Problem: You are a faculty member at a local college. In the past few years, there has been a steady increase in troubling incidents involving students, such as vandalism, auto accidents, and cases of attempted suicide. Several local citizens and other faculty members have formed a committee to address these concerns. There is general agreement that much of the disruptive behavior is associated with the abuse of alcohol and other drugs. Now that the committee has concluded, members must convince college leadership that this problem is not being addressed adequately. The committee members are confident that if nothing is done, more tragedy will follow.
Your task is as follows:
1. Putting yourself in the place of a committee member, list each of the places you would go to collect evidence to support the committee's assertion that abuse of alcohol and other drugs on and around the campus constitutes an existing problem that is not being addressed.
2. List at least five questions you would ask any persons you planned to interview to gather evidence about the problem.
3. List at least two sources you could use to learn about alcohol and drug abuse on college campuses.
4. Propose at least ten reasons why there might be widespread abuse of alcohol and drugs on a college campus. Be sure to think in terms of psychological pressures, developmental pressures (the age and circumstances of college students), environmental pressures (forces exerted by campus and dorm living), and community or societal pressures (culture and the mass media).