$mix$
<50$
None$
People$in$20’sU30’s$
50U100$
Limited$
Mobility$of$event$
No$food$or$only$salty$
food$(chips,$nuts)$
No$supervision$
>4$hours$
Self$serve$or$
volunteers$
(untrained),$BYOB$
Open/BYOB$
Party$(end$of$year,$
major$sport$event)$
Everyone$must$drive,$
no$public$transit$
Pub$crawl$type$event,$
three$or$more$
locations$
>Number$of$males$
People$in$18U25s$
>100$
20+%$of$attendees$
!
39#
3.4# House#Councils#and#Societies#
!
Three!of!the!six!campuses!(Acadia,!Dalhousie’s!Faculty!of!Agriculture!and!
“It!was!common!
StFX)!have!house!councils!as!part!of!student!residence!life.!Normally!
to!see!house!
elected!by!their!fellow!students,!house!councils!are!responsible!for!all!
presidents!
social!events!put!on!by!their!respective!residence.!House!councils!
buying!alcohol!
however!have!often!come!under!criticism!for!their!focus!on!partying!and!
for!underDaged!
unsafe!drinking!practices.!!
students.”!
!
In!an!effort!to!change!the!partying!culture!in!residences!at!StFX,!and!to!
-&Student&leader&
make!the!councils!accountable!to!the!student!union,!the!process!for!
selection!of!house!council!membership!was!recently!changed!from!an!
!
election!to!an!application!process.!House!residents!still!nominate!their!
representatives!but!student!union!executive!review!the!written!applications!and!interviews!the!
applicants.!!
!
Feedback!indicates!the!change!is!working.!Parties!and!themed!events!are!no!longer!permitted!in!
residence;!house!councils!are!mandated!instead!to!run!several!campaigns!a!year!from!raising!
funds!to!support!the!cancer!society!and!the!student!food!bank!to!hosting!a!variety!of!outdoor!
healthy!living!activities!(capture!the!flag,!scavenger!hunts,!intramurals).!Houses!compete!for!
points!and!the!house!with!the!most!points!wins!the!House!of!the!Year!award,!handed!out!during!
Awards!Night.!
!
At!the!Dalhousie!Agricultural!campus,!House!Councils!are!not!permitted!to!provide!alcohol!at!
their!events.!While!there!may!be!events!where!students!are!drinking,!they!are!never!advertised!
as!drinking!events!or!intended!as!drinking!events.!
!
Student!unions!at!Cape!Breton!University,!St.!Mary’s!and!StFX!have!also!banned!pub!crawls!for!
events!hosted!by!their!societies.!!
!
!
40#
!
4.0$Individual$Strategies:$Other$
Opportunities+for+Student+Union+Influence#
“…&promoting&a&campus&environment&that&facilitates&positive&mental&health&
and&promotes&connectedness&among&students&and&the&community&will&
reinforce&a&moderate&alcohol&message.”&(The&Strang&Report)&
&
Student!leadership!has!a!major!role!to!play!in!building!
community!and!connectedness!on!campus!and!also!in!
promoting!positive!mental!health.!By!developing!and!
implementing!strategies!and!programming!in!collaboration!
with!university!staff!and!community!partners,!student!leaders!
can!start!to!shift!culture!away!from!events!that!focus!on!
heavy!drinking!towards!events!that!encourage!positive!
relationship!building!and!healthy!living.!!
!
This!chapter!looks!at!ways!that!student!unions!and!other!
student!leaders!can!contribute!to!healthy!community!building!
as!well!as!providing!examples!of!studentDled!initiatives!
addressed!to!the!reduction!of!student!high!risk!drinking.!
!
4.1# Changing#the#Culture##
“NonDalcoholic!
programming!supported!by!
the!Student!Union!is!
important.!Peer!to!peer!
communication!on!this!is!
important.!They!need!to!
keep!giving!students!
‘permission’!to!do!different!
things.!We!need!their!active!
and!consistent!
involvement.”!
-&University&staff&
!
!
