National Collegiate Athletic Association |
The NCAA News - News and FeaturesMay 26, 1997
CHOICES programs involve student-athletesStudent-athletes are integrally involved in all of the 15 programs selected this year at NCAA institutions to receive CHOICES program grants. The grants, totaling nearly $150,000, bring to 67 the total number of grants awarded since the CHOICES program began in 1991. Approximately $805,000 has been awarded to institutions since then. The CHOICES program seeks to encourage NCAA institutions and conferences to implement and evaluate alcohol-education programs. Funded programs are designed to work toward the elimination of illegal and excessive consumption of alcohol on college campuses. The use of alcohol by college students who are under the legal drinking age and the misuse of alcohol by students for whom alcohol is a legal substance continue to be of concern to program administrators. The NCAA Foundation awards CHOICES grants with support from Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. The NCAA education services group is responsible for administration of CHOICES, which recently has focused on implementation of campus programs. All of the 15 newly funded programs feature peer-education components, in which student-athletes and other students receive training to lead teammates and classmates in discussions promoting alcohol education. Many of the programs also feature such elements as media campaigns, community outreach, and events offering alternatives to alcohol use. All of the programs have characteristics that have been common in CHOICES: They are campuswide in focus and built around athletics events, activities and/or personalities. All also emphasize, in some way, the choices students must make about alcohol use. Recipients of the latest CHOICES grants (and amounts of the grants) are Allegheny College ($9,250); Bellarmine College ($9,885); Defiance College ($9,900); State University College at Geneseo ($10,288); Georgia Southern University ($9,400); University of Maine, Orono ($10,722); Marquette University ($7,773); University of Montana ($10,000); Northeastern Illinois University ($11,903); University of Pennsylvania ($8,890); Regis University (Colorado), $9,994; Rosemont College ($10,705); University of Texas at Arlington ($10,000); University of Utah ($10,000); and University of Wisconsin, La Crosse ($10,025). Application forms for CHOICES grants to be awarded in 1998 will be mailed to member institutions in October. The forms and grant guidelines will be sent to athletics directors, chief executive officers and directors of student affairs. The deadline for applications will be in February 1998.
Caring ChoicesAllegheny College The Caring Choices program seeks to establish student opinion leaders as peer educators by training them in the information and language they need to influence their peers. After training, the students will attend major events such as athletics contests and orientation and also will visit classrooms and residence halls to make presentations. The program seeks to reduce underage drinking at Allegheny, reduce the number of students who suffer negative consequences as a result of drinking, and reduce the secondary effects of drinking on Allegheny students.
Campus ChoicesBellarmine College The school will form a Campus Choices Coalition consisting of 21 faculty members, five student government officers, five residence hall officers, 18 captains of athletics teams, and seven administrators and staff. This trained "peer and mentor" alcohol-education corps will conduct a variety of programs, including a required "Freshman Focus" course taught by the faculty members, "alcohol-consumption contracts" for athletics teams, and a series of "Campus Conversation Forums." The school plans to utilize what it describes as its three strengths: its faculty, student leadership, and value-based core curriculum.
Discovering ChoicesDefiance College The Discovering Choices program will employ educational presentations, peer education, intramural programming and special events in its efforts. The college already has a trained peer-education group called P.U.T.B.A.C.K. (Peers Understanding Today Better Attitudes Caring & Knowledge), and its members will in turn train Fellowship of Christian Athletes members to become substance-abuse peer-educators for athletics teams. Also planned are student classes, training for the student development and athletics staffs, production of educational materials, creation of a position to oversee education through the intramurals program, and contests and games.
Choices for a LifetimeState University College at Geneseo Geneseo State's Choices for a Lifetime program features a variety of activities:
Real ChoicesGeorgia Southern University Georgia Southern's program targets students at area middle and high schools, as well as freshmen at the university. Student-athletes will be trained to present information sessions and facilitate discussions at Statesboro-Bulloch County schools about alcohol use and the potential negative impact of teenage drinking. Lickert-scale surveys will be conducted before and after the visits to measure attitudes and perceptions about alcohol use. The university also will create a two-credit fall semester seminar for first-year students designed to help them with the transition to college life.
Healthy Choices Around AlcoholUniversity of Maine, Orono Maine terms its program an "online alcohol-education and prevention program." The program will result in the development of a bimonthly, online alcohol-issues "electronic forum." The forums will be developed and moderated by student-athletes enrolled in a three-credit course focusing on alcohol use and abuse among college students. These forums will be conducted in a panel-discussion format. The student-athletes also will contribute to the creation and maintenance of an "alcohol issues" home page on the World Wide Web. The Internet site will provide a 24-hour educational and referral resource for the campus community.
