A cross-national comparison of school drug policies in Washington State, United States, and Victoria, Australia

Using mail survey data collected from primary and secondary school administrators in Washington State, United States, and in Victoria, Australia, this study compared aspects of the school drug policy environment in the 2 states. Documented substance-use policies were prevalent in Washington and Victoria but less prevalent in primary schools, especially in Victoria. Victorian school policy-setting processes were significantly more likely to involve teachers, parents, and students than processes in Washington schools. Consistent with expectations based on their respective national drug policy frameworks, school drug policies in Washington schools were more oriented toward total abstinence and more frequently enforced with harsh punishment (such as expulsion or calling law enforcement), whereas policies in Victorian schools were more reflective of harm-minimization principles. Within both states, however, schools more regularly used harsh punishment and remediation consequences for alcohol and illicit-drug violations compared to tobacco policy violations, which were treated more leniently. (J Sch Health. 2005;75(4):134-140)

Measuring the impact of intimate partner violence on the health of women in Victoria, Australia

Objective: Using burden of disease methodology, estimate the health risks of intimate partner violence (IPV) among women in Victoria, Australia.

Methods: We calculated population attribute fractions (from survey data on the prevalence of IPV and the relative risks of associated health problems in Australia) and determined health outcomes by applying them to disability-adjusted life year estimates for the relevant disease and injury categories for Victoria, Australia for 2001.

Findings: For women of all ages IPV accounted for 2.9% (95% uncertainty interval 2.4-3.4%)  of the total disease and injury burden.  Among women 18-44 years of age, IPV was associated with 7.9% (95% uncertainty interval 6.4-935%) of the overall disease burden and was a larger risk to health than risk factors traditionally included in burden of disease studies, such as raised blood pressure, tobacco use and increased body weight.  Poor mental health contributed 73% and substance abuse 22% to the disease burden attributed to IPV.

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that IPV constitutes a significant risk to women's health.  Mental health policy-makers and health workers treating common mental health problems need to be aware that IPV is an important factor.  Future research should concentrate on evaluating effective interventions to prevent women being exposed to violence, and identifying the most appropriate mental health care for victims to reduce short- and long-term disability

Mural Painting

For my freshman Jan Plan at Colby I painted a mural in Runnals Union illustrating a William Blake poem. This effort began a four year painting project which I pursued my sophomore and junior years by finishing the Hall of the Machines in Runnals and by commencing the Paper Wall in Roberts. As a Senior Scholar, I've continued my undertaking by painting eleven more panels. Eight of these are in the Paper Wall and the other three are in the Spa in Miller Library. In my wallpainting up until this year my major interest has been in a strong two-dimentional design created by color juxtaposition. Over these two semesters I've developed a greater concern with the role of color value contrasts in achieving a sense of three-dimensional space. As one views my paintings in chronological order, he can see that gradually colors become less intense, value contrasts more effective, and subject matter becomes based on observation rather than imagination. Please judge my achievement solely on observation of the walls in these three rooms as this paper is only a very brief catalogue of works and the slides are not the best reproductions.

Prevalence of health promotion policies in sports clubs in Victoria, Australia

In recent years, some health agencies offered sponsorship to sporting associations to promote healthy environments by encouraging clubs to develop health-related policies. However, the extent to which these sponsorship contracts reach their stated aims is of concern. This study aimed to quantify levels of policy development and practice in sports clubs for each of five key health areas, namely smoke-free facilities, sun protection, healthy catering, responsible serving of alcohol and sports injury prevention. Representatives from 932 Victorian sports clubs were contacted by telephone with 640 clubs (69%) participating in the survey. Results suggested that the establishment of written policies on the key health areas by sports clubs varied widely by affiliated sport and health area: 70% of all clubs with bar facilities had written policies on responsible serving of alcohol, ranging from 58% of tennis clubs to 100% of diving and surfing clubs. In contrast, approximately one-third of sports clubs had a smoke-free policy, with 36% of tennis, 28% of country football and 28% of men's cricket clubs having policy. Moreover, 34% of clubs overall had established sun protection policy, whereas clubs competing outside during summer months, [diving (86%) and life-saving (81%)] were most likely to have a written sun protection policy. Injury prevention policies were established in 30% of sports clubs, and were most common among football (56%), diving (43%) and life-saving (41%). This study suggests that policy development for health promotion can be achieved in sports clubs when it is well supported by health agencies and consideration is given to the appropriateness of the specific behaviours to be encouraged for a given sport. Communication between associations and clubs needs to be monitored by health agencies to ensure support and resources for policy development to reach the club level.

Comparing Victoria's genuine progress with that of the Rest-of-Australia

While a range of exogenous and endogenous factors affect the standard of  living of most Australians in a more-or-less uniform way, the different social and economic-policies of each state government are likely to affect the levels of sustainable well-being experienced across the various states. With this in mind, a Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) - a newly devised measure of sustainable well-being - is calculated for Victoria and the Rest- of- Australia (Australia minus Victoria) for the period 1986-2003. The GPI takes account of the various costs and benefits of economic activity in order to investigate the impact of a growing state or national economy on sustainable well-being.
By analysing the GPI results and the policies undertaken by the Victorian government, it is possible to determine what the state of Victoria is doing differently to the Rest-of-Australia that might be beneficial or detrimental to sustainable well-being. While our study reveals that Victoria is performing better than the Rest-of-Australia, it also highlights flaws in the policy-making process that have resulted in Victoria's Gross State Product (GSP) overstating its genuine progress.

Oxygen and hydrogen isotopic ratios and chemistry in semiarid land river water, Southwest Victoria, Australia

Salt in a salt lake accumulated as a result of perfect evaporation of inflow water during the dry season. Water in a salt lake had a high salinity and its isotope indicated a little evaporation in the wet season because precipitation replenished the salt lake and there was no residual water during evaporation process in salt lake. In a marsh, both perfect and partial disappearance of water by repeated evaporation and water supply from upstream contributed to high salinity and high isotopic ratios because residual water had high isotopic ratios and dried areas accumulated salt. On the other hand, salinity and isotopic ratios depended on ratio of evaporation and water supply during evaporation excluding perfect disappearance of water.

Conservation and management of hydromyine rodents in Victoria, Australia

Of the 15 species of native rodents recorded from Victoria, Australia, six became extinct within 70 years of European settlement, and two of the remaining nine are classified as ‘threatened’ and four are classified as ‘near threatened’. Thus, only three species are considered to be adequately conserved. This represents one of the most dramatic mammalian species declines recorded in Australia. All the threatened species belong to the subfamily Hydromyinae, the Australian ‘old endemics’. Of the extinct species, four were recorded only from the semi-arid north-west of the state and two from dry woodlands in the central and southern regions. The two  endangered species are the smoky mouse, which has a disjunct distribution from near-coastal to sub-alpine habitats, and the New Holland mouse, which is the most geographically restricted species. Discovered in Victoria only in 1970, it has become extinct at several locations and is the subject of a major recovery program that includes captive breeding and reintroduction. Conservation protocols and practices for Victoria’s native rodents are implemented under state legislation, but lack of basic ecological information makes their conservation a difficult task.

The Buln-Buln and Brolga

Originally published in 1944, this biography of Joseph Furphy was written by Miles Franklin. She tells of his multi-faceted life, from 1843 to 1912, including his days as a bullock-driver, and in Victoria building Furphy carts with his brother; of his friends and philosophy and his hopes for humanity and Australia.