Student!leadership!can!jumpDstart!the!shift!in!culture!by!
changing!expectations!on!the!role!that!alcohol!plays!in!the!
“We!need!to!start!with!
social!life!of!a!campus.!It!is!often!said!that!campus!drinking!
the!freshmen...teach!
is!‘a!rite!of!passage’,!and!that!students!are!expected!to!‘try!
them!what!a!norm!for!a!
out!their!wings’!their!first!year!away!from!home.!These!
Friday!night!is..!Start!with!
expressions!have!become!accepted!as!the!norm!for!campus!
the!kids!who!will!move!
culture…!but!norms!can!change!and!first!year!students!offer!
forward…this!is!how!to!
a!starting!point!for!this!shift.!
change!culture.”!
!
Student!leaders!can!use!the!first!week!of!university!life!to!
D&Residence&manager&
show!students!that!there!are!options!to!have!fun!without!
resorting!to!dangerous!drinking!games!and!other!risky!
!
drinking!behaviour.!Student!Unions!across!the!six!campuses!
already!support!a!dry!orientation!for!first!year!students!during!which!all!froshDrelatedDrelated!
activities!are!dry!and!the!student!leaders!who!engage!with!the!students!are!also!alcohol–free.!!
!
As!of!fall!2013,!Acadia!University!has,!supported!by!Acadia!Students’!Union,!instituted!a!‘no!
drinking’!policy!behind!closed!doors!in!residence!throughout!orientation!week.!Instead,!students!
are!allowed!to!drink!in!designated!spaces!in!residence!under!the!close!observation!and!
!
41#
monitoring!by!trained!resident!assistants!and!welcome!week!student!leaders.!The!intent!behind!
the!policy!is!to!support!a!new!culture!of!moderation!towards!alcohol!on!campus!rather!than!
focusing!on!the!behaviour.!Should!any!student!participate!in!risky!behaviour,!residence!staff!will!
intervene!proactively!and!hold!conversations!(brief!motivational!interventions)!related!to!the!
risky!behaviour.!!
!
4.!1.1!DeDnormalize!Heavy!Drinking!
!
Awareness!campaigns!run!by!student!unions!can!be!used!to!
make!heavy!drinking!and!its!risky!side!effects!such!as!vomiting!
“The!international!
and!blacking!out!as!‘socially!unacceptable’;!just!as!cigarette!
students!have!a!
smoking!and!driving!drunk!have!become.!An!example!of!such!
different!culture!
messaging!is!shown!on!the!following!page!(see!poster!created!
around!drinking;!they!
by!the!RESPECT!team!from!the!Dalhousie!Faculty!of!
party!but!they!party!
Agriculture).!
differently.!It’s!about!
!
the!music,!not!the!
Social!marketing!could!also!be!used!to!encourage!students!to!
alcohol.”!
focus!on!‘the!event’!rather!than!the!alcohol.!Alcohol!could!still!
be!available!but!the!focus!would!be!on!the!socializing!aspect!of!
-&Residence&manager&
the!event!rather!than!on!the!drinking.!
!
!
Awareness!campaigns!could!adjust!the!misconceptions!some!
students!hold!regarding!how!much!their!peers!drink,!by!providing!accurate!consumption!rates!
along!with!messaging!on!the!risks!associated!with!overDconsumption!of!alcohol.!Students!often!
overestimate!the!amount!of!drinking!that!occurs!among!their!peers!and!shape!their!own!
behaviour!to!meet!the!perceived!norm.!!
!
A!variety!of!onDline!screening!tools!also!offer!students!the!opportunity!to!obtain!insight!into!
their!alcohol!consumption.!Student!unions!may!consider!purchasing!an!appropriate!tool!and!
making!it!available!on!their!website!to!let!students!compare!their!drinking!to!how!much!others!
drink.!Checkyourdrinking.net,!a!tool!developed!at!the!University!of!Toronto!and!validated!in!
faceDtoDface!settings,!asks!several!simple!questions!about!drinking!habits!then!produces!a!report!
detailing!percentage!of!days!a!person!drank!in!the!past!year,!number!of!pounds!they!gained!
from!alcohol,!amount!of!money!they!spent!on!alcohol!and!how!their!drinking!measures!against!
others!in!their!age!group.!It!also!gives!a!score!to!indicate!the!seriousness!of!their!drinking!
ranging!from!“no!problem”!to!“dependence”.!!