Choices M.A.T.A.R.Marquette University Marquette says that "choices matter" through the title of its program (the acronym stands for "Marquette Athletes Teaching Alcohol Responsibility"). Besides presenting classroom alcohol-education programs for university freshmen, student-athletes will host a "Responsible Choice Night" each semester, where freshmen will be invited to a postgame event after a volleyball, soccer or women's basketball game. The postgame events are designed as fun outings that also will provide alcohol-awareness programming for participants. The programs seek to reach 1,400 Marquette freshmen.
GRIZ ACESUniversity of Montana The "ACES" in the program title stands for "Athletes Committed to Excellence in Service, School, Sport, and Social Responsibility." The GRIZ ACES name will be used heavily in a "social norms marketing" approach to alcohol education and prevention. The effort will include the creation of educational/informational displays in high-traffic areas, as well as pamphlets, posters and public-service announcements. In addition, student-athletes will make presentations in established university courses. The university also will offer an alcohol-free bus trip to the Montana vs. Montana State University-Bozeman football game.
Sober Voices Make Good ChoicesNortheastern Illinois University Contact through the classroom will be an important component of the program at this Chicago commuter institution, which features a diverse student body and no university housing. The program will target student-athletes and entering students through orientation programs. Student-athletes will be among a small group of students who will be trained to present workshops, lead small-group discussions and work on a one-to-one basis with other students. Students who participate in program events will be asked to sign a "sober driving pledge."
Winning ChoicesUniversity of Pennsylvania The university is proud of its 10-year-old program to conduct alcohol education on campus, but seeks to step up its efforts at an institution where students traditionally have been encouraged to become involved in social and/or athletics activities. In such an environment, trained student-athlete peer educators can be especially effective in the university alcohol-education efforts. In the past, Penn's program has used "outside" educators in programs targeted specifically at athletes, but now the university seeks to train student-athletes to conduct programs such as workshops. The student-athletes also will participate in a two-day summit to discuss the role of alcohol in campus life and develop strategies to benefit the campus community.
Athlete's ChoicesRegis University (Colorado) Regis will use its second NCAA grant to establish an improved version of its existing Responsible Educated Athletes Choosing Healthy Lifestyles (R.E.A.C.H.) program. Each Regis athletics team will be asked to select two Athlete's Choice representatives, who will be trained as peer educators. The program seeks to create more excitement among student-athletes for alcohol-education programming and also to expand peer education to the entire student body by involving student-athletes in campuswide and community alcohol-abuse prevention efforts. It also will offer incentives designed to encourage enthusiastic participation by student-athletes.
Passport to the Right ChoicesRosemont College The 1,000 students, faculty and staff at Rosemont will be organized into 20 teams. Student-athletes will be trained as peer educators to lead these teams in a yearlong program. Team members will receive a "passport" that serves not only as a ticket to various program activities throughout the year but that also presents information about the use and abuse of alcohol and its effects on lives. Team members can earn prizes based on their participation in the program's events. Events include games and contests in conjunction with athletics events, a "Grim Reaper Day," a visiting speaker and theater troupe, and a year-end bonfire.
Maverick ChoicesUniversity of Texas at Arlington "Social norms marketing" is one of the approaches of Texas-Arlington's program. Fliers and display advertising employing the theme "Just the Facts" will focus on spreading messages addressing behaviors stemming from alcohol use. Also, peer educators will be used to educate student-athletes and coaches about alcohol and its effect on performance, and both student-athletes and non-athlete students will be utilized as campus role models. Late-night, alcohol-free recreational activities also will be offered for Texas-Arlington students. The university's recreational sports department regularly will open up the Activities Building for sports-based recreation.
Challenged by ChoicesUniversity of Utah The program is designed as a collaborative effort among students, faculty and staff at Utah. Utah plans to expand its existing Student-Athlete Mentors (SAMS) program to train student-athletes to become even more effective peer mentors, educators and leaders. In turn, these mentors will be asked to provide peer education to fellow team members, the general student body and fans attending Utah athletics events. The student-athletes also will be involved in the creation of multimedia marketing campaigns and distribution of educational and promotional materials designed to encourage responsible choices about alcohol use.
Behavior is a Choice -- Choose Now!University of Wisconsin, La Crosse Student-athletes will be involved in all facets of this educational program targeting the campus and surrounding community. Consequences of the misuse of alcohol will be a recurring theme in the program. Planned activities include a university-wide "death day," during which students who have been affected directly or indirectly by alcohol abuse will be encouraged to wear designated clothing or write messages on sidewalks representing their experiences. Student-athletes not only will be involved in campus programs but in outreach efforts aimed at more than 400 youth in the surrounding community.
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