Prevention of High Risk Drinking Among College Students

The U.S. Department of Education in 2007 awarded CHS a two-year grant to decrease by 5 percent high-risk drinking (HRD) at McDaniel College in Westminster, MD. The program is designed to engage first-year students and fraternity/sorority members to address factors that foster HRD. Goals include reducing the number of first-year students referred for disciplinary action or having academic issues resulting from alcohol. The program is also intended to decrease heavy alcohol consumption episodes and violations in dormitories as well as warnings and suspensions issued to fraternity/sorority organizations and alcohol-related assaults.

Develop communication strategies to engage the college and community in activities that produce decreases binge drinking, alcohol-related disciplinary actions, and community complaints
Develop an evidence-based, alcohol awareness/prevention program suitable for nationwide scale-up
Evaluate program at each stage to determine next steps in the short term and evidence of best practices, lessons learned, and effective interventions in the long-term
Provide early interventions and referrals to high-risk or alcohol-dependent students by training peer mentors, residential assistants, and others to recognize HRD and refer students for substance abuse counseling
Disseminate best practices, lessons learned to the higher education community through the Higher Education Center (http://www.higheredcenter.org/), a resource sponsored by the Department of Education to help college and community leaders develop, implement, and evaluate programs and policies to reduce student problems related to alcohol and other drug use

Products

Second Life Videos and Presentations

CHS uses Second Life to assist McDaniel College students to explore issues related to alcohol and high risk drinking. Second Life is an online program that allows users, through an avatar, to explore content, interact with other users, and develop virtual objects and places.


URC-CHS presentation on Second Life


A URC-CHS site uses Second Life to allow McDaniel students to explore issues related to alcohol and high risk drinking. A virtual art gallery displays student work on alcohol and binge drinking.

Storyboards

CHS staff, in partnership with McDaniel students, designed and developed storyboards illustrating common issues college students face, including dealing with the stress of exams, issues surrounding the purchase of alcohol, and alcohol poisoning.

Fake ID's and Choices

Stress and High Risk Drinking

Alcohol Poisoning

Project Brochures & Flyers

This brochure targets freshmen and summarizes the key points of our "straight talk" series, where recent alumni spoke candidly with students about alcohol and binge drinking. Download.

Download a brochure designed for a campaign to reach out to atheletes at McDaniel College.

A brochure to be distributed to some 500 parents of students at McDaniel College is intended to encourage them to understand and take action to prevent and decrease high risk drinking among students. Download brochure.

Download flyer designed to raise faculty awareness.