Monday 22-06-2015 - 14:03

The National Union of Students (NUS) is pleased to announce that Liverpool John Moores University and Liverpool Students' Union (LiverpoolSU) have been awarded an Alcohol Impact mark of accreditation.

The Alcohol Impact scheme, funded by the Home Office during its pilot year, aims to create a positive culture of responsible drinking and helps students’ unions and universities to promote responsible behaviour on campuses and in communities and improve the health and wellbeing of students.

Liverpool John Moores University and LiverpoolSU will be formally accredited at the Home Office on Tuesday 23 June.

To attain the accreditation, students’ unions work in partnership with institutions to challenge negative drinking cultures on campus by working through a list of criteria. They are then audited and if successful, are awarded the accreditation mark to signal their commitment to encouraging a healthier, more inclusive campus experience. Liverpool Students' Union and Liverpool John Moores University obtained an overall score of 179 out of a possible 189 points, giving the partnership a 95% audit score.

Across the UK, Alcohol Impact has reached just under 100,000 students and engaged with 116 sports clubs and societies, resulting in fantastic local results including:

• Alcohol free focused events increasing over the academic year with over 1500 students engaging in activities within halls of residence.
• The introduction of Liverpool’s first Safe Taxi scheme.
• A significant decrease in welfare incidents in halls of residence.
• 76 students developing specific campaigns work on responsible alcohol consumption as part of their academic coursework.

Due the success of the scheme, Alcohol Impact will be rolled out across the UK and open to all universities and students’ unions to take part in.

Dan Cole, LiverpoolSU Vice President (Community Engagement) said:

"Liverpool is a fantastic city with a great culture and vibrant social scene. We want all students to have a great experience in the city and love their time here.“The Alcohol Impact project has been fantastic to be involved in, as we want to ensure any student can feel they can be involved in the social side of university life, whether they want to drink alcohol or not. By raising the awareness of some of the effects of excessive alcohol consumption, we have seen a reduction in alcohol related incidents on campus, which has had a positive reaction from students.

“We introduced Liverpool's first Safe Taxi scheme this year, and through working with local stakeholders, we have also developed key partnerships to ensure the likes of local landlords, nightclub promoters and venues all consider students and their safety as part of their offer."

LJMU Vice-Chancellor, Professor Nigel Weatherill said:

“The Alcohol Impact project has been a positive step, both in student safety and in building a strong partnership between the University’s Student Advice and Wellbeing Services and the LiverpoolSU.  As a modern civic university, we provide opportunities for students to experience the social side of university life through everything the city has to offer, particularly through the cultural partnerships we have established.”

Colum McGuire, NUS Vice President (Welfare) said:

“Alcohol Impact is making a huge difference to our campuses and communities – making them a much safer and more inclusive place for everyone. It isn’t about telling students not to drink. It’s about shifting the social norms around alcohol culture at university. Working with students we can support them to make good decisions for themselves and their communities, and help make everyone feel comfortable to full engage with student life.

“Crucially it’s about the institution, students’ union and students working together, because this is something we can only work on collectively. There’s tremendous pressure on students to drink to excess during their time in education. When you consider factors like intensive marketing of cheap booze, alongside deeply entrenched traditions like pre-lashing and initiation ceremonies, it becomes less surprising that many students have reported that they think drinking to excess is expected at university. “We are delighted that seven sets of students’ unions and institutions are being awarded the accreditation, demonstrating a commitment to providing an inclusive campus environment for students across the country.”

Minister of State for Policing, Crime, Criminal Justice and Victims, Mike Penning, said:“

I would like to congratulate the seven universities and students’ unions who have gained the Alcohol Impact mark of accreditation. This Government is clear that universities where young people drink responsibly are safer and more productive places to study and live.“I hope more universities and students’ unions will now begin the accreditation process as the scheme is rolled out across the country.”
 

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Notes for editors

• The Home Office funded the Alcohol Impact scheme from April 2014 – April 2015 in its pilot year.
• You can find out more about the scheme at http://alcoholimpact.nus.org.uk/ or www.liverpoolsu.com/alcoholimpact
• For more information – including photos from the Home Office event on Tuesday – please contact the NUS Press Office pressoffice@nus.org.uk or 07866 695010.
• For more information regarding LJMU and LiverpoolSU involvement in attaining the Alcohol Impact accreditation please contact the Community department at LiverpoolSU at community@ljmu.ac.uk or 0151 231 4900.