A Qualitative and Quantitative Study of University of Waikato Halls of Residence Student Drinking Pr

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A Qualitative and Quantitative Study of
University of Waikato Halls of Residence
Student Drinking Practices Tertiary Student
Hazardous Drinking Research Symposium

• Brett McEwan
• PhD Student, Sociology Dept
• Residential Manager, Halls of Residence
• University of Waikato

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Research Support

• This research project is supported by
• A PhD scholarship provided by the D.V. Bryant
  Trust in Hamilton, to assess an area of student
  life within the University of Waikato Halls of
  Residence setting.
• Student and Academic Services Division at the
  University of Waikato. Group Managers Bethea
  Weir and Margaret Taylor, and the hall
  Residential Managers.
• New Zealand Association of Tertiary Education
  Accommodation Providers (data input).
• The students and residential staff who
  participated in the study

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Researchers Background

• 2005 2008 PhD student Residential Manager,
  OP
• 1997 - 2004 Residential Manager, SV
• 1987 - 1996 Counsellor (A D, Family,
  Student)

Managers Hat
Researchers Hat
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University of WaikatoFour Halls of Residence

• Orchard Park 110 students
• Student Village 294 students
• College Hall 327 students
• Bryant Hall 198 students

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Seminar Format

• 1. Background issues
• 2. Research results
• 3. Research implications
• and reflections on the
• Waikato experience

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• Part 1
• Background Issues

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NZ 18-24 Year Olds

• 2004 NZ Health Behaviours Survey 54 of 18-24
  year olds consumed a large amount of alcohol on a
  typical drinking occasion (MOH, 2007).
• 2006, NZ 18-19 year olds 46 enrolled in
  tertiary study and NZ 20-24 year olds 33
  enrolled in tertiary study (Ministry of
  Education Educationcounts, 2008)

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Student Drinking as a Culture

• The tradition of (student) drinking has developed
  into a kind of culture-beliefs and
  customs-entrenched in every level of students
  environments. Customs handed down through
  generations of college drinkers reinforce
  students expectation that alcohol is a necessary
  ingredient for social success. These beliefs and
  the expectations they engender exert a powerful
  influence over students behaviour toward alcohol
• A Call To Action Changing the culture of
  drinking at U.S. Colleges (USDHHS, 2002, p.10)

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Cultures Within Cultures

• The student resident consumes alcohol within a
• Individual culture
• Peer culture
• Residence culture
• University culture
• Local drinking culture
• New Zealand drinking culture
• - Social Ecological Model A system based
  approach to behaviour that investigates how
  individuals and their environment influence each
  other.
• - 3-in-1 Framework Individuals - Student Body as
  a Whole - College and the Surrounding Community
  (USDHHS, 2002).

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Which Level of Drinking Culture are you Most
Involved In or Interested In?
NATIONAL DRINKING CULTURE
Liquor Industry
New Zealanders
LOCAL COMMUNITY DRINKING CULTURE
Community Members
Ethnicity Groupings
Businesses
National Business
INSTITUTION STUDENT CULTURE
Student Body
Ethnicity Groupings
Local Advertising
Institution Leadership
Government
HALLS CULTURE
Student Accommodation
Hall Alumni History
National Sport
Entertainment Events
Institution Leadership
Local Government
Peer Group Culture
Institution Alcohol Policy
National Laws
Local Social Sporting Events
On Campus Advertising
Hall Staff
Individual
Hall Friends
Home Friends
Hall Student Body
Local bylaws
Student Media
National Media
Hall Rules/policy
Institution Disciplinary Procedures
Community Groups
Student Friends
Hall Student Assoc
Student Sports Social
Clubs
Government Departments
Hall Staff
Local Sports Clubs
National Role models
Hall Activities
Hall Location Setting
Health Promotion
Student Union
On campus Bars
Student Activities
ALAC
Health Dept
Bars
International Media
Orientation
ACC
Off Licence
National International Research
Licensing Inspectors
Entertainment Media
Justice
Police
National Student Drinking Narrative
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Previous Tertiary Research

• 2000 Uni of Waikato student study (Adam et
  al). Student
• 2001 Uni of Waikato halls study (Donavan et
  al). Student
• 2000 Uni of Otago halls study (Kypri et al).
• 2002 Uni of Otago student study (Kypri et
  al).
• 2004 Uni of Otago halls study (Maclennan).
• 2005 National student study (Kypri et al).
• 2007 National student study (Kypri et al).

