NASPA Alcohol, Other Drug, and Campus Violence Prevention Conference: A NASPA Strategies Conference

Practitioners find themselves working at an intersection of continued alcohol misuse, increasing mental health concerns, growing acceptance for the legalization and use of cannabis, and increasing attention to treatment approaches that were considered fringe just a few short years ago - including mindfulness, meditation, psychedelic-assisted therapy, and more. Higher education practitioners in particular work with a population at a significant developmental stage in the midst of these shifting norms. The landscape is complex, but also exciting.

The NASPA Alcohol, Other Drug, and Campus Violence Prevention Conference aims to showcase best practices for prevention practitioners addressing the complexities surrounding substance misuse prevention at colleges and universities. As part of the larger NASPA Strategies Conferences, attendees have a unique opportunity to learn about and interact with professionals working in the intersecting fields of collegiate alcohol and other drug misuse prevention, mental health, sexual violence prevention and response, and well-being in a comprehensive conference experience.

Learn more about the 2024 NASPA Strategies Conferences, including exhibiting and sponsorship opportunities.

2023 Conference Themes and Learning Outcomes

Campus or Community Coalitions and Partnerships

• Understand the ways in which diverse stakeholders across the campus and the larger community can work collaboratively to address substance misuse or violence prevention and best serve the needs of campus community members
• Analyze models of collaboration, case studies from integrated systems, successful partnerships, and efforts to engage all stakeholders in prevention efforts, including individual and environmental level strategies
• Identify and evaluate health promotion efforts
• Utilize evaluation data to build capacity, inform strategic planning, and promote community engagement

Current Trends and Emerging Issues in an Ever-Changing Environment

• Analyze ongoing data and research surrounding substance misuse or campus violence prevention efforts, especially those addressing use patterns and implications for college students
• Evaluate the scope of alcohol and other drug misuse on campus as well as its relationship to academic attainment
• Explore considerations for health equity on prevention efforts
• Amplify the voices and experiences around substance misuse and campus violence of underrepresented populations
• Explore best practices from other fields to identify areas of application

Evidence-Based and Evidence Informed Practices

• Examine how evidence-based prevention strategies can be modified to fit varying institutions, communities, populations, and resource levels
• Identify evidence-based and evidence informed programs and strategies
• Explore replicable and adaptable evidence-based policies, programs, and practices
• Identify best practices for campus policies surrounding alcohol and other drugs

Innovative Solutions and Changing Practices

• Evaluate the efficacy and fidelity of prevention strategies led online/virtually
• Identify changes in prevention strategies due to COVID-19 and the long term impact for students and staff
• Articulate how to support students who choose not to use substances and those in recovery communities, using innovative strategies, based on a foundational theory, model, or adaptation

The Strategic Prevention Framework 

• Use local data to assess drug misuse and related problems; risk and protective factors, and capacity for prevention
• Build capacity (i.e., resources and readiness) to take action to address prevention priorities
• Plan how to best address identified prevention needs and associated factors, ensuring it is designed to meet the specific needs of the campus and/or surrounding
• Implement evidence-based and evidence-informed programs and strategies according to a strategically developed prevention plan
• Evaluate the processes and outcomes of the prevention interventions to reduce uncertainty, improve effectiveness, and make decisions
• Address issues around cultural competency and cultural humility and their importance in prevention efforts
• Build sustainability into all efforts in the spectrum of prevention and health promotion to maintain desired long-term results