BACCHUS Student Trustees Urge You to Consider Running for a BACCHUS Leadership Position

 By Sheldon Jackson and Courtney Diener, BACCHUS Student Trustees

Welcome to a new semester and new school year! We hope you had a great summer vacation. We are excited to see what activities and programs everyone is doing this fall semester. Currently, we are preparing for General Assembly in Orlando, FL, November 1-4, 2012. The theme this year is The Magic of Peer Education: Healthy Students, Healthy Campuses.

One thing we as Student Trustees want every BACCHUS peer educator to consider is running to be elected a member on the Student Advisory Committee or a Student Trustee. This is an amazing opportunity to be involved within The BACCHUS Network. Holding a student leadership position within The BACCHUS Network is truly a privilege and a honor. During a term in one of these positions, students will learn so much more about The BACCHUS Network and the way BACCHUS operates. If you become a member of the Student Advisory Committee, you will network with members in your BACCHUS area, with other members throughout the country, fellow SAC and the Student Trustees. The skills and experiences gained through these positions directly apply to your academic and career goals and provide you the opportunity to have an impact on both a regional and national level.

BACCHUS truly is a student run organization and, hopefully, a lot of students will run for either an SAC or a Student Trustee position. For more information about running for an SAC or a Student Trustee position, visit the BACCHUS website.

We hope everyone is as excited as we are with a new school year and even more excited for General Assembly.  Please contact us, Sheldon or Courtney if you have any questions about running for an office. We are happy to share our experiences with you.

Get Ahead This Summer

By Courtney Diener and Sheldon Jackson, BACCHUS Student Trustees

As warm weather and sunshine begins to grace our presence, you might be asking yourself the question, "What role does summer play for peer educators and advisors?"

The obvious answer is that summer is a great time for everyone to take time to relax. That means summer barbeques, getting some vitamin D from the sun (remember to wear sunblock) and maybe watching a game on television. But summer is also great time for your peer education groups to get ahead.

Summer is a great time to take inventory of your stock of peer education materials and to place orders for the supplies you will need in the fall. Summer is also a great time where your peer educators can work on recruitment of new peer educators for the fall. Some campuses host summer retreats where their peer educators can work on their presenting skills and building a solid team. Other campuses work on updating and improving scripts or programs. Even just familiarizing yourself with The BACCHUS Network websites and campaigns can prepare you to kick-start your peer education group into a great fall.

So this summer in between all the pool parties, walks in the park and outside fun, consider spending some time getting your peer education group ready for fall.

What is the Value of Membership in The BACCHUS Network?

By Kendra Loomis (Area 1) and Taylor Schwab (Area 12)

At the 2011 BACCHUS General Assembly in November, network delegates convened to vote on an amendment to the BACCHUS bylaws. As a result of the meeting, an affiliation fee for The BACCHUS Network was implemented, effective January 1, 2012, requiring affiliates to pay in order to remain in the network.

Is the affiliation fee really worth the $300 cost? Well, would you rather pay for the services provided individually, which could cost roughly $1200; or would you prefer to pay for the $300 affiliation fee, which provides numerous discounts and benefits?

Essentially, BACCHUS pays for itself. Benefits include: a discounted fee for the General Assembly, the Area Conference, and local trainings, as well as promotional materials (posters, material packets, pre-designed health campaigns, training kits, etc.). Not only will you receive the discounts, but also the benefits of BACCHUS far exceed the tangible merchandise. Some of the ways in which BACCHUS enriches lives includes providing a sense of community, motivating leadership, and fostering networking skills. As the affiliation fee deadline of March 30, 2012 approaches, we hope you see the value that BACCHUS has to offer. Click here to renew your membership.

The BACCHUS Network™ and Founder Dr. Gerardo Gonzalez Featured in Stephen R. Covey’s Latest Book The 3rd Alternative

The BACCHUS Network™ is pleased to announce that the nonprofit organization and Founder Dr. Gerardo Gonzalez are featured in the newest book from Stephen R. Covey called The 3^rd Alternative, Solving Life’s Most Difficult Problems. Covey is the bestselling author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

In his latest work, Covey addresses resolving conflict by describing the 1^st Alternative as “my way,” and the 2^nd Alternative as “your way.” The 3^rd Alternative transcends traditional solutions to conflict by forging a path toward a third option that moves beyond your way or my way to a higher or better way – one that allows both parties to emerge from debate or even heated conflict in a far better place than either had envisioned.

The reference to Founder Dr. Gerardo Gonzalez and BACCHUS is featured on pages 187-188 of the book. Dr. Gonzalez’ story references his days as a student at the University of Florida and the experiences he faced with his peers and their drinking behavior. His efforts and new approach to helping young people in higher education avoid risky behaviors led to today’s national student leadership network of peer educators addressing health and safety issues.

We are also pleased to acknowledge BACCHUS Board member Judith Tindall. Covey cites a reference from her work, Peer Programs: An In-Depth Look, in the same chapter.

The BACCHUS Network™ is a national 501c(3) student leadership organization focused on health and safety. The BACCHUS Network™ has nearly 700 affiliates and 25,000 peer educators across the country. For additional information, you can visit the organization website at www.bacchusnetwork.org

You Can Be Smart, Sexy and Safe for Sexual Responsibility Week

The 2012 SRW campaign contains the latest statistics, strategies for healthy relationships, and engaging programming activities for your campus.

Giveaway items include Valentine postcards, kiss-shaped magnets, and posters.

Follow these easy steps to access the campaign:

1. Go to "Sexual Responsibility Week" under Campaigns.

2. Click the Click Here to Begin link.

3. On the login page click the Forgot Your Password link.

4. Enter the advisor email address you used to affiliate with BACCHUS and click submit.

5. Your assigned password will be immediately emailed to the address entered.

6. Login using email address and supplied password.