NIC Press Release
2002 Alcohol Summit Achievement Awards
Eleven college and university fraternity/sorority communities are being honored by the North-American Interfraternity Conference with the 2002 Alcohol Summit Achievement Awards. The award is presented to these elite campuses in recognition of their initiative and leadership in hosting the NIC Alcohol Summit Program.
The campuses receiving the award include: Adrian College, Bucknell University, Iowa State University, Mercer University, University of Miami, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, University of North Dakota, University of South Dakota, Vanderbilt University, Valdosta State University, Washington and Lee University,
According to Matt Holley, Director of Alcohol Education Initiatives for the NIC, the purpose of the Alcohol Summit is to empower a campus' fraternity and sorority community to confront unsafe traditions and cultural norms regarding the use of alcohol. "These student leaders took the initiative to proactively address the issues of high risk drinking within their community," Holley said. He added that the NIC has been impressed with the commitment, energy, passion, and vision of the Alcohol Summit participants at each of the 11 campuses.
The campuses were selected from an extensive pool to host the program. Factors that contributed to these campuses being selected were demographics, university support, and student commitment. "We selected a wide variety of campus communities," Holley said. "We looked for large state supported institutions and small private colleges in order to test our program and message in very different environments," he added.
The Alcohol Summit is a collaborative effort between the NIC and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) through the largest college based grant that NHTSA has ever awarded. The partnership began two years ago when NHTSA awarded the $750,000 grant to the NIC to develop the program.
The program asks participants to take personal responsibility to change the alcohol culture and challenge the high risk drinking behaviors within their community. "This program works," Holley said. Research conducted by the Center for the Advancement of Public Health at George Mason University supports Holly's claim. The pre and post test evaluations that measure changes in participant's attitudes and perceptions find that summit succeeds in positively influencing these behaviors.
The NIC encourages other campus communities to get involved with the Alcohol Summit. Contact the NIC Alcohol Initiatives Staff for more details about getting involved.