!
By!themselves,!these!interventions!may!not!bring!down!drinking!levels!because!drinking!rates!
on!campus!are!unacceptably!high!to!begin!with,!just!not!as!high!as!perceived!by!many!students.!
But!when!combined!with!the!types!of!environmental!strategies!addressed!to!lowering!
consumption!rates!and!discussed!in!chapter!3!of!this!report,!their!effectiveness!may!well!be!
enhanced.!
!
42#
!
Why#this#simple#tool#helps#curb#drinking:#
•
People$don’t$like$to$be$seen$as$abnormal.$Heavy$drinkers$tend$
to$overestimate$how$much$others$drink$until$the$tool$tells$
them.$
• Seeing$in$black$and$white$the$number$of$calories$consumed$
and$amount$of$dollars$spent$can$be$a$powerful$incentive$for$
heavy$drinkers$to$reUthink$their$alcohol$consumption$patterns#
!
43#
Myth: “People pass out all the time from drinking too much
alcohol. It’s no big deal.”
Fact: Losing consciousness is one of the signs of alcohol poisoning
and is a potential medical emergency.
You might believe that getting drunk and passing out are part of the college or
university experience, but they are not. The majority of Canadian students are
making healthy choices about alcohol poisoning. To make a healthy choice, you need
to be informed!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
44#
4.1.2! Providing!Options!that!Support!Relationship!and!Community!Building!
!
Changing!the!campus!culture!will!require!student!unions!
to!place!a!greater!emphasis!on!activities!and!events!that!
“It’s!an!opportunity!for!
promote!“natural!ways!of!getting!high”!and!decrease!
students!to!make!change,!
students’!reliance!for!having!fun!on!alcohol.!
rethink!the!way!they’re!
!
engaging!students!–!shift!
“&We&need&to&do&a&better&job&around&alcohol;&need&
focus!from!the!cool!
to&provide&some&REAL&alternatives&to&consumption.&
student!leader!who!creates!
So&much&of&what&Student&Unions&do&revolves&around&
events!at!the!bar!to!the!
alcohol.&We&need&to&move&beyond&de-alcoholizing&of&
cool!student!leader!who’s!
events&(to)&create&real&opportunities&for&interacting&
engaged!in!community!
in&social&activities&that&don’t&revolve&around&
leadership.”!
alcohol.”&(Residence&Life&director)&
&
-&Addictions&staff&
StFX*Students’*Union*
Members!of!the!St.!Francis!Xavier!student!executive!agree!
!
that!there!are!large!numbers!of!students!who!are!attracted!to!alcoholDfree!events!as!well!as!
events!that!promote!community!building!and!have!attempted!to!provide!programming!that!
meet!these!criteria:!!
!
!“A&lot&of&students&across&the&student&population&have&asked&us&for&more&dry&events;&
and&in&fact&most&events&we&put&on&are&dry.&There’s&Shine&On&(for&Shinerama)&and&we&
also&put&on&events&at&the&student&bar&on&Saturday&nights&so&the&under-aged&students&
can&attend&and&party&alcohol-free.&Each&House&has&money&in&their&budget&for&these&
events….”!
!
Acadia*Students’*Union*
The!Acadia!Students’!Union!is!committed!to!building!a!nonDalcoholic!
culture!in!which!all!students!feel!included!and!welcome.!Student!
“NonDalcoholic!
leadership!reported!being!‘blown!away’!by!student!response!to!
programming!is!
something!as!simple!as!an!ice!cream!social!they!had!planned!as!part!
part!of!Acadia’s!
of!frosh!week.!Anticipating!a!turnDout!of!50!students,!student!
culture.”!
leaders!ended!up!scrambling!for!access!to!more!ice!cream!when!
over!300!students!turned!out!for!the!event.!Similarly,!200!students!
