Chemical Health

Alcohol Policy
An annual statement provided for every faculty, staff, and student that includes university policy, signs of addiction, chemical health guidelines, Virginia laws governing alcohol and other drugs, federal penalties, and resources. View the Alcohol Policy.

College Alc
College Alc is an evidence-based program designed to reduce college student drinking and prevent consequences. The online course provides students with critical tools and information regarding the prevention of alcohol-related harm.

Counseling & Psychological Services and the University Health Center
Both offices screen for substance abuse problems and can refer to off-campus resources. 

Curriculum Infusion
A way for faculty to help educate students about the risks associated with high risk drinking choices by incorporating information about issues related to alcohol use into their class.

Educational Programs
Educational programs are offered to student groups, organizations, and residence halls to help students learn more about alcohol, how it can affect them and what choices they want to make about consuming alcohol.

Alcohol Survey
This 2008 survey examines perceptions of student alcohol consumption as well as individual use.

Findings include:

  • 85 percent of students do not miss class because of drinking.
  • 64 percent of students drink 6 or less when they party.
  • 26 percent of first-year students don't drink.
  • 74 percent of students don't get behind in class work because of drinking.
  • 90 percent of students feel driving under the influence of alcohol is very unacceptable.

Friday Exams
The university encourages faculty to hold quizzes and exams on Fridays.

Organizations & Activities
Involvement in campus organizations can provide non-alcohol activities on weekends.

Prevention Counseling
If a student is hospitalized as a result of alcohol consumption, the Coordinator of Substance Abuse Education meets with the student to discuss the incident and to develop a plan to prevent this from reoccurring in the future.

Residence Hall Staff Training
All residence life student staff are trained to handle issues dealing with alcohol.

Reduce Impairment through Supplementary Knowledge (RISK)

RISK (Reduce Impairment through Supplementary Knowledge), Three, 90 minute group sessions. Facilitated by a community substance abuse counselor. While enrolled in this course students will gain an understanding of the risks and consequences of using alcohol or other drugs. The facilitator will assess student choices; explain the continuum from use, to abuse to dependence and who is at risk.   Students learn about self care, responsibility and the importance of balance in their college environment.

Social Norms Marketing
Research has established that college students tend to grossly overestimate the number of peers who engage in high-risk drinking. This misperception is believed to influence students to drink more heavily by changing their perception of normative expectations. The basic idea behind a social norms marketing campaign is to turn this dynamic around by using campus-based media to inform students about the true levels of alcohol consumption among peers. Having accurate information is hypothesized to change perceptions of drinking norms on campus and decrease high-risk drinking.

Substance Free
Richmond students have the option of living in substance free residence halls on campus.

TIPS Training
This is an hour-long session to teach residents in University Forest Apartments how to identify guests that have consumed too much alcohol and techniques they should use when confronting these students. TIPS training is a requirement for apartment residents to register events with alcohol.

¿Under the Influence¿
This online alcohol education program is designed to reduce hazardous alcohol use and the serious consequences that follow. This program combines personalized feedback, professional narration, interactive exercises and proven intervention techniques to engage students in powerful learning experiences.

URAware
Part of the university's wellness requirement for graduation, URAware is an alcohol prevention and education program created by Prevention Research Institute, Inc. called PRIME for Life on Campus. It is a four-hour interactive workshop that includes self-assessment, discussion, and activities.

Winner of National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week Award in August 2004
The University of Richmond Wellness Program, in collaboration with the Richmond College Dean's Office and other departments on campus, has received one of three national awards for its comprehensive alcohol prevention program.