Elon has received a two-year, $236,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education to prevent high-risk drinking among first-year students at Elon. The primary author of the grant is Lauren Martin, coordinator for substance education in the Division of Student Life. Details...
The Elon grant was one of 17 selected from 128 submissions to the U.S. Department of Education’s Grant Competition to Prevent High-Risk Drinking or Violent Behavior Among College Students. Elon’s grant will be 100% funded by federal funds.
Elon will use comprehensive, evidence-based strategies developed by the National Institute on Alcohol and Alcoholism. Key strategies funded by the grant include the following:
- All first-year students completing an online alcohol education course in the summer prior to matriculation
- Summer faculty development workshops to incorporate alcohol education components into courses
- A campus-wide social marketing campaign to counteract students’ misperceptions about alcohol use and to provide specific guidelines to define responsible drinking
- An online assessment and feedback program for first-year students in Wellness courses
- Mini-grants for student initiated events that are alcohol free
- A campus-community coalition to reduce high-risk drinking
- Greater collaboration with ALE and local police to enforce alcohol policies and encourage vendors to attend responsible seller trainings.
The project director for the grant is Smith Jackson, vice president for student life and dean of students. The lead author and co-project director is Lauren Martin, coordinator for substance education. The project coordinator is Resa Walch, professor of health and human performance and faculty fellow for substance education. Bonnie Bruno, director of sponsored programs, and Leigh-Anne Royster, director of personal health promotions and community well-being, greatly assisted in developing the grant proposal.
“When students return to Elon this fall, several highly visible, new educational, marketing and policy enforcement programs will be in place,” Martin said. “This grant will aid us in a comprehensive approach to reduce high-risk drinking on and around our campus. Our expectation is that this grant will provide the resources to help us further promote healthy behaviors and choices among students.”
“This grant will directly support and accelerate the work of Elon’s Presidential Task Force on Alcohol to reduce underage and high-risk drinking among Elon students,” Jackson said. “Additionally, initiatives funded by this grant will be well assessed and contribute to the knowledge of successful alcohol prevention programs for colleges and universities nation-wide.”