-&Acadia&
turned!out!for!a!Disney!Movie!Night.!These!numbers!indicate!that!
administration&
students!are!interested!in!and!will!attend!social!events!which!
celebrate!relationship!building!and!friendship!and!do!not!revolve!
!
around!alcohol.!
!
University!staff!support!and!empower!the!student!union!in!their!social!and!culture!
programming,!making!faculty!and!university!buildings!available!as!required.!In!this!way!the!
grounds!and!fireDpit!at!Acadia’s!Irving!Environmental!Science!Centre!have!been!opened!up!to!
students!for!outdoor!movie!nights,!camp!fires!and!nature!walks.!
!
!
45#
Most!of!the!60!plus!student!societies!and!clubs!at!Acadia!are!alcoholDfree;!intramural!run!events!
are!alcoholDfree;!resident!assistants!schedule!over!1200!dry!programs!during!the!academic!year;!
and!for!every!wet!event,!the!student!union!attempts!to!put!on!two!dry!events.!&
*
Cape*Breton*University*Students’*Union*
Student!leadership!at!CBU!also!recognize!the!need!for!a!culture!
shift!as!evidenced!by!changes!made!over!its!2013!orientation!
“We!really!focused!
week.!!
this!year!on!getting!
!
the!first!years!away!
This!past!year!student!leaders!promoted!orientation!under!the!
from!drinking!to!
slogan!“Frosh&Week&2013:&27&Countries,&One&Orange&Army”!
getting!together.”!
reflecting!campus!pride!in!the!large!number!of!international!
students!attracted!to!CBU,!and!their!school!colour.!Only!first!year!
D!Student&leader&
students!and!student!leaders!were!allowed!on!campus!the!first!
four!days!of!orientation!during!which!they!received!a!range!of!
!
programming!delivered!by!university!staff!(one!day)!with!the!
remaining!time!devoted!to!a!range!of!social!events!(all!dry)!including!surfing!lessons,!a!trip!to!
Louisburg,!movie!nights!and!bonfires.!Only!one!wetDonly!event!was!permitted!in!the!student!
pub!for!the!entire!12Dday!extended!frosh!week.!
!
The!impression!that!new!students!would!have!received!of!student!life!in!frosh!week!2013!is!in!
sharp!contrast!to!the!impression!their!peers!would!have!received!two!years!earlier.!Then,!frosh!
week!was!named!‘The!Froshover’,!a!take!off!on!the!movie!‘The!Hangover’.!The!week!was!
promoted!with!materials!featuring!a!flip!cup!(a!drinking!game)!and!the!slogan!‘Forgetting&the&
Most&Memorable&Week&of&your&Life’.!(Note:!Students!Services!reDcalled!the!tDshirts!when!they!
saw!the!slogan).!!
Cape!Breton!University!Student!Union!also!partners!with!Addiction!Services!and!Health!
Promotions!and!Prevention!of!the!CBDHA!to!hold!regular!atDleast!biDannual!student!assemblies!
on!the!dangers!of!binge!drinking!to!promote!a!social,!not!sloppy!drinking!lifestyle.!In!addition,!
the!student!leadership!has!established!a!Safety!and!Health!On!Campus!Society!(SHOC)!that!
partners!with!CBDHA!to!promote!responsible!drinking,!and!mental!health!on!campus.!
Other*Opportunities*for*Change*
Other!suggestions!for!impacting!culture!change!heard!in!the!interviews!include!establishment!of!
coffee!houses!where!students!could!play!music,!engage!in!political!discussions,!hold!literary!
events,!or!just!hang!out.!!
!
“We&need&a&place&to&drink&Fair&Trade&coffee&and&discuss&social&
Maybe!an!
justice&issues.&Our&students&today&are&lost&in&their&use&of&
opportunity!exists!
technology;&they&need&encouragement&to&have&open&
for!a!business!
conversation&and&improve&dialogue&between&each&other.&It&could&
graduate!to!open!a!
be&a&place&for&board&games19,&to&play&pool&and&bring&in&student&
coffee!house!
musicians.”&(Student!health!director)!
franchise!on!