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Other Background Issues

• Differences and similarities across Universities
  and Residences- size, location, student body,
  student culture, city/rural culture.
• Differences in drinking terms and limits binge
  drinking, large drinking, heavy episodic
  drinking, EBAC drinking.

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• 2006 Study Background

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Who Participated

• Student residents at Bryant Hall, College Hall,
  and Student Village halls of residence
• Total resident population of 800 resident
  students.
• Predominately first year NZ students.
• 20 returning residents
• 30 international students

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Qualitative Data Collection

• Focus groups - 11 Resident group interviews
• (8 first semester and 3 second semester)
• - 4 Residential Staff group interviews
• (1 first semester and 3 second semester)
• - 2 Manager group interviews
• (1 first semester
  and 1 second semester)
• 1-1 interviews - 18 resident interviews
• (12 first semester and 6 follow-up second
  semester)
• QSR-N6 software used.

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Quantitative Data Collection

• Paper Survey 501 residents students (62 of
  population)
• - Second semester
• - 2 days administering in each hall with a
  follow-up letter sent to all
  residents who hadnt participated
• -
  Drinkers 84, Non-drinkers 16
• - Female
  61, Male 39.
• SPSS software used

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• Part 2
• 2006 Research Results

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Resident Drinking Patterns

• The following research data is presented as
  preliminary findings only.
• The full PhD study has yet to be completed and
  assessed.

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• Where Residents Are Drinking

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Focus Group Comments Getting Into Bars
Residents participating in a focus group
discussed their approaches to gaining access to
bars while drunk -Sometimes you have like a
friend who is sober driving and she will look
after you like and take you into the pub and will
act straight. -Just before you are at the door
act straight be sober so we can get in. R Is
that easy to do? -Take a deep breath. -Just take
it easy and once youre in. -Act straight. R So
we could say that that is pretty common that
people act straight once they get up to the
door? -Yeah. R If you were a guy what would you
have to do, or not do, to get in? -Not
standing. -Stumbling. -I heard stories of people
spitting at bouncers. -Totally bent, and the
student being a nuisance, making it obvious to
the bouncer. -Like just before you approach the
door act straight like walk straight. -Dont
stumble around and stuff.
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Focus Group Comments Continued
-Dont stumble around and stuff. -There are times
when they have been sober and the bouncer
wouldnt let them in. R Because? -Because they
had red eyes, they were sober driver. -Are some
bars harder to get in than others? -Yeah -Yip R
Do you get to know which are easier bars, than
others, to get in? -Yip -Yeah R That becomes
common knowledge. -Yeah R Are most of them
easier or most of them harder? -Most of them are
easier. -The popular ones are easy.
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• Resident Drinking Limits

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Resident Drinking Limits

• Discussion with residents revealed that although
  many residents reported drinking to get drunk,
  this did not necessarily mean that residents were
  drinking in an uncontrolled manner.
• Many residents reported that they monitored their
  drinking behaviour by observing a number of
  alcohol related effects.

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Resident Comments Monitor Drinking
Focus group participants discuss how they monitor
their drinking R. If you are not counting
drinks how do you know when you have had enough,
what is your guide for you? - . Whenever I get
tipsy or happy, as soon as I get to that stage.
As soon as I am happy, more confident, and
louder. R. Thats in your body, when you know
you are at that point? -I know if I am going to
drink anymore I am going to make a total arse of
myself so I stop. -To some degree it is when I
run out of drinks to drink and just when I am
feeling really stupid, okay that is enough.
-When I start saying things I wouldnt normally
say, or perhaps shouldnt say. I know to stop.
-I dont know, I usually just keep going. I am
usually still in control when I am smashed to a
certain degree. I just keep topping it up. Once
I hit smashed, then I will slow down a bit, come
back down a bit and then keep topping up to that
point.
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Resident Comments Continued
R. So that is topping up to that point of
smashed, stopping yourself from going to comaed.
So you know in yourself where that point is and
when to slow down? -Yeah, and I am still able to
have a good time and dance. Without making a
total idiot of myself. -Mine is kind of weird. If
I kind of shake my head from side to side and the
room moves slower than my head then I know I have
had a bit. So then I probably slow down when my
vision cant keep up with my movement. -I am
not to sure, it depends upon what I drink. If I
drink beer I can drink for ages cause that is
what I know. But if I drink, like have something
else, I will know when to stop because I know I
will get too wasted. So I stick to what I know
and stay with it. R. What is your main
indicator to let you know when you have got there
to your limit? -It is usually when I go to the
toilet and I sit there and if it spins. The room
spins. If the room spins then I slow down and
have a beer. R. That is your test? -Yeah.
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Resident Drinking Limits
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• Part 3.
• 2006 Research Implications
• and Reflections on the Waikato Experience
• a few brief comments

