Undergraduate Admissions

When it comes to alcohol use on college campuses, correcting students’ misperceptions is half the proverbial battle.

If students wrongly perceive – as many do – that their peers and fellow students frequently use and abuse alcohol, they too inherently feel compelled to drink – even if they don’t truly want to – so as to fit in socially.

A grant for $11,150 to Gannon from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board will help the University combat underage and high-risk drinking in part by targeting student perceptions related to the use and abuse of alcohol and other substances.

Gannon University was one of 73 organizations in Pennsylvania, including colleges and universities, law enforcement agencies, and community groups, to receive funding from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. The grants, including Gannon’s, total nearly $730,000.

Gannon will use its grant in a number of ways during the upcoming academic year, said Julie M. Srnka, assistant director for programs, Office of Student Development.

• A social norms marketing campaign – A majority of the grant will fund a social norms marketing campaign aimed at changing student perceptions related to the use on campus of alcohol and other drugs, Srnka said. The campaign will include targeted fliers, posters, and other promotional materials designed to reinforce the notion that students don’t drink nearly as much, nor nearly as often, as they are perceived to. “The reality is that the majority of our students act very responsibly and make good decisions with respect to alcohol and drugs, and do not place themselves in compromising situations,” Srnka explained. “It is important for us to communicate that the majority of students make healthy decisions.” The campaign will begin in the fall and will coincide with National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week.

• Student surveys – In February, Gannon will survey about 400 students so as to assess the use on campus of alcohol and other drugs. The survey will be administered to undergraduate students in a variety of classes and academic majors so as to generate a representative sample of students, including members of campus fraternities and sororities, student-athletes, and resident and non-resident students.

• A “21st Birthday” Initiative – The Office of Student Development will send cards to all students celebrating their 21st birthday throughout the 2009-10 academic year, Srnka said. The cards will have targeted social norms messages and safety tips to encourage students to celebrate responsibly their birthdays.

• Project evaluation – A portion of the grant will be used to fund an independent assessment of the various efforts made possible by the PLCB’s grant, Srnka said. Those efforts also will include training for Gannon University staff; brochures, for parents, on talking with their son or daughter about alcohol and drugs; coalition building with numerous community members, including Hamot Medical Center, the Erie County Health Department, PennDOT, and the Erie Police Department; and distributing to students an Off-Campus Guide which reminds them of the University and legal sanctions related to alcohol and drug use as well as the ramifications of disorderly conduct in the community.