Under the Arch     September 24, 2007     Volume IX, Number 5

GRANT FROM PLCB TO FUND SOCIAL NORMS MARKETING CAMPAIGN

Gannon University has been selected for an $11,500 grant from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) that will allow the university to embark upon a Social Norms Marketing Campaign.

The campaign, to begin in the spring of 2008, will target underage and high-risk drinking among Gannon University students. Specifically, it will address students’ misperceptions about drinking norms on campus and encourage positive changes in certain behaviors.

“From administering the CORE Alcohol & Drug surveys in the past, we know that many students wrongly believe their fellow students drink alcohol more than they actually do,” Srnka said. “And as a consequence, students feel they too have to drink in order to fit in socially. That’s why this campaign will focus on positive ideas and attitudes among students.”

The campaign will reach students through a variety of mediums, including billboards, advertisements, and other promotional materials. Students will see slogans that encourage them to practice moderation and responsible decision making.

“We want to send out a consistent message that students shouldn’t feel pressured to drink,” she said.

The campaign also will incorporate focus groups and interviews with students, so that the university’s Office of Student Development can better determine the most effective ways to reach students. “Our messages have to be credible and reasonable and they will promote responsible behavior,” Srnka said.

Srnka said that while the campaign will target all students, it is particularly important that it make an impact with new students. “Younger students are just beginning to form opinions about college life and their new surroundings, and so peer pressure tends to affect them the most as freshmen,” she explained.

 “Most students are very determined to do well academically and to live a healthy lifestyle,” Srnka said. “But sometimes peer pressure, applied either directly or indirectly, can be a strong distraction.”

As part of the Social Norms Marketing Campaign, Gannon students and their parents also will be made more aware of the university’s alcohol and drug policies, as well as related local, state, and federal laws. “This grant will enable us to disseminate information to students on how to stay safe, how to be good neighbors, and how to be responsible,” Srnka concluded.

Editor’s note: The Erie Times-News ran a brief on this grant on their Learning Page on Monday, Sept. 24.

RECENT NEWS AND HIGHLIGHTS

News of interest on and around campus...

• Fresh faces: 22 Gannon University freshmen are profiled on the university’s web site. You can read about these freshmen, and their unique, personal stories, by logging on to http://www.gannon.edu/admiss/undergrad/freshmen.asp. Please take a moment to learn more about our students.

• Special thanks to Gannon colleagues for their assistance with media interview requests. Shelly Bentley, assistant professor, education program, did an interview with the Erie Times-News for an article on Montessori schools. Terry Kizina, director of admissions, was quoted in a College Guide published by the Erie Times-News. Jason Willow, Ph.D., assistant professor and program director, sport and exercise science, did an interview with John Dudley of the Erie Times-News for a series on what the paper called the “modern professionalization of youth sports.”

• Gannon University’s Schuster Theatre will feature four one-act plays in repertoire. All shows will begin at 8 p.m. at the theatre. For more information on any of the performances, contact the Schuster Theatre box office at ext. 7494. The shows are:

  • Eugene Ionesco’s The Bald Soprano will be shown on Thursday, Sept. 27, Thursday, Oct. 4, and Saturday, Oct. 6.
  • Steve Martin’s WASP will be shown Friday, Sept. 28, Saturday, Sept. 29, and Saturday, Oct. 6.
  • Connor McPherson’s The Good Thief will be shown Thursday, Sept. 27, Saturday, Sept. 29, and Friday, Oct. 5.
  • Michael Weller’s The Dopey Fairy Tale will be shown Friday, Sept. 28, Thursday, Oct. 4, and Friday, Oct. 5.

• Crisis Communications update: The University has implemented new technology mechanisms in order to communicate more efficiently and effectively in the event that a crisis or emergency situation should occur on or near Gannon’s campus. Please go to the Gannon portal and register to receive emergency notification alerts and updates. You may choose to receive emergency alert text messages via your cellular phone, or you may choose to receive a voice mail message via your cellular or landline (home) phone. When you log onto the Gannon portal, you will find under GU Announcements, an Emergency Notification Setup channel with simple instructions. Please register to receive emergency notices as soon as possible. As a reminder, the University’s Crisis Communications Plan is available for your review at www.gannon.edu/pr under the faculty/staff resources link and at www.gannon.edu/crisis.

CAMPUS EVENTS

• Thursday, September 27 – Community Mass: 11 a.m. in the Mary, Seat of Wisdom Chapel. Complimentary lunch to follow.

• Thursday, September 27 – Blood Drive: Sponsored by Phi Eta Sigma and the Community Blood Bank. 11 a.m. in the Yehl Room.

• Friday, September 28 – Liberal Studies Forum: The Liberal Studies Status Report will be discussed. The forum is open to all students, faculty, and staff and will be held at 3 p.m. in the Yehl Room. For more information, call Penny Smith, Ph.D., at ext. 7748.

• Tuesday, October 2 – Graduate and Professional School Fair: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Yehl Room. Call ext. 7680 for info.

• “Our Events” is intended to serve as a random sample of campus events. For a more complete listing, refer to Eventcal.

THE PRESIDENT’S SCHEDULE

Monday, September 24 – Newcomen Meeting; Honors Program President’s Reception. Tuesday, September 25 – Investment Subcommittee meeting. Thursday, September 27 – Community Mass; Gannon University Board of Trustees’ meetings and dinner. Friday, September 28 – Gannon University Board of Trustees’ meetings. Saturday, September 29–October 5: Seton Hall Board of Regents Retreat.

PRAYER CONCERNS

Please remember all in your prayers as regretfully we announce the death of:

• Susan A. Brown, sister of Betsy DeAngelo, administrative secretary, Gannon University Small Business Development Center.

• Winifred McInnis, mother in law of Dr. Thomas Ostrowski, professor, political science program.

CURRENT BIRTHDAYS

Greg Mello. Edward Rogers. Terrance Hoover. Catherine Gillespie. David Blaetz. Michelle Costello. Carol Perry. Antoine Garibaldi. Claudia Mosso. Elisa Konieczko. Patrick Headley. Mitchell Pittsenbarger. John Onorato. Shannon Deets. Margaret Horne. Thomas Hudson. Ronald Cuzzola. Carolynn Masters. Edna Macereti. Ruth Gehly. Jeremy Cannell. Daniel Balko. Dennis Fletcher. Patricia Pollifrone. Bernadette Carrig. Theresa Vitolo. Renee Foradori. Ronald Prescott. Kenneth Warner. Earl Brieger. Eugene Dangelo. Terry Giles. Ann Zielinski. Bob Cline. Brian Yaple. David Miller. Joseph Makowski. Carolyn Galleher. Harvey Kanter.

PICTURE OF THE WEEK

GIVE Day: Gannon student Stephanie Martinez (left), president of Phi Eta Sigma, and Gretchen Fairley, the university’s director of service learning, measure a piece of foam insulation for a home being built on the city’s east side. As part of GIVE (Gannon’s Invitation to Volunteer Everywhere) Day, Martinez, Fairley, and other students spent the morning working for Habitat for Humanity. All told, more than 650 Gannon students volunteered for GIVE Day, held Saturday, Sept. 15.