Toward Changing a Culture of Alcohol Abuse at a Research Institution: Understanding Administrative Decision-making
Open Access
- Author:
- Rameker, Mark Joseph
- Graduate Program:
- Higher Education
- Degree:
- Doctor of Education
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- June 02, 2014
- Committee Members:
- Dorothy H Evensen, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
John Jesse Cheslock, Committee Member
Kai Arthur Schafft, Committee Member
Albert Vicere, Committee Member - Keywords:
- Alcohol
Student Affairs
Decision-Making
Changing a Culture
Administration - Abstract:
- According to a 2008 study in the American Journal of Epidemiology, “binge drinking is a substantial and growing health problem” and is the third leading cause of death in the United States. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) estimates that there are 1,700 deaths from alcohol-related incidents on U.S. campuses each year, and half of them involve students under 21 years of age. Alcohol consumption is one factor that has been shown to have a relationship to poor academic performance. Campus administrators make decisions about alcohol policy and program changes with little understanding of how decisions are made or what criteria should be used to make these decisions. The purpose of this case study is to understand decision-making by the leadership in Student Affairs at the Pennsylvania State University during a period of crisis that was precipitated by excessive use of alcohol by students. Specifically, this case study provides insights into how decisions were made, and what contextual factors were considered in the decision-making process, during a two-year timeframe from the fall of 2009 to the fall of 2011. Three events sparked a response from the Student Affairs leadership to reduce the negative consequences associated with student alcohol consumption: (1) Princeton Review named Penn State the number-one party school, which generated an increase in media attention; (2) the number of student alcohol violations and BAC levels of student transported to the hospital were increasing; and (3) a first-year student died in a highly publicized alcohol-related incident. In this study, four decision-making models were adopted to frame the Student Affairs leadership’s decision-making processes as it sought to reduce students’ excessive consumption of alcohol. The models were synthesized and expanded upon to illustrate student affairs’ decision-making processes. Two ways of making decisions were identified through this case study. The first approach involves decisions made regarding policies and initiatives that were housed within the Division of Student Affairs. The second approach involves decisions that require campus and community partners.