AAA Texas Honors Sam for Alcohol Prevention Program

Campus personnel sharing in the glory of SHSU's alcohol awareness award were, from left, Trey Taylor, president of Phi Delta Theta; Jason Warren, SHSU chief investigator; Leah Mulligan, director of Student Activities; Kim Spradlin, graduate student and dean of students office rep.; Michelle Lovering, Student Health Center health programming coordinator; Rosanne Keathley, coordinator of the Alcohol Abuse Initiative; Rose Rougeau, presenter from AAA Texas; Kim Baechtel, assistant director of student development, Residence Life; Wayne Bennett, discipline coordinator for Residence Life; Keri Rogers, director of the First Year Experience program; and Janet Bius, lecturer in the chemistry department.

AAA Texas has awarded Sam Houston State University the $5,000 grand prize in the AAA College and University Drinking and Driving Prevention Awards Program. The competition challenges colleges and universities to develop and implement programs to prevent student drinking and driving and alcohol abuse. This year, six universities were awarded a total of $10,000.

Sam Houston State earned the award for its "Kats Taking Care of Kats" campaign. The campaign utilizes the university's Bearkat mascot theme to increase student participation in alcohol education and promote their willingness to assist their fellow "KATS" when they are engaging in risky behavior associated with alcohol use. The "KATS" campaign has been integrated into school events, the curriculum, campus newspaper, website, flyers, as well as personal and mass e-mail distributions.

Strategies enacted by Sam Houston State include:

-- "Alcohol 101 Plus" - Integrated the alcohol distillers' Century Council interactive program into the alcohol education curricula.

-- "S.W.A.A.T." - 'Six Weeks of Alcohol Awareness Training... and then some' - provide students an opportunity to attend alcohol education presentations during the semester and after at least six sessions of training the students received items such as backpacks and t-shirts.

-- "Smart Start" - Alcohol awareness orientation for incoming freshmen and their parents during orientation sessions.

-- "Reducing Irresponsible Drinking (RID) Week" - alcohol awareness week focused on obsessive alcohol consumption among students. Included interactive exhibits and prevention presentations, plus a lecture series
for each day of events.

"Sam Houston's 'KATS' program is an excellent example of a school providing a well conceived and comprehensive approach to dealing with the serious problem of drinking and driving and alcohol abuse on campus," said Steven Bloch, Ph.D., coordinator of the AAA's College and University Drinking and Driving Prevention Awards Program.

Prizes of $1,000 each were awarded to other winners including the University of North Texas (Denton, TX), Cal State Fullerton, New Mexico State University, Champlain College in Vermont, and the University of California (Irvine, CA). In 2005, Sam Houston State University received the $1,000 prize.

The College and University Drinking and Driving Prevention Award was developed nine years ago by AAA Texas and the Center for College Health and Safety to address problems associated with drinking among college students. The award recognizes campus programs and activities that reduce drinking and driving or prevent alcohol and other drug use that can result in impaired driving.

The Center for College Health and Safety assists colleges and universities in developing, implementing and evaluating prevention policies and programs to address health and safety issues.

AAA Texas, a member of the American Automobile Association federation of motor clubs, has been serving Texans since 1902. Today, more than a million AAA Texas members benefit from the organization's roadside assistance service, travel agency, financial products, insurance products and services, automotive pricing, buying and financing, trip planning services, and traffic safety programs. Information about these products and services is available on the AAA Texas web site.

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SHSU Media Contact: Frank Krystyniak
Sept. 15, 2006
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