From jflofland at ucdavis.edu Tue Sep 27 11:14:29 2005 From: jflofland at ucdavis.edu (John Lofland) Date: Tue, 27 Sep 2005 11:14:29 -0700 Subject: [OldNorth] Fwd: UC Davis News: 'Safe Party Initiative' launched Message-ID: FYI. John Lofland >Date: Tue, 27 Sep 2005 10:37:36 -0700 >To: newstips at ucdavis.edu, getnews at ucdavis.edu >From: newsservice at ucdavis.edu >Subject: UC Davis News: 'Safe Party Initiative' launched >X-Scanned-By: MIMEDefang 2.49 on 169.237.104.195 >Sender: owner-getnews at ucdavis.edu >Status: > > >University of California, Davis >September 27, 2005 > >UC DAVIS AND CITY OF DAVIS LAUNCH SAFE PARTY INITIATIVE > >A broad-based coalition of UC Davis student leaders, administrators, >law enforcement and health professionals, joined by City of Davis >residents, elected officials and law enforcement today launched a >multi-pronged "Safe Party Initiative" to target high-risk drinking >throughout the greater Davis community. > >The initiative, announced at a morning news conference at the campus >Activities and Recreation Center, will include: > >* Increased weekend alcohol safety enforcement patrols throughout the >fall by both UC Davis and Davis police officers; >* A series of neighborhood parties and barbecues to improve >homeowner-student relations and set a community standard for safe, >fun parties in targeted neighborhoods (the first, for the Oeste Manor >Neighborhood Association, is scheduled for Oct. 1); >* Student and community outreach efforts centered on a new Web site, >, to educate partiers and their hosts >about safe parties and ways to reduce alcohol-related risks. > >"As representatives of UC Davis and the Davis community, we all have >a responsibility for the safety of our guests and neighborhood >residents whenever we host or attend a party," said Dr. Michelle >Famula, director of the Cowell Student Health Center at UC Davis. "We >have a right and an obligation to set a community standard of safe >party expectations and responsible alcohol use that respects the >health and safety of all in our community." > >Also speaking at today's news conference were Judy Sakaki, UC Davis' >vice chancellor for student affairs; Davis City Councilman Don >Saylor; Davis Police Chief Jim Hyde; and Caliph Assagai, president of >Associated Students of the University of California, Davis (ASUCD). >Joining them were numerous other coalition members representing the >campus, the city, Davis neighborhoods, Davis Campus Community Alcohol >Coalition and the City/UCD Student Liaison Commission. > >"UC Davis has a commitment to the safety and well-being of our >students and the campus community," Sakaki said. "We will work in >partnership with others to minimize the potential detrimental effects >of high-risk parties." > >The new Safe Party Initiative is supported by a five-year, $6.9 >million grant to the Prevention Research Center (PRC) in Berkeley >from the National Institute for Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (NIAAA) >aimed at reducing high-risk drinking on college campuses. As part of >the research effort, the PRC has asked UC Davis and five other >schools to develop and implement effective strategies to reduce >high-risk drinking and the consequences of that drinking, including >violence, injuries, property damage and car crashes. > >Representatives of the UC Davis and City of Davis communities have >been meeting for months to devise and implement the most effective >strategy specifically tailored to the needs and concerns of the >greater Davis community. They relied to a great extent on UC Davis >campus data that has demonstrated that off-campus parties are the >most significant high-risk drinking environment for students. > >Indeed, a survey released earlier this year of 1,010 UC Davis >undergraduates reported that roughly one-third of all their >alcohol-related problems occurred or were instigated at off-campus >parties held at private homes and apartments. In the study, >alcohol-related problems included alcohol poisoning, unsafe sex, >sexual assaults, other aggressive behavior and driving drunk or >riding with a drunk driver. According to the survey results, the >alcohol problem looms even larger when community bars, off-campus >fraternities and outdoor settings are included. > >"We are not against parties; we are against problems," said Saylor, >the Davis city councilman. "Students are a welcome part of our >community and we all need to be respectful of the lifestyles of each >other. We all live together here in one community. There are >adjustments necessary on the part of students to be respectful of the >neighborhoods they live in, and our neighborhoods also need to make >adjustments to welcome students into the fold." > >At the same time, Assagai, president of ASUCD, stressed, "Most UC >Davis students are not high-risk drinkers. And as students who live >in Davis, we enjoy its security and we support the Safe Party >Initiative to help keep this community safe." > >To help keep the Davis community safe, new 20-member joint UC Davis >and Davis police weekend alcohol safety enforcement patrols will >commence this Thursday, Sept. 29, and continue on Friday, Sept. 30, >Oct. 6-7, Oct. 13-14 and then four additional nights in November to >be determined later. > >Hyde, the Davis police chief, said law enforcement is focusing its >efforts now because local crime statistics indicate that the >incidence of driving under the influence, alcohol poisoning and >sexual assaults peaks in the first few weeks of the fall quarter. > >"Students who find themselves having a party that gets out of control >can take control by calling the police before someone else does," >Hyde said. "Breaking up your own party can save you a lot of money >and problems later on. It's the best way to protect yourself, your >neighbors and your guests." > >The new Web site, , expected to be >launched today, will offer students a central resource for planning >and attending "safe parties," including a list of responsibilities >for party hosts; "mocktail" recipes for non-alcoholic drinks; tips on >responsible drinking and personal safety; lists of UC Davis policies, >Davis city ordinances and state and federal laws related to drugs and >alcohol; a calendar of UC Davis events; and a quick reference list of >telephone numbers and other medical emergency contact information for >hospitals, law enforcement and safe transportation. > >UC Davis is one of eight UC campuses and six California State >University campuses (including Sacramento State) collaborating with >the Prevention Research Center on the "Safer California Universities" >study. UC Davis is receiving $150,000 over five years to assist in >the administration of the annual student survey and other data >collection activities, and an additional $45,000 to implement >intervention strategies. > >Media contact(s): >* Mitchel Benson, UC Davis News Service, (530) 752-9844, >mdbenson at ucdavis.edu > > >------------------------------------------------ >Our full UC Davis directory of media services and 24-hour >contact information is available at >. >------------------------------------------------ >Need information from campus news archives? The UC Davis News >Service database contains past (and current) UC Davis news >stories dating to 1991. Go to >. >------------------------------------------------- >More university news and an experts directory: > > >------------------------------------------------- >UC Davis News Service >One Shields Avenue >Davis, California 95616-8687 >newsservice at ucdavis.edu >Phone: (530) 752-1930; Fax: (530) 752-4068 >-------------------------------------------------