!
campus!in!
Coffee!houses!could!also!offer!a!venue!for!engaging!the!student!
partnership!with!a!
population!in!conversations!on!changes!they!would!like!to!see!
Fair!Trade!coffee!
producer?!
!
!
!
46#
on!campus!including!cultural!expectations!they!have!for!their!campus.!
!
Providing!opportunities!to!have!fun!without!alcohol!will!be!attractive!not!only!to!those!
students!who!do!not!drink!and!those!who!drink!only!minimally,!but!also!to!students!who!
say!they!only!drink!because!of!the!lack!of!other!options.!!
!
4.2# Peer#Led#Programs#
!
PeerDtoDpeer!initiatives!are!recognized!as!an!effective!approach!for!raising!awareness!around!
highDrisk!drinking!and!enhancing!student!safety.!Participants!in!peerDled!programs!interact!with!
their!fellow!students!on!a!daily!basis!and!share!similar!experiences!which!provide!them!with!the!
trust!and!credibility!to!have!their!voices!heard.!Simply!put,!students!listen!to!their!peers.!
!
Three!peerDled!initiatives!on!Nova!Scotia!campuses!aimed!at!addressing!students’!risky!drinking!
practices!and!one!from!the!University!of!Saskatchewan!are!described!below.!
4.2.1! Acadia’s!Red!and!Blue!Crew!
!
Acadia’s!Red&and&Blue&Crew!is!a!studentDled!initiative!designed!to!
promote!responsible!drinking!and!help!reduce!highDrisk!drinking!
through!awareness!building.!Established!at!Acadia!University!in!
2012,!the!Red!and!Blue!Crew!is!based!on!the!best!practice!Red!
Watch!Band!model!from!Stony!Brook!University!in!the!US.20!!!
!
The!goal!of!the!training!provided!to!members!of!the!Red!and!Blue!
Crew!is!to!create!awareness!and!confidence!among!students!to!act!
if!they!see!other!students!in!distress.!In!addition!to!CPR!training,!the!
program!teaches!students!to:!
•
•
•
•
•
“The!Red!and!Blue!
Crew!empowers!
the!students!to!
help!make!a!
difference!by!
changing!the!
culture!of!drinking!
here!at!Acadia!&!
beyond!its!doors.”!
Identify!the!signs!before!it!gets!to!the!point!of!an!alcohol!
–&Acadia&staff&&
overdose!
Know!when!to!call!911!
!
Identify!high!risk!environments!and!high!risk!behaviours!
Know!myths!from!facts!regarding!alcohol!and!how!to!help!a!friend!sober!up!safely!
Help!create!a!safety!net!for!the!university!campus!and!community!by!responding!as!a!
bystander!in!an!alcoholDrelated!situation.!
!
Students!who!complete!the!training!receive!a!red!and!blue!band!that!they!are!encouraged!to!
wear!when!they!go!to!bars!or!highDrisk!events.!The!program!is!totally!voluntary;!there!are!no!set!
hours!or!shifts.!When!students!wear!the!band!they!are!reflecting!their!commitment!to!take!on!
an!active!bystander!role!with!their!fellow!students.!
!
In!2012D13,!the!program!trained!just!under!100!students!including!student!union!
representatives!and!residence!assistants;!in!2013D14!the!program!trained!an!additional!100!
students!including!members!of!the!student!executive,!athletes!from!the!varsity!teams!and!other!
!
47#
student!leaders.!One!of!the!main!messages!the!Red!and!Blue!Crew!receive!in!their!training!is!to!
call!911.!!
“We!see!calling!911!as!a!best!practice!because!it!takes!the!ownership!off!the!students!if!
an!issue!occurs.!You!have!trained!medical!personnel!making!the!medical!decision!and!
providing!the!advice!rather!than!a!first!year!student.!We!tell!them,!‘if!you!call!911,!you’re!
not!going!to!get!in!trouble.’!Over!the!last!two!years,!there!have!been!30!D35!calls.!This!
shows!our!commitment!to!the!process.”!
