Our Philosophy
Like other universities, Northwestern is concerned about the consequences of high-risk drinking and other drug use including poor academic performance, sexual assault, injury and law enforcement penalties. Our efforts, particularly within the Community Alcohol Coalition, are governed by the following philosophy:
A caring, safe, and well-informed community fosters an environment in which we can all live and learn. To that end, the Northwestern community shares responsibility for promoting healthy behavior. In supporting each individual’s health and wellbeing, we assist students, staff, and faculty in understanding the risks associated with consuming alcohol while seeking to minimize the harm to self and others caused by the misuse and abuse of alcohol.
To assist in that understanding, this site was developed to provide Northwestern students, parents, faculty, staff, and neighbors with a centralized 'hub' for information, policies, programs and services. It does not represent one department, rather it represents the collective work of the many involved in addressing this complex and multidimensional issue.
Environmental Management
The Community Alcohol Coalition employed an Environmental Management approach with a health and wellness lens, focusing primarily on harm reduction while engaging students, staff, and faculty as a community of care. To learn more about the strategic areas for environmental management the CAC is focusing on, view the Summary Report.