Alcohol Awareness & Harm-Reduction Initiatives at Lehigh

Students who become part of the Lehigh community are offered numerous opportunities for creating a personalized experience, while still being healthy, safe and responsible. We encourage you to explore the following options:

CHOICE Housing >
Lehigh After Dark >

Interested in coordinating an event for your peers? We’ve got you covered with a comprehensive guide to all things event planning. Whether it’s a small gathering in the University Center, a social function in a Greek facility or a campus-wide concert, use the resources below provided to plan a fun and safe event.

Event Planning Overview >
Alcohol-free Events >
Events with Alcohol >
Tailgating Resources and Student Registration >

All members of the Lehigh University community are expected to know and follow the local, state, and federal laws, as well as Lehigh’s policies related to alcohol. From the start of their Lehigh experience, students learn about expectations (as outlined in the Lehigh University Student Code of Conduct) at first-year orientation, hall meetings and through ongoing involvement in student organizations.

The university strongly encourages respect for self and others, including interactions and relationships with our off-campus neighbors and community partners. Learn more at the following links:

Medical Amnesty Policy >
Drug & Alcohol Policy >
Tobacco and Smoke Free Campus >
Social Policy >
Student Code of Conduct >

Lehigh University has focused on addressing the issue of high-risk drinking for more than two decades, beginning with a focused effort to examine the issue through a grant provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in 1996. At that time, Lehigh was one of only six universities nationwide selected by the foundation to receive a five-year grant to build a campus-community coalition to curb high-risk drinking and its second-hand effects.

Lehigh conducted the AMOD (Matter of Degree) program in partnership with the Harvard School of Public Health and the American Medical Association. In September 2001, based on demonstrated success, Lehigh received a four-year grant renewal to continue support of the program. Lehigh gained national recognition for its efforts in 2001, when the U. S. Department of Education named Lehigh’s AMOD effort one of six model programs for College and University Alcohol Prevention. And in 2003, the American Public Health Association awarded the College Based Leadership Award for alcohol prevention programs to Lehigh, hailing the AMOD program as a model for the nation. More recently, Lehigh participated in the National College Health Improvement Project (NCHIP), which joined top colleges and universities from across the country to address high-risk drinking on American campuses. This unprecedented group initiative—the Learning Collaborative on High-Risk Drinking—utilized comprehensive evaluation and measurement techniques to identify and implement the most effective ways to confront this persistent problem and lessen the harm it causes.

More information about Lehigh’s NCHIP efforts can be found here:
Lehigh to join with leading schools to address high-risk drinking >
Lehigh joins a national effort to promote students' health >

As a result of this engagement, Lehigh created the Lehigh After Dark (LAD) program, which offered alcohol-free social opportunities for students on weekend evenings.

More information on these and other efforts can be found here:

Health Advancement & Strategies Prevention Office >
National College Health Improvement Project (NCHIP) >