-&Student&Affairs&
!
!
4.2.2! Dalhousie!Faculty!of!Agriculture’s!RESPECT!Team!
!
In!place!on!the!Agricultural!campus!in!Truro!for!the!past!19!years,!the!peer!educator!program,!
RESPECT,!provides!education!and!awareness!on!health!and!lifestyle.!The!team!consists!of!three!
to!four!peer!educators!trained!and!supervised!by!the!student!health!centre!director.!While!not!a!
program!of!the!student!union,!RESPECT!is!an!example!of!programming!that!student!unions!
could!establish!and/or!support!with!funding!across!their!campuses.!
!
Alcohol!and!sexual!assault!and!the!link!between!the!two!have!been!a!major!emphasis!of!the!
RESPECT!team.!During!orientation!week,!the!team!delivers!a!mandatory!presentation!to!all!new!
students!on!consent!and!the!implications!when!consent!is!lacking.!The!peer!educators!also!post!
facts!and!questions!relating!to!alcohol!and!consent!on!bulletin!boards!throughout!the!
residences.!
&
The!peer!educators!routinely!leave!a!note!on!all!unattended!drinks!in!the!bar!and!on!highDrisk!
drinking!days!like!St.!Paddy’s,!they!stock!the!campus!pub!with!condoms,!tagged!with!the!
reminder,!“Did&you&get&consent?”!
!
In!response!to!feedback!that!students!did!not!know!the!size!of!a!
standard!drink,!the!Health!Centre!director!and!RESPECT!team!
In!a!test!to!
brought!in!staff!from!Addiction!Services.!He!set!up!a!variety!of!
determine!student!
bottles!and!glasses!in!the!student!residence!lounges,!asked!
awareness!of!
students!to!pour!what!they!considered!to!be!a!standard!drink,!
standard!drink!
then!showed!actual!standard!sizes.!On!average,!students!freeD
sizes,!students!freeD
poured!a!single!and!a!half!to!a!double.!!
poured!a!single!and!
!
a!half!to!a!double.!
Over!the!fall!of!2013,!the!RESPECT!team!organized!a!banner!
competition!among!the!three!residences!and!the!offDcampus!
students.!Each!was!asked!to!come!with!a!‘responsible!drinking’!
slogan!that!would!appeal!to!university!students.!The!four!slogans!read:!
!
!
!
48#
!
•
•
•
•
“Age&up&before&you&drink!”&&
“Drinking:&have&a&strategy!””&
“Drink&responsibly:&Santa&is&watching&you!”&
“It&is&easier&to&stay&off&drugs&than&get&off&drugs!”!”&
!
The!banners!were!hung!outside!their!respective!residences!and!the!offDcampus!banner!was!
hung!outside!the!main!building!where!courses!are!held.!They!were!judged!by!a!3Dmember!panel!
made!up!of!two!student!services!staff!and!one!faculty.!!
!
The!winning!slogan!is!featured!below.!(Note:!The!“Drinking:!Have!a!strategy”!slogan!was!
disqualified!because!it!used!an!image!of!a!beer!pong![drinking!game]!on!the!banner.)!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
49#
4.2.3! MSVU!Crew!
!
The!MSVU!Crew!has!been!in!place!at!Mount!St.!Vincent!since!the!late!1990s!when!the!Mount!
became!coDed.!A!peer!to!peer!alcohol!awareness!initiative,!the!MSVU!Crew!“help!their!friends!
stay!safe!while!having!a!good!time”.!The!initiative!recruits!student!volunteers!from!among!
resident!assistants;!training!and!supervision!are!provided!jointly!by!the!Mount’s!health!centre!
director!and!housing!coordinator.!Crew!members!receive!basic!alcohol!education!and!
intervention!training!including!recognizing!the!signs!of!alcohol!poisoning!and!the!‘Bacchus!
maneuver’.!Members!of!the!student!union!also!receive!this!training.!
!
