UCI Task Force on Campus Culture: Alcohol, Drugs and Behavior Report

The UCI Task Force on Campus Culture: Alcohol, Drugs and Behavior was launched in response to the tragic death of first-year student Noah Domingo in January 2019.

The task force was charged with reviewing and reporting on the current campus culture and our existing efforts toward promoting health and preventing abuse, and recommending how we might improve our culture and policies based on new research and a review of best practices nationwide.

The task force has completed its work. You can see a copy of the report and recommendations here.

The primary recommendation is the systematic promotion of whole person health and well-being for every member of our campus community, with the goal of being a national leader within higher education in this area.

I heartily endorse this bold aspiration. 

The task force identified a wide range of steps that will move us toward this ambitious end. First and foremost is the creation of a new senior campus-wide position of Chief Wellness Officer to lead these efforts by integrating, supporting and enhancing health and wellness programming for students, staff and faculty. This position will not change current organizational structures and reporting lines, but will ensure appropriate coordination of our efforts, create additional initiatives, and support research that will help us determine the most effective strategies. We will immediately begin the process of recruiting for this new position.

In addition, leaders of our existing health and wellness promotion programs will begin implementing those task force recommendations that can be acted on quickly, while the provost’s office will begin working with the Academic Senate on recommendations that require its approval, including proposals for course development and new graduation requirements. To help us ensure timely progress on the recommendations, I have asked task force chair Cynthia Haq, M.D., chair of the Department of Family Medicine, and Edgar Dormitorio, interim vice chancellor for student affairs, to oversee an implementation committee comprised of students, staff and faculty.

I extend my sincere gratitude to each member of the task force for making such an important contribution to our campus. Their names are listed below. I also want to thank everyone on the campus who is currently dedicating themselves to advancing the physical, emotional and mental well-being of our students, staff and faculty. By building on your efforts we will be a leader among those colleges and universities – in the United States and around the world – dedicated to building healthy academic communities.

Fiat Lux.

Chancellor Howard Gillman

• The task force members are:
  
  Cynthia Haq - Chair, Family Medicine 
  Tereza Agesyan - President, Multicultural Greek Council 
  Dan Cooper - Associate Vice Chancellor for Clinical & Translational Science and Professor, Pediatrics and Biomedical Engineering 
  Doug Everhart - Director, Student Wellness and Health Promotion 
  Anthony Frisbee - Police Lieutenant - Patrol, UCI Police 
  Richard Gannotta - CEO, UCI Health System 
  Peyton Geyser - President, Panhellenic Association 
  Mike Hallinan - Police Lieutenant - Operations, UCI Police 
  Charles Harris - President, Interfraternity Council 
  Marcelle Hayashida - Associate Vice Chancellor, Wellness, Health and Counseling Services 
  Mahtab Jafari - Professor, Pharmaceutical Sciences 
  Sheefteh Khalili - Executive Director for Academic Planning Projects, Academic Affairs 
  Carlos Konishi - Pediatric Psychologist, Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) 
  Jenel Lao - Lecturer and Interim Director of Undergraduate Programs, Education 
  Annie Le - President, ASUCI 
  Tawny Luu - Director of Compliance, Equal Opportunity & Diversity 
  Marina Mantos - Interim Director, Greek Life, Student Life & Leadership 
  Daniel Martinez - Student Advocate General, ASUCI 
  Adeline Nyamathi - Founding Dean and Distinguished Professor, Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing 
  Christopher Richmond - Risk Manager, Division of Finance and Administration 
  Sharon Stead - Director, Middle Earth Housing 
  James Steintrager - Professor, English, and Chair-Elect, Academic Senate 
  Shane Wood - Vice President, AGS