The purpose of this project is to develop and test a marketing strategy that addresses the variety of barriers and challenges that colleges and universities may face as they consider adopting a program based on the Safer California Universities Project. The timing of this work is critical because the public debate over how best to reduce the burden of alcohol-related problems among college students has recently escalated. A small but vocal group of university administrators are now questioning the merits of the nations' minimum legal drinking age of 21 years. They are recommending lowering the drinking age to 18 years and providing alcohol education. This approach has appeal because it is much simpler to implement and less likely to meet with community opposition than an environmental strategy such as the Safer California Universities Project that involves policy change and enforcement. However, education-only approaches such as this have been consistently shown to be ineffective in changing behavior.

 

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