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Ohio State University Party Smart to Reduce High-Risk Alcohol Use

INTRODUCTION

The Ohio State University’s (OSU) Responsible Hospitality Initiatives educate and encourage commercial and private hosts to plan events in ways that reduce the physical, social, and legal risks associated with alcohol use. A key piece is the Party Smart initiative, which, among other activities, provides information to students about how they can be responsible party hosts and guests via flyers, literature drops, paid advertisements, a website, and workshops. Connie Boehm, Director of OSU’s Student Wellness Center, saw the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) 2014 Town Hall Meetings initiative as an opportunity to promote Party Smart behaviors and OSU resources for reducing high-risk alcohol use.

EVENT DESCRIPTION

Four students were offered course credit for a health and rehabilitation sciences class to help Boehm organize and host a Town Hall Meeting on the topic of high-risk alcohol use and expressed enthusiasm for the project. They met with Boehm several times during the 8 weeks prior to the event, which they scheduled for April 8, 2014—the eighth week of the spring semester. The student organizers reserved space on the high-traffic level of the Recreation and Physical Activity Center and reached out to residence life staff to publicize the event to their students. They also invited speakers and community representatives, including Javaune Adams-Gaston, Ph.D., Vice President for Student Life, who is known affectionately on campus as Dr. J. In addition, the student organizers created a series of activities and incentives that would appeal to their target audience. Community businesses donated almost $500 in gift cards. Participants who filled out a brief evaluation of the event could enter their names in a drawing for alcohol-free activities and receive Party Smart T-shirts, pizza, and soft drinks. Immediately before the event, the organizers played music geared to student interests and mingled with students in the center to recruit attendees. Party Smart messages scrolled on a screen before, during, and after the speakers.

Participants listened to Dr. J’s comments about the impact of alcohol on students, which used information obtained from the SAMSHA Town Hall Meetings website, with rapt attention. Boehm observed that no one used their smartphones during Dr. J’s Town Hall presentation. “That is really unusual,” she said. After Dr. J’s discussion, several students sought her out with questions and requests to meet with her. A TED Talks brief video on recovery followed Dr. J’s remarks and, according to the student organizers, worked “just great to promote our collegiate recovery community efforts.”

Staff from the Drug-Free Action Alliance’s Ohio College Initiative to Reduce High Risk Drinking and the Ohio Investigative Unit, which has responsibility for enforcement of federal, state, and local alcohol laws, set up tables at the event. Students stopped at the tables to ask questions and pick up resources.

MEASURES OF SUCCESS

Student organizers deemed the event successful because they drew about 100 of their classmates to the event to engage with presenters and learn more about alcohol use consequences. Boehm was very impressed with the work of the students in making the event so successful. “I have difficulty in letting things go, but I really turned this over to the students, and they pulled it off,” she reported.

NEXT STEPS

Boehm is planning a series of similar on-campus activities over the course of the academic year because of the success of this year’s Town Hall Meeting and the degree to which participating students showed interest in the issue. Staff of OSU’s Student Wellness Center look forward to future opportunities to support SAMHSA’s efforts to reduce and prevent alcohol problems in campus populations.

For further information:
Connie Boehm
boehm.19@osu.edu


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