Information on Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention, Intervention and Education at SMU

SMU is committed to helping its students pursue their education with good health and lifestyle habits.

SMU offers extensive programs and resources offered to new and continuing students. These include discussions, films, on-line resources, required wellness courses, counseling, assessments, peer intervention and special training for leaders in residence halls and Greek houses, as well as faculty and staff.

SMU enforces its Student Code of Conduct and residence hall guidelines through its judicial system, and those with drug policy violations are subject to drug testing.

The SMU Police Department enforces the laws regarding alcohol and drug use, as do police departments in nearby University Park, Highland Park and the city of Dallas if violations occur in those jurisdictions.

Programs of the SMU Center for Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention:

The SMU Center for Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention provides awareness and training programs, assessments, counseling, interventions and referrals. Its mission includes promoting activities and programs with student support to focus campus attention on alcohol and drug abuse.

The Center has a full-time health educator and two full-time licensed counselors on staff.

Education and Campus Awareness

The Center offers education about alcohol and other drugs, chemical dependency and substance abuse, including:

• Orientation programs for incoming students and their parents during July and August.
   
• AlcoholEdu, an online, science-based education course program, required for all new students.
   
• Wellness Choices I courses, required for all first-year students, addressing alcohol and drug abuse prevention each semester.
   
• A program on Healthy Habits addressing the topics of nutrition and alcohol.

Training and Peer Educators

The Center trains students, residential assistants, faculty and staff to help others who may have a substance abuse or dependency problem.

“Because I Care” is a drug-specific program that gives students the information and skills they need to intervene with peers who are using drugs.

Assessment and Intervention

By working with friends, family, faculty and staff, the Center assesses student problems with alcohol and other drugs and provides access to appropriate help, including online screening programs and on-campus substance abuse prevention classes.

Counseling, Referrals and Support

The Center provides short-term counseling to students on substance-abuse issues and offers referrals for outside support and treatment when necessary. It supports self-help groups on campus and in the community, including Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-step groups, and works with recovering students on relapse prevention and on re-entry to college after treatment.

The Center also is a member of the North Texas Consortium on Substance Abuse Prevention in Higher Education and the Alliance on Underage Drinking (ALOUD).

Learn more at smu.edu/healthcenter/alcoholeducation.

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