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Awareness Programs

Skidmore College offers many programs specifically designed to inform members of the cam-pus community about security procedures and policies, personal safety, and crime preven-tion. In addition to a number of programs tailored for students, the College offers this

information to employees through new-employee orientation, the employee handbook, and a brochure on Skidmore policies regarding drug and alcohol use/abuse.

Residence hall staff undergoes extensive training each fall in preparation for their responsi-bilities. As part of this training, staff members must attend a series of workshops focusing on such issues as security and safety, disciplinary procedures for infractions of rules, fire safety, sexual harassment, diversity, and sexual assault. They are also advised of their reporting re-quirements according to the Clery Act. The residence hall staff, in turn, holds sessions each fall in their buildings to inform the general student body about security and safety issues— one meeting for the entire residence hall and then smaller meetings on individual floors. Campus Safety officers are also involved with many of these informational meetings.

These sessions are complemented by a special session each fall conducted by Campus Safety, Saratoga Springs PD, and Saratoga Springs FD that reviews crime prevention, fire safety, and the College’s policies and procedures regarding safety issues. In addition members of these departments also conduct a canvass of off-campus neighborhoods where there is a concen-tration of Skidmore students to discuss safety and security concerns as well as responsibili-ties of living in a neighborhood.

Each new student is apprised of the Skidmore College Student Handbook , available online at

www.skidmore.edu/student_handbook/ . It presents information on fire prevention and campus security issues, as well as Skidmore’s policies on alcohol and drugs.

Drug and Alcohol Abuse Education Programs

• Online Education (Primary Prevention): All incoming students are required to complete an online alcohol education course called AlcoholEdu. The program is designed specifi- cally to be implemented on a population level as a primary prevention tool (i.e. to prevent non-drinkers or low-risk drinkers from engaging in high-risk behavior). The course has been independently researched and proven to (1) reset unrealistic expectations about the effects of alcohol, (2) link choices about drinking to academic and personal success, (3) help students practice healthier and safer decision-making, and (4) motivate behavior change around alcohol use.

• BASICS Program (judicial or voluntary): The Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students is a two-part motivational interviewing program designed to reduce risk among students who demonstrate worrisome patterns of alcohol use. Although the BASICS program is available to all Skidmore students free of charge, most participants find their way to BASICS after violating the College’s alcohol policy. Over 40 students were required to complete the program during the 2012–13 academic year, and a majority of those reported positive changes to their alcohol use as a result of their participation.