In 2009, the Alcohol Harm Reduction Advisory Committee (AHRC) was created by the UI vice president for student life. The AHRC is a multidisciplinary group of faculty, staff, students, and community partners that advises the vice president for student life on a comprehensive and research-based plan to create conditions on our campus which decrease high-risk drinking and the related harmful consequences.

The UI Alcohol Harm Reduction Plan contains multiple, mutually reinforcing, and research-based strategies. The tactics in our plan are grounded in the best available research on student success and effective strategies to reduce high-risk drinking on college campuses. Recognizing that not all students drink and of those who do, not all do so in a high-risk way, the goals of our plan address the needs of all students including those who don’t drink, those who have experienced a problem as a result of their drinking, and everyone in between.

The 2025-2028 Alcohol Harm Reduction Plan is the sixth plan to be created since the Alcohol Harm Reduction Advisory Committee was created. The plan continues to incorporate a variety of interventions, focused on individual to environmental strategies. Individual interventions target changes in attitudes and behaviors with alcohol use, while environmental approaches aim to change the alcohol use environment in the campus, community, or both, and thus can affect the student body as a whole or in large subgroups such as those under age 21.

The University of Iowa’s continued commitment to creating a culture that encourages healthy behaviors and fosters student success is evident with the roll-out of the sixth Alcohol Harm Reduction Plan.

The Alcohol Harm Reduction Advisory Committee has set several metrics to track the success of the plan. The metrics come from National College Health Assessment data on our campus. They are:

• The last time you drank alcohol, did you intend to get drunk? 

• Over the last two weeks, how many times have you had five or more drinks (males) or four or more drinks (females) containing any kind of alcohol at a sitting? 

• Please select your level of agreement with the following statements: I feel that students’ health and well-being is a priority at my college/university

National College Health Assessment Data

*Using 2024 spring data for national; 2025 spring national data is not yet compiled

Priority 1.1 – Continue to develop and support a sustainable structure for reducing high-risk drinking within fraternities and sororities

• Tactic 1.1a – Assess and enhance the Alcohol and U experience for fraternity and sorority members throughout their entire collegiate experience
• Tactic 1.1b – Establish consistent harm reduction education across all Fraternity and Sorority Life pre-joining and new member education programming
• Tactic 1.1c – Implement an accreditation program that assesses a risk prevention and safety plan for each fraternity and sorority focused on identifying and preventing risks during programs and events 

Priority 1.2 – Support the reduction of high-risk drinking within student organizations and enhance student organization structures

• Tactic 1.2a – Continue to provide educational support to student organizations serving alcohol or hosting events in spaces that sell alcohol through Student Wellness and Leadership, Service, and Civic Engagement
• Tactic 1.2b – Educate student organization leaders on the foundations of and barriers to creating safe and healthy organizational culture

Priority 1.3 – Support efforts to reduce drinking in the residence halls

• Tactic 1.3a – Explore opportunities for resident assistants to promote alcohol harm reduction in the residence halls 

Priority 2.1 – Offer skill building opportunities and other support resources for students that increase effective coping skills/resilience building and decrease the reliance on alcohol

• Tactic 2.1a – Continue to offer alcohol-related skill building opportunities and one-on-one support to students
• Tactic 2.1b – Continue to provide mindfulness training, effective coping skills, and resilience building opportunities as a protective factor against harmful alcohol use
• Tactic 2.1c – Embed intentional opportunities for students to reflect on connections between alcohol use and other areas of well-being
• Tactic 2.1d – Collaborate with the Parent and Family Network to educate parents and families of students to help initiate and have on-going conversations on alcohol use and negative impacts

Priority 2.2 – Provide a rich landscape of events and activities that de-centralize alcohol use

• Tactic 2.2a – Normalize participation and collaboration in Late Night Programming offerings including collaborations between: UI student groups and departments; UI and the Iowa City Downtown District
• Tactic 2.2b – Strengthen the collaboration between Student Life and Iowa City Downtown District and other downtown establishments in providing opportunities and events for students in downtown spaces
• Tactic 2.2c – Promote the 47 Things campaign and connect students to traditions on campus
• Tactic 2.2d – Continue to cultivate the IMU as a central hub for student activity and engagement
• Tactic 2.2e – Provide support to Leadership and Engagement as they work to encourage engagement on campus, to connect students to organizations, and to support student organization event planning
• Tactic 2.2f – Partner to provide opportunities for graduate and professional students to build community outside of their academic programs or departments

