This research report advises the Provost’s Alcohol Study Group on findings gathered through our six-month review of Stanford campus policy and practices relating to managing high-risk alcohol behaviors among Stanford undergraduates. The research describes findings for a variety of campus communities and the effects of current methods and practices intended to help restrict alcohol misuse. The study examines as well the need for alcohol-free social spaces and sober housing options and concludes that there is need for a Stanford collegiate recovery program. The Alcohol Study Group is then tasked with using these findings to make recommendations to the Provost on possible changes to current policy and practices.

Over the 2018-19 academic terms, Professors Paul Brest and Keith Humphreys, joined by Lecturer Luciana Herman, led a Stanford Law School Policy Lab team comprised of three graduate law students and four Stanford undergraduates in consultation with the Vice Provost of Student Affairs (VPSA) and the Office of Alcohol Policy and Education (OAPE). The student teams interviewed over 100 stakeholders—administrators from other institutions, as well as Stanford administrators, residential staff, and students. Respondents were invariably gracious and generous with their time, and we thank them for candidly sharing their experiences and challenges with campus policy and practices and offering their practical solutions. This report is our humble effort to distill their rich contributions into a coherent exposition of current policy.