Description

The Office of Alcohol Policy Initiatives is a unique department, designed to coordinate the implementation of the goals, objectives and activities of the Working Group on Alcohol Abuse as well as help shape, define and execute future alcohol and other drug prevention initiatives. The Office of Alcohol Policy Initiatives ensures communication amongst University stakeholders, including, but not limited to the Provost's Office, General Counsel, Vice Provost for University Life, Public Safety, Risk Management, Health Education, current students and families, and alumni. This department serves as a central data collection site, tracking reports from Public Safety, College Houses, and Student Health, as well as, spearheading campus-wide surveys to establish baseline data of student attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors, and track changes in these figures over the next several years. The Office strives to move the University onto the national scene as a leader in alcohol abuse prevention. We expected to offer expert knowledge to the University community, parents, students, alumni, the media, and peer institutions.

The specific goals of the WGAA, which the Office is responsible for ensuring implementation of, are:

1. Increasing and enhancing alcohol education
2. Ensuring a supportive environment
3. Ensuring individual and group responsibility and accountability
4. Minimizing Risk
5. Expanding Social Options

Mission of the Office of Alcohol Policy Initiatives

To fulfill the mission of the University of Pennsylvania by helping to remove alcohol and other drug difficulties which impede the efforts of students in achieving academic success

To ensure that the stated goals and initiatives of the Working Group on Alcohol Abuse are continually and successfully implemented, evaluated, and revised as necessary

To serve the Penn community as a centralized and confidential alcohol and other drug prevention resource

To collaborate with University faculty, staff, community partners, and students to integrate effective and relevant policies, enforcement practices, and education programs into one comprehensive environmental management program to achieve the stated goals

To identify methods to reduce high-risk alcohol and other drug behaviors, control and mitigate campus environments where potential for abusive behavior exists, and foster a campus culture in which non-alcoholic activities are plentiful and successful

To serve as a central data collection source to track alcohol and other drug trends in behaviors, negative consequences, and incidents

To develop and uphold partnerships with nationally recognized alcohol and other drug prevention researchers, practitioners, and organizations in order to improve upon and further Penn's prevention goals

About the Office

The Office of the Director of Alcohol Policy Initiatives is housed within the Office of the Vice Provost of University Life. The Director works collaboratively with the Office of Health Education

	Stephanie Ives, Director of Strategic Initiatives Having entered the alcohol and other drug prevention field in 1994 while at the University of Arizona (her alma mater), Stephanie originally came to Penn in August 1999 to lead the University’s efforts to implement the goals of the Working Group on Alcohol Abuse. Since receiving her doctorate in Higher Education Management from the University of Pennsylvania in 2005, Stephanie has been given the opportunity to expand her knowledge and experience in higher education by taking on significant new responsibilities for the Vice Provost for University Life. She currently oversees the efforts of the Office of Strategic Initiatives, is the Principal Investigator on the Dept. of Justice Violence Against Women grant, and assists the Vice Provost in several special projects. See her interview in the Penn Current
	Julie Lyzinski, M.Ed., Associate Director Julie came to Penn in the Fall of 2005 from Chicago. Having received her Masters in Human Services and Counseling from DePaul University in 2003, Julie worked in the Mental Health and Substance Abuse field with high risk young adult populations in Chicago. Julie currently runs the First Step program, a brief intervention program for students struggling with the negative consequences of alcohol and other drug use. In addition, Julie co-chairs the Alcohol and Other Drug and Violence Prevention Task Force at the University of Pennsylvania and works on several other strategic collaborations involving health, wellness, violence and alcohol and other drug issues facing Penn students.
	Andy Lounder Andy Lounder is the Office of Alcohol Policy Initiatives Graduate Assistant for the 2007-2008 school year.  Andy is currently pursuing a M.S.Ed. in Higher Education Management at Penn's Graduate School of Education.  He holds a B.A. in English from Wheaton College (MA).
	Tamarah Smith-Dyer Tamarah earned her B.A. in Psychology and Sociology from Cabrini College where she focused on research methodologies and data collection within the social sciences. Later, she received her M.S. in Applied Statistics at West Chester University. Tamarah worked at HUP for two years assisting research in cognitive neurology before joining the University in 2005. As program evaluator, she initiates data collection and analysis that assess a wide range of students’ baseline attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors around alcohol and other drug use, physical, mental and sexual health and the relationship between these many issues that students face during their college experience. In addition, Tamarah provides continual evaluation of the OSI and OHE programs to ensure that programs are centered around Penn students and data driven.
	Steve McCann Steve has been a longtime employee of the University going on 8 years now. He comes to us from Penn State University where he has a degree in Human Sexuality. Steve works in conjunction with the Office of Health Education