Below you will find some frequently asked questions by family members about alcohol at NDSU.

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A: The North Dakota State Board of Higher Education and NDSU prohibit the possession, sale, dispensation or consumption of alcohol on campus. Besides that, most students living on campus are under 21; underage drinking and possession is illegal under North Dakota law.

A: NDSU complies with all state and federal laws regarding drugs and alcohol.

"The University prohibits the unlawful or unauthorized use, possession, storage, manufacture, distribution, or sale of alcoholic beverages and any illicit drugs or drug paraphernalia in University buildings, any campus area, in University housing units, in University vehicles, or at any University affiliated events held on or off - campus, which are sponsored by students, employees and their respective campus organizations (including all fraternities and sororities)."

For more information see AOD Laws and Policies.

A: Students and student organizations that violate university drug and alcohol policy (either on or off campus) are subject to the university conduct process. The severity of the violation and previous history of drug or alcohol use will provide direction to the condition of their sanction. The conditions associated with the sanction are decided on by a hearing officer. These conditions may include:

• Alcohol education class
• Written reflection
• Restitution
• Restricted access to university facilities
• Removal from the residences halls or apartments
• Loss of privileges
• Probation
• Suspension and/or expulsion from the university.

Students who violate NDSUs drug and alcohol policies may also be breaking North Dakota state law and are subject to all legal consequences associated with that. Fargo Municipal court fines and fees may exceed $475 for first time alcohol-related violations. These consequences may also hinder the ability to obtain certain types of employment after the student has completed their degree.

A: If your student is under 21 you may be contacted by an NDSU official about your student's behavior, without their consent. NDSU's parental notification policy can be found on the Dean of Student Life's website.

This communication will come from the University in written form. We encourage you to discuss your student's behavior with them and we also welcome any questions pertaining to the university conduct process. University officials are not able to discuss the specifics of the situation without your student's written permission.

A: NDSU has done a number of surveys that students have participated in an attempt to measure drinking and drug use behaviors, as well as their perceptions of the norms surrounding alcohol use among students. The most resent study titled the Core Alcohol and Drug Survey took place in the fall of 2008. It was developed to measure alcohol and other drug usage, as well as attitudes and perceptions among college students attending two and four year institutions, nationwide. For information regarding the national statistics visit the CORE Institute.

For a summary of the results from the 2008 CORE Drug and Alcohol Survey, please see our CORE Survey page.

A:

While popular movies such as "Old School" and "Animal House" promote the idea that college students get drunk constantly, don't be fooled. Binge-drinking is less common on college campuses than you might think. In fact, in recent years students choosing to abstain from alcohol all together are increasing.

• According to a survey conducted on the NDSU campus in 2003, between 1,320 and 3,000 NDSU students did not consume any alcohol over the last year and 66 percent refused an offer of alcohol in the previous 30 days.
• The survey also showed nearly 48 percent of NDSU students hadn't tried binge-drinking (five or more drinks in one sitting) in the two weeks leading up to the survey.
• Students tend to overestimate their peers' use of alcohol. In a recent NDSU study, they perceived their peers as consuming an average of 6.05 drinks at off-campus parties, when average number of drinks consumed was actually 4.92.

Just know this: Should your student choose not to drink, they are not alone.

A: See our "Talking about alcohol with your student" page.