Drug Free Biennial Report 2020

Biennial Report
Drug-Free School and Campus Regulations
October 2020

 

The Biennial Review

The Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act (FSCA) and Part 86 of the Department of Education’s General Administrative Regulations  (EDGAR Part 86), requires Divine Word College to report on its drug and alcohol abuse education and prevention program.

 

History

Divine Word College is a Roman Catholic Seminary College located 20 miles west of Dubuque, Iowa in the small town of Epworth.  Enrollment is approximately 100-125 students in any given year.  These students come from as many as 20 countries.  Students include Catholic seminarians, men and women in vows and a few laypersons.

As a small seminary College, Divine Word does not experience the issues of drug and alcohol abuse that many larger colleges and universities deal with.  All the same, the College adheres to all federal and state regulations regarding Higher Education mandates, rules and regulations in regards to drugs and alcohol education and prevention.

 

Review Process

This report covers the Academic years of 2018-2019 and 2019-2020.  During these two years, the College administration has reviewed all of its policies and updated where necessary.  The Dean of Students worked with sub-committees to extensively review policies and procedures in the Student Handbook, which included the policies on Drug and Alcohol Use and Abuse.  A revised and updated Student Handbook was approved in August 2020.

During this same two-year time period, the President and Board of Administration reviewed all College Policies and combined three handbooks (Employee, Faculty, and Administration) into one Divine Word College Policy Handbook.  The Drug and Alcohol Policies were reviewed and approved for the entire College community.

Recently, the issue on the use of marijuana was brought to the attention of the President and the Board of Administration, as neighboring states legalized its use.  As the policies were reviewed, the administration felt the current policies and procedures in place adequately address the issue, notably that the College policy adheres to the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 812), Section 202:  “No employee or student shall unlawfully manufacture, distribute, dispense, possess or use any narcotic drug, hallucinogenic drug, amphetamine, barbiturate, marijuana, or any other controlled substance.”  Disciplinary procedures are in place to support this policy.

Reporting

The Annual Drug-Free School and Campus Report is distributed to the students, faculty, and staff each October through publication in the weekly internal news, The DWC LOG, and is also available on the College website, www.dwci.edu.  Students are informed of the policies relating to alcohol and drugs during orientation each semester.

 

Education and Prevention

The Dean of Students and Formation Committee continue to educate students through presentations to formation groups and the student body on alcohol and drugs.  The College has procedures in place and assistance is available should an issue arise.  

The College contracts with SafeColleges Online Training Center to provide webinar training sessions to students, faculty and staff.  The College assigns required webinars for all students and employees each semester.  These webinars have included topics such as Drug Free Workplace, Alcohol Awareness for Students, Student Drug & Alcohol Abuse, to name a few.
 
The College employs a College Counselor who is always on campus during the academic year, should any student, faculty or staff member need assistance.

Approved:  October 28, 2020

Copies of these reports are filed in the Dean of Students Office and available upon request.