Perceived barriers and benefits to addressing ecological factors on a campus with a dry campus alcohol policy

College educators must acknowledge the ecological factors that impact the alcohol and other drug (AOD) use on their individual campuses. This study explored the relationship between a dry campus alcohol policy and the ecological factors that reduce underage and high-risk drinking at a small, suburban, private liberal arts institution located in the southeastern United States, utilizing both qualitative and quantitative research approaches. The subjects were 21 employees (administrators, faculty, and staff) at the research site who participated in a semi-structured interview, as well as 287 employees who completed the Core Faculty and Staff Environmental AOD survey. Through a series of in-depth interviews, surveys, and document analyses, this study sought to establish a grounded theory for an ecological approach to AOD prevention that could be supported by a dry campus alcohol policy.;The data affirmed that a dry campus alcohol policy and the ecological factors that reduce underage and high-risk drinking are interrelated with varying degrees of influence. The data also revealed seven perceived barriers and eight perceived benefits of a dry campus alcohol policy. The study asserted: (1) there were perceived barriers or limitations to a dry campus alcohol policy; (2) a dry campus alcohol policy created a campus environment that was perceived to reduce both underage drinking and high-risk drinking; (3) a dry campus alcohol policy reduced the frequency of the secondary effects of alcohol on a college campus; (4) institutions with a dry campus alcohol policy risk sending mixed messages to students; (5) administrators, faculty, and staff on a campus with a dry campus alcohol policy exhibited different attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs about alcohol and other drugs; (6) consistent enforcement of the dry campus alcohol policy was critical to the effectiveness of the institution's AOD prevention efforts; and (7) AOD prevention on a campus with a dry alcohol policy was perceived to need a campus-wide initiative. Lastly, this study offered a modified environmental management approach to AOD prevention specifically for a college or university with a dry campus alcohol policy.