NCAAW 2000

Important peer leaders -
Greek letter organizations, student governments, student athletes, residence hall associations, and other campus programming groups - must take the lead in educating students about safety and wellness, in encouraging alcohol-free living environments, and in supporting facilities and programs that encourage healthy interactions and development of students.

What Can You Do?
Report from the National Symposium on Alcohol Practices sponsored by the Inter-Association Task Force on Alcohol and Other Substance Abuse Issues

Colleges and universities should enlist the direct support of their president, who can write persuasively and effectively to the parents of incoming students and to the faculty stating the behavioral standards - setting the tone for community life - at the school.

Faculty must be cognizant of being on the "front-line." They are close to the students, influential, and intelligent observers. A student who needs help, through university or community resources, may be most obvious to a faculty member first.

On a personal level, students need to hear that they are responsible as individuals, that they must know their own limit and consider their family history and genetic and physical makeup in determining whether and how much to drink. Teaching them how to handle acute intoxication of a classmate or friend should also be on the agenda.

Students need to be free from the second-hand effects of the irresponsible and dangerous behaviors of others: violence, sexual harassment and assault, unwanted sexual encounters, impaired driving, and sleep problems.

What Can You Do?
Report from the National Symposium on Alcohol Practices sponsored by the Inter-Association Task Force on Alcohol and Other Substance Abuse Issues

Collaboration With Others
Expands Our Educational Impact

Campus Activities Can...

Bulletin Boards and Exhibits Use a highly traveled area of campus and develop a prevention message bulletin board on NCAAW topics.
Freebies and Giveaways People are your best bulletin boards to make people aware of an issue. Have people sign a pledge card to make responsible decisions about alcohol, or sign a pledge to never drive when consuming alcohol, and give them a ribbon or pin to wear, or pens to use.
Visual Impact Events Candlelight services, community parades, and athletic event half-times are all highly visible ways to promote prevention messages.
Fun Events Sponsor an alcohol-free tailgate, fun run, mix up mocktails at an event, sponsor an "Up All Night" party at your recreation center, declare a "Natural High" day on campus with fun games or kite give-aways.
Lunch Time Programs Make the most of captive audiences at meal hours by sponsoring educational trivia contests with prizes. Host brown bag lunches on hot topics like the drinking age, zero tolerance laws, or fake IDs.
Use the Campus Media and Promote Events! Get your campus newspaper, radio and television stations involved. For promotion, get Vince & Larry crash dummies to pose for photos and provide educational literature.
Show a Film Films like "28 Days," "Leaving Las Vegas," or "When a Man Loves a Woman" set the scene for some great discussion. Include student leaders, faculty film buffs, and prevention people.

Ways Campus Judicial Offices Can...

Include educational sanctions and community service in your judicial process. Suggest campus NCAAW events as opportunities for learning about the effects of alcohol abuse.
Give students real world information. What would happen to them if they were cited in the community for underage drinking, public intoxication, destruction of property, physical violence, etc.?
Construct a display that talks about community fine amounts and then what students could purchase instead of paying fines....i.e. 30 compact disks, 60 pizzas, books for the year, 70 trips to the movies, etc.
Have students write articles suitable for publication in the student newspaper on various student health and campus policy issues.
Have students who have been sanctioned assist RAs in the residence halls and learn what it's like to promote a positive living community.
Work with the local judge to have students put in hours at the local community courts when alcohol-related cases are being heard.
Have students volunteer in a community service agency that focuses on addiction recovery.
Have the current peer education group on campus teach a sanction class on alcohol poisoning, sexual assault, violence, etc.
Organize a "mock trial" which focuses on alcohol abuse-related issues, i.e. DUI, alcohol poisoning, assault, etc.

Things Athletes and Recreational Sports Professionals Can Do...

Use electronic media (such as scoreboards or marquees) to advertise prevention messages. Place ads in athletic programs or in the newspaper.
Make prevention announcements at sporting events.
Have athletes act as prevention mentors at local high or middle schools.
Place prevention message on cups and/or napkins at athletic events.
Have coaches and athletes make a public service announcement for radio or TV.
Sponsor a responsible ôtailgateö party in conjunction with an athletic contest.
Hang safety and prevention banners in the gymnasium and at the fields.
Sponsor or co-sponsor a fun, visible event in conjunction with NCAAW, such as a fun run or walk or a tug-o-war.
Open the fitness center for longer hours.
Offer free fitness demonstrations.
Do blood pressure or cholesterol screenings.
Have a sporting event marathon (softball, volleyball) to raise awareness and/or money.
Offer free swing dancing or ballroom dancing lessons.
Offer a "performance and alcohol" workshop for athletes and those interested in fitness.

What Greeks Can Do...

