Our Town. Our Health. Our Future. Maryville, Missouri

INTRODUCTION

Maryville Partners in Prevention (MVPIP) is a prevention coalition in Maryville, Missouri, working to create a healthy culture and environment on campus and in the community and to encourage responsible decision-making by college students. The coalition participates in an effort on the part of Northwest Missouri State University (Northwest) and local law enforcement to pursue education and outreach strategies that discourage reckless drinking and illegal consumption of alcohol by minors. MVPIP, formerly known as the Substance Abuse Task Force, is made up largely of stakeholders in student success from Northwest and the Maryville Community. The new title emphasizes the group’s alliance with Missouri's Partners in Prevention, a coalition of 21 public and private college and university campuses statewide.

According to Jenifer Kennymore, MVPIP facilitator, the new name also reflects a change in the organization’s mission. She said, “We focus on a collaborative, environmental approach to prevention, not just substance abuse. We are not a task force looking to accomplish one thing. We know that this is a long-term effort.”

EVENT DESCRIPTION

The MVPIP Town Hall Meeting, on the evening of April 29, provided an opportunity to introduce MVPIP to the community and to encourage community members to collaboratively address the issue of underage drinking. About two dozen participants, consisting of representatives from the university, the city council, and public safety; Northwest students; community members; and several MVPIP members, attended the 2-hour event.

Town Hall Meeting organizers saw this forum as a way to hear participants’ thoughts and assessments about underage and high-risk drinking. To do that, organizers posted 10 questions on large sheets of paper placed on the walls of the room. Participants attached Post-it® notes with their answers. For example, in response to a question that asked what obstacles the community faced in curbing underage drinking, participants responses included “having a college in Maryville” and “underage drinking is built into youth culture.”

Participants watched a brief film produced by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a cosponsor of the event, which presented information on the impact of underage drinking. Attendees then broke into small groups to come up with solutions to the problem both on the campus and in Maryville.

According to Kennymore, although the Maryville City Council recently debated a series of ordinances that, taken together, represented an attempt to craft a “comprehensive” alcohol enforcement policy, event organizers did not want ordinances to be the focus of the Town Hall Meeting. “There was still a lot of work to be done and areas that we could influence. The discussion instead focused on how we could work together on accomplishing some specific goals for changing our culture beyond those ordinances, what participants see in their areas regarding underage drinking, what concerns they had, and where does the community want to be in two years. We talked about environmental prevention approaches and the fact that it is going to take efforts both on-campus and in the community.”

MEASURES OF SUCCESS

The event organizers did not conduct a formal evaluation of the Town Hall Meeting. However, Kennymore believes that it was successful by both raising awareness regarding MVPIP and identifying concerns and problems surrounding underage drinking. For example, after the small-group discussion, participants came together to talk about solutions and ways to work together to make changes in the community.

“We asked participants pretty specific questions about underage drinking in our community. If we ask the same questions at future Town Hall Meetings, we can see if responses have changed in a positive direction, which potentially could show progress and measure success,” said Kennymore.

The MVPIP held a strategic planning meeting in June, during which members discussed ways to integrate the feedback from the Town Hall Meeting into activities for the upcoming year. The themes that emerged from the Town Hall Meeting included the need to help educate students about fun and alternative alcohol-free events by asking them what they would like to see in the community.

NEXT STEPS

MVPIP is considering addressing noise restrictions for establishments, establishing owner and employee training at retail alcohol outlets to prevent underage sales, and working for tougher liquor license enforcement.

In addition, Northwest participates in a statewide survey of college students every year, which helps guide the strategic planning of MVPIP. Some of the data collected focus on the off-campus behavior of students. According to Kennymore, if MVPIP can affect those areas and other policies, that survey might help document changes.

MVPIP is also hoping to establish more relationships with landlords, bar owners, city leaders, and K–12 administrators. For example, K–12 officials were not represented at the Town Hall Meeting, so part of the MVPIP plan is to develop ways to connect with that sector of the community.

In addition, MVPIP wants to learn what is working in other communities. With that knowledge, MVPIP can then better engage and educate the community about the environmental and ecological approaches to preventing underage and high-risk drinking. MVPIP’s strategic plan was submitted to Partners in Prevention on September 1 and is hoping to receive annual funding for the coalition.

For information contact:

BK Taylor
bktay@nwmissouri.edu

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