PC Awarded NCAA Grant for Alcohol Education

PROVIDENCE COLLEGE AWARDED NCAA GRANT FOR ALCOHOL EDUCATION
Only Division I College in New England to Receive “CHOICES” Funding

Providence, R.I. – June 6, 2017 – Providence College today announced that they have been awarded the NCAA “CHOICES” grant, which provides funding for NCAA member institutions and conferences to integrate athletics into campus-wide efforts to reduce alcohol abuse. PC is the only Division I program in New England to win the grant, which was conferred to 12 other schools throughout the United States. The NCAA will award PC $30,000 over a three-year period. The project partners Athletics with other campus departments in the development and implementation of effective alcohol education projects. PC’s “Friar CHOICES: Stepping Up Together” will build upon the existing Friar Family Step UP! bystander intervention program to increase alcohol awareness education and prevention and intervention skills among PC’s student-athletes, coaches, athletic trainers and the broader student body.

“I am confident that the proposal submitted by our team of program developers will result in a very meaningful and sustainable program that will positively impact our entire campus community during the three-year period of the NCAA CHOICES grant and well beyond,” said Robert Driscoll, athletic director and associate vice president for athletics.

“We’ve long known that individualized one-on-one meetings are the most effective way to help students receive feedback and reflect on the negative impacts drinking can have on their academic and athletic performance and the overall quality of their lives,” said Kristine Goodwin, vice president for student affairs. “Partnering with athletic coaches and trainers ensures that these meetings are rooted in authentic and ongoing relationships. By “Stepping Up Together” we will equip student-athletes with the information they need to make good choices and to effectively intervene when their peers are at risk for alcohol-related harm. We are most grateful to the NCAA for this award.”

Designed by PC representatives from Athletics, Student Affairs and the Personal Counseling Center, “Friar CHOICES: Stepping Up Together” will adapt Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention of College Students (BASICS), an evidence-based practice, to a group training format for coaches and athletic trainers; provide fall and spring programming for all students; utilize PC’s extremely popular “Late Night Madness” event and athletic competitions to spread awareness; and collaborate with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee to develop and implement two social norms/public health campaigns.

Founded in 1917, Providence College is the only college or university in the United States administered by the Dominican Friars. The Catholic, liberal arts college has an undergraduate enrollment of approximately 3,900 students and offers degrees in 50 academic majors.  Since 1997, Providence College consistently has been ranked among the top five regional universities in the North according to U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges.”

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