How can you go out and have a good time and still be safe? Here area a couple things to keep in mind:

• The legal drinking age in the US is 21 years old. If you choose to drink underage, know the consequences and risks. Know NJ state law and Rowan University policies, including the off-campus policy.
• It’s ok not to drink alcohol. Bring your own beverage of soda, water, or other bottled beverage.
• Eat something prior to drinking.
• Keep an eye and a hand on your drink.
• Bring along some friends and look out for each other. Know where the people you came with are at the end of the night.
• Don't leave the party with someone you do not know or trust, call a friend or campus security to walk you home.
• If you choose to drink, alternate alcohol and non-alcoholic beverages. Space out your drinks to keep it close to one per hour. Water is essential to staying hydrated.
• Know your limits, it's okay to turn down a drink if you think you have had too much to drink.
• Tell someone who’s not drinking where you plan to go and when you plan to return. This could be a roommate who’s not going out that night or even a friend from home.
• If you get an Uber or Lyft home, make sure the vehicle you are getting in matches the driver and license information on the app you are using. Turn on the trip tracking feature to share your location with a family member or friend.

DRINK SPIKING IS A REAL DANGER

We share this information to reduce risks and enhance campus safety, with no intent to blame victims of crime. Only criminals are responsible for their crimes. Drink spiking is the addition of a drug, chemical, or alcohol to beverages in order to impair or incapacitate the person who consumes the beverage. Alcohol, such as Vodka, can be added to a drink that you do not expect to have any or as much alcohol, causing the drink to impair you more than expected. This may be done in order to facilitate sexual assault or other crimes. Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages can be spiked, including water. People of any gender, race, or sexual orientation can be the target or the perpetrator of drink spiking. 

Drink spiking is a crime, and will be prosecuted by Police. Rowan University will also discipline students responsible for drink spiking.

For information about safety tips, please visit the Healthy Campus Initiatives page on preventing drink spiking.

Vaping (JUULing) isn't harmless. More information continues to come out about the dangers of vaping. One JUUL pod contains 20 cigarettes worth of nicotine (roughly one pack of cigarettes). According to the Truth Initiative, 63% of JUUL users between the ages of 15-24 are unaware they are consuming nicotine, and believe they are only vaping flavor.

Vaping, like other smoking, is not permitted indoors or within 50 feet of a window, door, or other area where outside air is circulated through a building. In the State of New Jersey, it is illegal to purchase tobacco products and electronic smoking devices under the age of 21 or purchase for a minor.

For more information regarding the dangers to your mental and physical health from vaping and JUUling, and to find resources on quitting, please visit the Alcohol and other Drugs page on vaping. 

For more information on all alcohol and other drug policies, please visit Community Standards' website. For information about the smoking policy, please click here.

For more information about vaping or AOD prevention, contact Healthy Campus Initiatives at hci@rowan.edu.

Rowan University is an active member of the New Jersey Higher Education Consortium on Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention and Education (NJHEC). This voluntary association of over 40 New Jersey colleges and universities works to address campus substance abuse.

The mission of the New Jersey Higher Education Consortium is:

• to successfully pursue proactive prevention strategies to prevent campus alcohol and other drug abuse
• to develop strong institutional policies on drug use and alcohol abuse
• to measure the extent of drug use and alcohol abuse and their associated problems
• to create activities to bring about desired behavior changes in students, staff, and faculty