Priority 2.3 – Collaborate with campus and community partners to prioritize protective environments

• Tactic 2.3a – Provide food and water to students in high-risk drinking situations, particularly home football game days
• Tactic 2.3b – Connect students to resources to ensure their safety at night and while traveling to their home
• Tactic 2.3c – Utilize practices from Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) in collaboration with the Iowa City Downtown District
• Tactic 2.3d – Partner with downtown businesses to promote cultural shifts in settings that serve alcohol and increase skills and confidence of staff to intervene and reduce harms
• Tactic 2.3e – Explore opportunities to support Downtown Iowa City Ambassador Program

Priority 2.4 – Provide support and resources to students looking to reduce their alcohol use or are in recovery and to the broader campus to normalize and celebrate sobriety and recovery

• Tactic 2.4a – Provide training to students, faculty/staff, and community to support people with addiction by reducing stigma, improving diagnostic and screening practices, and cultivating empathy
• Tactic 2.4b – Provide outreach, support, and community building to students seeking recovery 

Priority 3.1: Encourage student leadership in harm reduction initiatives

• Tactic 3.1a – Provide guidance to student-led projects aimed at reducing high-risk drinking and associated harms
• Tactic 3.1b – Require Fraternity and Sorority Life chapters to plan and host at least 3-5 educational programs a year addressing hazing, mental health and wellness, violence prevention, alcohol and other drugs, healthy relationships, values congruence, accountability, bystander intervention, or creating a respectful and welcoming environment through the accreditation program

Priority 3.2: Convene a Hazing Prevention Coalition and utilize strategies in the Hazing Prevention Framework

• Tactic 3.2a – Develop and implement an assessment plan that examines the state of hazing on our campus as well as the effectiveness of hazing prevention programs and practices
• Tactic 3.2b – Align with federal policies and implement evidence-informed programs and interventions around hazing prevention for all student organizations on campus

Priority 3.3: Expand student accountability structure related to the student life experience

• Tactic 3.3a - Explore opportunities for early intervention and restorative practices
• Tactic 3.3b - Increase mechanisms to assist with accountability for alcohol-related infractions on home football game days
• Tactic 3.3c - Implement resolution circles in resolving cases of alcohol misconduct within student organizations

Priority 3.4: Work with local departments on enforcement

• Tactic 3.4a – Discuss current and future enforcement practices with Campus Safety and Iowa City Police Department; Frame discussion around College AIM Environmental Strategy: Enforce Age 21 drinking age
• Tactic 3.4b – Explore additional strategies in response to the use of fake IDs 

Priority 4.1 – Provide structured support, resources, and guidance to continue to prioritize harm reduction strategies and programming

• Tactic 4.1a – Continue to organize and convene Alcohol Harm Reduction Advisory Committee, expanding to include community partners
• Tactic 4.1b – Provide harm reduction resources and on-going education to shared governance groups and other campus partners
• Tactic 4.1c – Align efforts and support tactics with other health promoting and harm reduction initiatives on campus including the Anti-Violence Plan

Priority 4.2 – Monitor data collection related to student alcohol use and associated harms

• Tactic 4.2a – Continue to survey students to understand the range of health and wellness issues that impact the student population and affect their academic performance
• Tactic 4.2b – Collect and analyze data from OSA, UIPD, and ICPD around football games (e.g. violations, transports, and stadium ejections)
• Tactic 4.2c – Collect and analyze data from community partners on underage drinking, high-risk drinking, and associated harms

Priority 4.3 – Review and align policies to support institutional harm reduction goals

• Tactic 4.3a – Support ongoing implementation of recommendations from the Alcohol Pilot Program assessment with Athletics
• Tactic 4.3b – Review, clarify, and communicate student organization policy for events with alcohol or in spaces that serve alcohol