Center for College Health and Safety: College and University Drinking and Driving Prevention Awards Program

College and University Drinking and Driving Prevention Awards Program

Winners 2001-2002

$5000 Grand Prize Winner:

University of Texas at Austin
For its wide-ranging Longhorns Against Drunk Driving program to change campus norms.

Efforts included the following components:

Development of an online student alcohol and drug use survey that was used to conduct pre- and post assessment of campus norms
Coordination of campus activities through the UT Campus/Austin Community Advisory Committee
Broad-scale media outreach program that included different types of stuffers, stickers, posters, radio PSAs, T-shirts, website, newspaper ads, on-campus TV announcements, and mall displays
Completion of 82 campus alcohol education presentations, 8 campus-wide awareness programs, 14 administration and faculty presentations and 6 media releases
Four seasonal campaigns and other campus programs using campus norms messages, including "Wellfest", holiday programs, and Alcohol Awareness Week
Broad-scale alcohol education during new student orientation periods

State Prize Winners:

California State University, Bakersfield (Southern California)

For its extensive weeklong alcohol education theme week, OKSOBERFEST, designed to support students who choose not to drink, promote drinking safety for those who do drink and are of legal age, and to provide drinking alternatives. Components of the program included:

A foodfest and rally, a speaker program, a fatal vision "drunk driving" course to demonstrate the impairments of alcohol on activities (walking, picking up objects), and a free non-alcoholic smoothies day
Development of a broad-scale Alcohol/Drug Education Committee
Extensive use of media, such as fliers, posters, emails about events, advertisements, banner, red ribbons, education tables, designated driver cards

Santa Clara University (Northern California)
For its Cabs on Campus program, which provides safe transportation to students during evenings when drunk driving is most prevalent (Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m.). Students who felt they were unable to drive because of alcohol and did not have a designated driver could call the Santa Clara Cab Company. The company provided vouchers in which students wrote their personal information. No questions are asked about students' personal condition. Rides were free within a one-mile radius of campus, an area that included most local bars. Students paid the tip. Rides to downtown, San Jose or elsewhere were subsidized so that the first $5 of fare was covered. An extensive media campaign was launched to publicize the program. During its first two months, 448 cabs were used.

New Mexico State University (New Mexico)
For its Choices program to enhance the decision making skills of NMSU students with regard to alcohol. The program particularly targeted high alcohol consuming groups on campus: athletes, freshmen and members of the Greek community. Program components included:

Expanding the peer educators program to train students to deliver alcohol prevention presentations. A permanent source of funding for this program was established from the Associated Students of NMSU.
Providing 3 campus-wide promotional events each semester. These included activities such as the biannual "Stress Out", promoting student relaxation and stress management without alcohol; wrecked car exhibition before Spring break; National Alcohol Screening Day, music festivals; and student health fairs
Outreach, including media campaigns (radio station messages, advertisements of the availability of peer educators, student newspaper educational campaign) and materials (numerous display tables, merchandise with messages)
Presentations to groups on campus, including freshman classes, athletic teams, and dorms
Developing alternative weekend programming of substance free activities, including a Casino Night; biannual Virgin Drink Night in coordination with Latin and Swing Dance Night, and intramural sports at the campus activity center

Westminster College (Utah)
For its Drinking/Driving Prevention program designed to reach selected, generally difficult-to-reach sectors of their campus, including commuters, hard-to-target older students (23-35 years of age) who do not believe they have a problem, and residential students. Regular efforts were made by student life staff, student government, faculty and staff to personally encounter students at various locations on campus (parking lots, dorms), armed with warm beverages (hot chocolate or cider in cold weather) and candies as well as alcohol and traffic safety education materials.