Biennial Review

In compliance with the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act (DFSCA) articulated through Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) Part 86, a review of Sonoma State University’s alcohol and other drug programs is assessed every two years.

Since the DFSCA’ s 1994 amendments to the Higher Education Act of 1965, institutions of higher education have been responsible for communicating standards and prevention efforts regarding the unlawful possession, use, or distribution of alcohol and other illicit drugs (AOD) on their campuses. Every year, institutions are responsible for notifying students, faculty, and staff of the consequences AOD brings to the campus community. Every other year, in a Biennial Review, institutions must prepare a report that assesses AOD prevention efforts and allows for growth by examining the strengths and weaknesses of current offerings. Institutions are charged with determining the effectiveness of their efforts and ensuring that disciplinary standards for enforcement are being upheld.

This Biennial Review is completed by the Alcohol and Other Drug Task Force (“AOD Task Force”). The AOD Task Force is a group that fosters campus and community collaboration aimed at reducing the negative impact of alcohol and other drug use in our community. This group makes recommendations for policy and program changes, serves as the lead campus group to collaborate with community resources to reduce alcohol and other drug-related problems, coordinates the institutional alcohol and other drugs biennial review, and supports efforts of the community to reduce high risk alcohol and other drugs related negative behavior on and off campus.

The Dean of Students in the Division of Student Affairs is responsible for oversight of the AOD Task Force.

The Biennial Review contains means of measuring outcomes. Data collected includes AOD violations through the Office of Student Conduct and sanctions imposed. Surveys are sent to all students in violation of AOD policies, and periodically reviewed. The Sonoma State University chemical dependency counselor provides a summary.

The Biennial Review includes:

A program inventory
Statement of AOD program goals and goal achievement
Summary of AOD program strengths and weaknesses
Procedures for distribution of annual AOD notification to students and employees
Recommendations for revising AOD programs
Appendices
- Program and event spreadsheet
- Annual notification of drug and alcohol prevention program disclosures and the Code of Student Conduct
- Office of Student Conduct data
- Residence Services disciplinary data
- Chemical dependency counselor service summary
- Academic survey and results

Through the Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention, the U.S. Department of Education funded Complying with the Drug-Free Schools and Campuses Regulations [EDGAR Part 86]: A Guide for University and College Administrators, Washington D.C., 2006, revised by Beth DeRicco, Ph.D., CPP-R (“Guide”). According to the Guide, “this publication is in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce it in whole or in part is granted.” Sonoma State University acknowledges that intellectual information and direction from the Guide have been utilized in the creation of this Biennial Review.