!If!in!any!doubt!of!a!student’s!condition,!students!are!instructed!to!call!security!or!don!who!in!
turn!call!911;!they!are!told!to!never!leave!a!student!alone.!Once!certified,!they!receive!a!bracelet!
identifying!them!as!a!MSVU!Crew!member.!They!also!carry!a!businessDsize!card!with!the!
student’s!name!and!photo!on!one!side!and!the!signs!of!
overconsumption!on!the!other.!!
Hit#them#in#the#
!
Pocketbook:#
If!Residence!Life!Staff,!Health!Services!or!Security!determine!an!
inebriated!student!requires!some!one!to!sit!with!them,!a!Crew!
At!Mt.!St.!Vincent,!
member!is!brought!in!until!all!danger!has!passed.!The!crew!
students!got!tired!of!
member!is!paid!at!a!rate!of!$12!an!hour!(2013D14!academic!
putting!up!with!their!
year)!for!a!minimum!of!four!hours.!
dorm!mates’!vomit;!and!
!
felt!there!needed!to!be!
If!an!inebriated!student!vomits!and!it!must!be!cleaned!by!a!
consequences.!Their!
crew!member!or!member!of!the!Residence!Life!Staff,!a!clean!
attitude!was:!‘If!you!
up!charge!of!$30!per!incident!is!levied.!The!inebriated!student!
have!enough!to!drink!to!
is!responsible!for!paying!all!charges,!a!decision!taken!by!Crew!
the!extent!you!get!sick,!
members!and!supported!by!university!staff.!
then!you!have!enough!$!
!
to!pay!for!the!
Paying!the!fee!is!nonDnegotiable.!If!not!paid!within!two!weeks!
consequences.”!
of!the!event,!an!additional!charge!of!$5/week!will!accumulate!
Recidivism!has!been!very!
until!the!fee!is!paid.!The!charge!is!also!added!to!the!student’s!
infrequent!with!less!than!
account!with!Financial!Services!and!marks!will!not!be!released!
two!incidents!in!the!run!
until!it!is!paid.!!
of!a!year.!
!
4.2.4! University!of!Saskatchewan!
!
What’s#Your#Cap?#
“What’s&Your&Cap?”&is!a!studentDrun,!research!based!initiative!out!of!the!University!of!
Saskatchewan!that!aims!to!raise!awareness!and!knowledge!of!the!risks!involved!with!overD
consumption!of!alcohol!and!promote!a!culture!of!moderation!on!campus.!
!
The!campaign,!informed!by!and!tailored!specific!to!the!drinking!culture!on!the!University!of!
Saskatchewan!was!rolled!out!in!September!201221!during!orientation.!Campaign!elements!
included:!
!
50#
•
•
Setting!up!at!the!info!fair!with!free!swag!and!mocktails,!flavoured!like!pina!colada!and!
margarita.!The!intent!was!to!show!that!mocktails!taste!great!and!offer!a!clever!way!of!
making!it!look!like!you’re!drinking!(in!case!you’re!worried!about!fitting!in,!are!choosing!
not!to!drink!or!don’t!drink!at!all).!!
Approaching!students!when!picking!up!their!student!planner!and!asking!them!their!
thoughts!on!risky!drinking...and!handing!out!more!swag.!
!
!
!
Other!events!over!the!year!included:!
•
•
Setting!up!a!booth!on!the!day!of!Halloween!to!give!out!mocktails,!swag!and!ideas!on!
alternatives!to!going!out!and!getting!drunk!on!Halloween;!
Setting!up!booths!in!January,!February!and!March!reminding!students!to!keep!2013!
healthy!and!reminding!them!of!their!‘cap’!as!they!enter!the!New!Year,!and!celebrate!
Valentine’s!Day!and!spring!break.!
One#of#the#findings#from#the#What’s#Your#Cap?#initiative#is#that#students#
overRestimate#the#amount#of#alcohol#consumed#by#their#fellow#students.#
“They!found!out!that!most!students!have!about!four!drinks!when!they!go!out.!
But!(some!students)!believe!that!students!are!having!eight,!so!they’ll!try!to!
reach!that!perceived!norm.”!
!–!Research&assistant&with&What’s&Your&Cap?!
!
$