Q: I work on the campus of a Christian college where it seems that we are anxious to minimize the public perception of problems, such as student drinking. How do we maintain our positive image while helping kids? A: Your question reveals that you are focused on what matters the most—helping those on your campus who strongly need support and guidance. Too often we err on the side of making decisions based on image rather than human need. Whether by ignoring problems or making a public example of offenders, we are anxious to quickly expedite a solution, shine up our tarnished reputations and move on with business as usual. In the process, we miss the opportunity to make a lasting difference in the lives of those desperately needing help. The sad fact is that even Christian campuses are not immune from student drinking. Whenever we note trends in the general population, we can expect some level of the problem within Christian schools, homes, and churches. The National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports a number of consequences that occur each year as a result of college drinking, including: 1,400 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die each year from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including motor vehicle crashes (Hingson et al., 2002). 500,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are unintentionally injured under the influence of alcohol (Hingson et al., 2002). More than 600,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are assaulted by another student who has been drinking (Hingson et al., 2002). More than 70,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape (Hingson et al., 2002). About 25 percent of college students report academic consequences of their drinking including missing class, falling behind, doing poorly on exams or papers, and receiving lower grades overall (Engs et al., 1996; Presley et al., 1996a, 1996b; Wechsler et al., 2002). As concerned leaders on Christian campuses, how should we respond? The Task Force reports that the old method of simply providing students with data on the risks of alcohol-abuse does little to change behavior. Rather, they suggest "brief interventions," in which students identified with drinking problems are assisted in facing their problem and developing concrete strategies for making a change. Admittedly, such an approach may appear radical for Christian colleges where alcohol consumption is grounds for dismissal and anything other than immediately curtailing the problem might be viewed as condoning behavior. Once we decide to provide assistance to students, we come back to your original dilemma—going public with the existence of problems on our campuses announces to the world that we are less-than-perfect. The public relations image we hope to maintain begins to crumble. Perhaps it is time to muster the courage to push past the immediate issue of image and begin developing policies on Christian campuses designed to touch the lives of real individuals living in the real world. I am wondering what might happen if Christian college handbooks included a section summarizing critical issues and trends in society—alcohol and drug use, sexual issues, suicide, etc.—and then presented the approaches promoted on their campus for helping students struggling in these areas. What would happen if we began viewing students with real problems not as an embarrassment, but as people in crisis? What would happen if we put less emphasis on concocting creative punishments and more on finding creative ways to help? As the administrator of four different Christian schools through the years, I discovered an amazing principle. Once I stopped worrying about public image and connected with individuals on a heart-to-heart basis, the reputation of my school took care of itself. Once I threw away precedents and focused on people, enrollment began to climb. No doubt, it takes courage. But I urge you to face the problems on your campus, find resources of help, and begin to help students right where they are. Your image may suffer temporarily, but I suspect that in the long-run, the problem you will be facing will not be declining numbers, but how to handle the crowds of students anxious to pursue an education on a campus known for caring. Sandra Doran, Ed.D., is an associate superintendent of education for the Florida Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. She posts her monthly columns on her web site. Read them on-line at www.tagnet.org/powerlines.

Sandra Finley Doran, Ed.D. 2028 Bluff Oak St. Apopka, FL 32712-3945 (407) 889-5524 email powerlines@juno.com

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