Yale College Summer Updates for Parents and Guardians (July 12, 2024)

Talking about alcohol image

July 12, 2024

Dear parents and guardians of first-year students,

Much of the guidance students have received this summer has covered health requirements, academics, and extracurricular life. Another important part of their transition to college is anticipating their choices about alcohol and other drugs. They will be receiving additional guidance when they arrive so that they are aware of the resources available to them. But we also encourage them to talk with you this summer, before they arrive, about this important topic.
To help you get started, the Alcohol and Other Drugs Harm Reduction Initiative writes this week with resources, which it is also sending to new students, and to tell you about an online course students will need to complete before August 7. As they plan to join the Yale College community and consider how they will contribute to it, this is an excellent time for them to think about the choices they will make about alcohol and other drugs, and to identify the people who can guide them once they arrive.

Sincerely,

Hannah Peck
Assistant Dean of Student Affairs
Yale College
(she/her)

July 12, 2024

Dear parents and guardians of first-year students,

I am writing to ask for your help addressing an issue that affects college campuses across the United States: the impact of alcohol and other drugs, which can affect individual students and our community as a whole.

Yale College works closely with students to reduce their likelihood of engaging in high-risk drinking, but you can help by starting a conversation about it at home this summer, before the school year starts. Students benefit enormously from family guidance on a wide range of values and choices, including alcohol. Conversations with parents and guardians during the summer before college help students make better, safer decisions about alcohol once they arrive on campus, as public health research has shown.

My staff has worked with students, alumni, and public health experts to develop a short handbook, Talking about Alcohol: A Guide for Yale College Families, to help you. (Versions in Spanish and Chinese are available.) The guide offers practical strategies for framing a discussion within the context of your own family values and relationships.

All incoming students have received a copy of the family guide as well, along with instructions for completing a required online course, Work Hard, Play Smart: Making Mindful Choices about Alcohol and Other Drugs. The deadline is August 7. The course provides physiological and sociological information about alcohol and other drugs, and shares strategies from current students on setting limits and navigating challenging situations.

Engaged conversation and mindful decision-making are critical tools for reducing the harms of alcohol and other drugs. More broadly, though, they are central values of Yale College. I am grateful for your help as we prepare to welcome new students to our community.

Yours truly,

Tom Adams
Assistant Dean of Student Affairs
Director, Alcohol & Other Drugs Harm Reduction Initiative
Director, Office of Gender & Campus Culture
(he/they)

July 12, 2024

Dear members of the Class of 2028,

As you prepare for your first year at Yale, I write to share two additional resources with you, both of which should aid your transition to college life.

TALKING ABOUT ALCOHOL

The first is Talking About Alcohol: A Guide for Yale College Families, which we are also sharing with your parents or guardians. (There are also versions in Spanish and Chinese.) This short handbook is packed with research-based strategies for having productive conversations across generations. The start of college often creates new opportunities to learn more about what matters to important figures in your life, and to reflect more deeply upon your own values.

WORK HARD, PLAY SMART

The second resource is a required online course, Work Hard, Play Smart: Making Mindful Choices about Alcohol and Other Drugs. The course is hosted on Canvas, the online platform you will also use for your academic courses. Once you receive a notice from Canvas that the course is available, you can log on with your NetID at canvas.yale.edu.

Complete course

See detailed instructions and technical assistance →

Deadline: August 7, 12:00 noon, ET

If you anticipate being unable to meet the August 7 deadline (if you will be without internet service, for example), or if you have any other questions, please write to aodhri@yale.edu.

Mindful decision-making is one of our central values in Yale College. As we prepare to welcome you, I hope you will take this opportunity to learn, reflect, and plan about the contributions you will make to our campus community.

Sincerely,

Tom Adams
Assistant Dean of Student Affairs
Director, Alcohol & Other Drugs Harm Reduction Initiative
Director, Office of Gender & Campus Culture
(he/they)