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Solutions The Importance of Research and Good
Ideas

• For decades, there has been meeting after
  meeting that offered plausible, intelligent
  recommendations, all with no evaluations. Then,
  when these programmes failed to work, meetings
  are again convened to ponder the same questions.
  Only through a commitment to research can we
  truly begin to understand what can and cannot be
  done, so that in five or ten years we dont find
  ourselves asking the same questions yet again
• Dr. Gordis, Director of USA, National Advisory
  Council
• on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 1986-2001.
• (A Call To Action changing the culture
• of drinking at U.S. colleges, 2002, p v)

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Drinking Culture Interventions
NATIONAL DRINKING CULTURE
Liquor Industry
New Zealanders
LOCAL COMMUNITY DRINKING CULTURE
Community Members
Ethnicity Groupings
Businesses
National Business
INSTITUTION STUDENT CULTURE
Student Body
Ethnicity Groupings
Local Advertising
Institution Leadership
Government
HALLS CULTURE
Student Accommodation
Hall Alumni History
National Sport
Entertainment Events
Institution Leadership
Local Government
Peer Group Culture
Institution Alcohol Policy
National Laws
Local Social Sporting Events
On Campus Advertising
Hall Staff
Individual
Hall Friends
Home Friends
Hall Student Body
Local bylaws
Student Media
National Media
Hall Rules/policy
Institution Disciplinary Procedures
Community Groups
Student Friends
Hall Student Assoc
Student Sports Social
Clubs
Government Departments
Hall Staff
Local Sports Clubs
National Role models
Hall Activities
Hall Location Setting
Health Promotion
Student Union
On campus Bars
Student Activities
ALAC
Health Dept
Bars
International Media
Orientation
ACC
Off Licence
National International Research
Licensing Inspectors
Entertainment Media
Justice
Police
National Student Drinking Narrative
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Changing the Hall Community Drinking Culture

• 2006 Research Data
• - The hall managers report the importance of
  institutional leadership in supporting their
  management of the hall drinking environment.
• - The hall managers and residential staff report
  the importance of the alcohol research results in
  changing residential staff attitudes to alcohol
  misuse (staff training).
• - The halls remain the venue where residents
  continue to consume the majority of their alcohol
  and it may be timely to review the current hall
  alcohol policies and rules.
• - The acceptance of North American residents into
  residence should include a good behaviour
  contract due to their drinking behaviour and
  attitudes.
• - Continued academic focus within the residence
  setting.
• - Further development and support of
  non-alcoholic activities.

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Changing the Institution Drinking Culture

• 2006 Research Data.
• - The managers and residential staff report the
  importance of monitoring on-campus bars including
  sports clubs.
• - The managers and residential staff report the
  importance of monitoring student union
  activities including orientation.
• - The importance of hall incident reporting
  procedures to indentify difficulties occurring
  with on campus or off campus bars.

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Changing Local Community Drinking Culture

• 2006 Research Data
• - Many resident students will often drink to
  intoxication and then move on into city bars.
  Residents will often limit the level of their
  intoxication to ensure that they can gain access
  into the bars. Bar door staff therefore play an
  important role in setting the level of
  intoxication by which many residents will monitor
  their drinking behaviour. This dynamic of student
  drinking may not be fair on bar door staff
  however it is a situation they currently have to
  deal with.
• Drink specials encourage non-typical drinking
  behaviour. Alcohol is not an ordinary
  commodity.
• - Sports clubs were indentified with some
  resident s very heavy drinking behaviour.

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The End

• Questions
• Thank you for your time