Sponsor a health and safety message banner contest between organizations.
Sponsor a mocktail contest between groups.
Host the "ideal" party with theme (alcohol free with proceeds going to prevention agencies).
Have a fraternity and sorority chapter participate together in a safety workshop using an interactive program like Alcohol 101.
Bring together all groups and sponsor a speaker or a leadership series of programs related to personal success.
Place ads in the newspaper supporting the campus-wide prevention events, or social norms promoting positive behaviors.
Have members attend the campus events.
Ask an attorney to run a mock trial for a DUI case using students as the defendants, witnesses, and jury.
Have a 5K or 10K run to raise awareness about student health and/or raise money for a local prevention agency.
Volunteer to do community service projects with local agencies.

Ways Residence Life Staffs Can Be Involved...

Have your own ôCannes Film Festivalö. Incorporate some films that address issues surrounding alcohol abuse or personal safety in the area lounge. Also, consider using the episode of The Real World when Ruthie was confronted about alcohol abuse.
Conduct a progressive party with each hall responsible for a different food/beverage/dessert and then have people make the rounds from one hall to the other.
Invite one of the campus counselors/members of the health center to be the guest for the night. Have them give a presentation that evening but then hang out with students.
Have a mocktail contest.
Do something to get in shape every day, a fun run on Monday, swimming on Tuesday, aerobics or weight training on Wednesday, etc.
Perform peer theatre or skits on educational topics such as alcohol poisoning or sexual assault, followed by a discussion.
Have your own talk show one night in the lounge, using your own version of Lovelines to start a discussion on relationships.
Do your own version of 'the life experience wall' where you ask people to write down on index cards how the abuse of alcohol or other drugs has affected their fife. These cards then make up the ôbricks of the wall.
Hand out laminated "saving a life from alcohol poisoning" cards to each resident.

Things Campus Police and Safety Can Do for NCAAW...

Host a luncheon for all residence life folks explaining your role in the prevention process, and form a partnership.
Invite members of the community to form a campus safe walk program which provides escorts at night.
If acceptable under campus policy, conduct a "controlled drinking experiment" where students of age are given alcohol in a supervised setting. Have these students conduct simple tasks such as writing their name, walking a straight line, etc. The point of the program should be you don't have to drink a lot to be impaired. (off-duty police officers may be substituted for students) Supervise the program until the "drinking volunteers" are sober.
Conduct a "mock DUI crash" which involves staging an accident on campus, local EMT and police and fire rescue professionals.
Try to get a local cab company to offer a discounted price to anyone with a student ID in order to discourage impaired driving.
Find out if any members of your public safety crew have any interesting educational experiences or interests that could become a campus program This may include workplace drug testing or Drug Enforcement Agency work etc.
Do a program about the legal and financial costs of getting a DUI. Take the total costs of that arrest and do a "what you could have gotten instead of a DUI" campaign including, new stereo, computer, spring break in Cancun, etc.

Things Health Education, Health Center & Counseling Centers Can Do...

Host a meeting of student organizations and peer educators to get input for each group's participation in the week.
Create fact sheets or offer to provide information for student groups, newspapers, and radio PSA's for campus events.
Add alcohol and other drug questions to your health center's medical history questionnaires if they do not already appear.
Curriculum Infusion Contact Journalism and English classes to write articles about the impact of alcohol on their lives. Work with the student newspaper to feature some of these articles in the paper during that week. Ask marketing and advertising classes to develop campaigns for healthy choices to be featured in the newspaper. Be creative and get as many departments on campus to participate as possible.
Work with community outreach or service learning on your campus to give students an opportunity to work in area halfway houses for recovering addicts.
Invite recovering alumni back to campus as speakers for groups in which they were involved such as athletic teams, fraternities and sororities, student government, etc.
Set up a health fair to coincide with the week. Offer local and campus resources that focus on healthy lifestyles.
Provide an in service for faculty and staff on how to address students suspected of having alcohol and other drug problems.

Ideas for Chief Student Affairs Officers to Support NCAAW...

Honor student organizations that promote healthy lifestyles with a letter of recognition, phone call, E-mail, or sponsor a luncheon.
Write an article or letter to the editor of the student newspaper regarding the importance of the week of awareness and year of action to decrease alcohol-related problems on campus.
Encourage staff and faculty to participate in events of the week. Provide incentives or flex time.
Create a task force to review policy and make suggestions toward developing a healthier environment. Include community members and alumni on the committee.
Meet with Academic Administrators and ask for help, ideas and support for the NCAAW on your campus. Encourage curriculum infusion of alcohol-related issues into each discipline during the week.
Provide money for mini-grants for student organizations to sponsor alcohol-free events.
Ask Parking Services to include a "Don't drink and drive" or "Wear your seat belt" messages to the parking passes issued by the institution.
Initiate a student leader town meeting on the issues of alcohol abuse on your campus. Ask leaders from Peer Education, Greek Community, Academic Honors Groups, and Athletic Teams to participate.
Meet with students who have been in the judicial system for alcohol-related problems. Ask for their input and suggestions.
Meet with local bar owners to discuss policies and mutual safety issues surrounding the campus.
Participate in and be visible during NCAAW events.
Include NCAAW as an agenda item for discussion with senior staff officers and faculty.

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