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Under the Arch September 18, 2006 Volume VIII, Number 4
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GANNON AWARDED $11,500 GRANT FROM PENNSYLVANIA LIQUOR CONTROL BOARD Gannon University has been awarded an $11,500 grant by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board to support its mission of preventing underage and high-risk alcohol use by students. The PLCB announced earlier this week that it had selected Gannon and 62 organizations throughout the commonwealth to receive a share of over $664,000 in funding for comprehensive community-based initiatives. Gannon will use the grant to fund its ongoing PROMISE (Promoting Responsible Ongoing Management in Social Environments) effort, said Julie M. Srnka, assistant director of the Office of Student Organizations and Leadership Development. Srnka said the grant specifically will fund a number of initiatives: · The PROMISE photo – In what has become an annual Gannon tradition, all new students gather for a class photo during Preview GU, held the week prior to the start of fall semester classes. As part of the event, the students pledge to make healthy and responsible decisions with regard to alcohol. A portion of the grant will be used to defray expenses for the photo, which was taken Aug. 22 at Schuster Theatre. · A social norms marketing campaign – In spring 2007, the PROMISE alcohol task force will launch a campaign aimed at correcting students’ misperceptions related to alcohol use on campus, Srnka said. “Some students wrongly believe they have to drink in order to fit in socially,” she explained. “And so they may be more likely to engage in risky behaviors. The reality, however, is that many students are responsible when it comes to alcohol.” The campaign will be based in part on a survey, designed to measure alcohol use on campus, that nearly 570 students completed earlier this year. · Alcohol prevention training programs – Various training programs for students and staff will relate to alcohol use and abuse on campus, including high-risk drinking. · A breathalyzer – Gannon University’s Office of Campus Police and Safety will use part of the grant to purchase an Intoximeter breathalyzer, which measures blood-alcohol content. The device is similar to those used by state and local police. · A comprehensive guide for students living off-campus – The university will develop a guide that will include recommendations for students interested in hosting “safe” parties as well as the university’s policies and sanctions regarding alcohol use. Important university phone numbers, including Campus Police and Safety, also will be included. The grants awarded to Gannon and the other organizations represent a shift in focus on the part of the PLCB, Srnka said. In the past, Gannon typically used the funds to defray the cost of alcohol-free, “alternative” events offered on campus. The university annually hosts an alcohol-free event for students on St. Patrick’s Day, for example. Now, however, the PLCB requires its grant recipients to focus on developing “environmental management strategies” designed to reduce underage and high-risk drinking, Srnka said. Studies done by the Higher Education Center, which falls under the United States Department of Education, have shown that strategies targeted at the “environment” – in Gannon’s case, the campus – are more effective. “The PLCB’s shift in priorities means we have to focus more on affecting long-term, lasting change, as opposed to directing money to one-time events,” she said. The PLCB is also enabling grant recipients to be more aggressive in their efforts. This year’s total award represents a 34 percent increase over 2005-06 funding and is the largest award, to date, by the PLCB for prevention and high-risk use initiatives. The current grants are one component in support of the PLCB’s mission to provide leadership and resources in reducing alcohol misuse in the commonwealth. In general, the PLCB grants will support a range of initiatives including law enforcement training and community and youth outreach and prevention programs. The PLCB is an independent state agency that manages the alcohol beverage industry in Pennsylvania. It is responsible for licensing the possession, sale, storage, transportation, importation and manufacture of wine, spirits, and malt or brewed beverages in the commonwealth, as well as operating a system of liquor distribution (retailing) and providing education and prevention services to reduce the harmful effects of alcohol misuse. The PLCB grant program is administered by the Board’s Bureau of Alcohol Education. For more information, visit www.lcb.state.pa.us and www.dontletminorsdrink.com.
RECENT NEWS AND HIGHLIGHTS News of interest on and around campus...
CAMPUS EVENTS
THE PRESIDENT’S SCHEDULE Monday, September 18 – Pi Sigma Alpha/Political Science Program annual Constitution Day event. Tuesday, September 19 – Kennedy Catholic High School visit. Wednesday, September 20 – Power to Transform Reception with Harrisburg area alumni. Friday, September 22 – National Association of College and University Business Officers meeting. Saturday, September 23 – Gannon vs. Mercyhurst College, football.
PRAYER CONCERNS Please remember all in your prayers as regretfully we announce the death of:
CURRENT BIRTHDAYS Michael Caulfield. Frank Yohe. Debbie Crosby. Lawrence Morgan. Mary Jo Geertson. Tammy Weary. Thomas Comstock. Berwyn Moore. Mary Jo Hess. Rebecca Willow. Darryl Smith. Greg Mello. Edward Rogers. Terrance Hoover. Catherine Gillespie. David Blaetz. Michelle Costello. John Publicover. Carol Perry. Antoine Garibaldi. Claudia Mosso. Elisa Konieczko. Patrick Headley. Margaret Horne. Thomas Hudson. Ronald Cuzzola. Robin Parra. Carolynn Masters. Edna Macereti. Ruth Gehly. Jeremy Cannell. Daniel Balko. Dennis Fletcher. Patricia Pollifrone. David Russo. Bernadette Carrig. Theresa Vitolo. Donald Romig.
FROM THE EDITOR
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