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.

Peer Educator Recruitment Strategies

By Rakhi Agrawal (Area 11) and Jeanette Montoya (Area 2)

Like almost any collegiate campus organization, a peer health education group is only as powerful as the peer educators that are involved. Recruitment can be very time-consuming and require a lot of your resources, but once you develop a system, it can become very exciting for your group. Here are some recruitment strategies for you to consider:

Holding a kickoff event and having a presence at campus-wide events. Especially for new students, campus-wide events are the main way to survey and connect with different opportunities available on campus. While your group may not be the main focus of an open, large-scale campus event (orientation, activities fair, basketball game, etc.), it is still crucial that you be involved in some way, so that students are exposed to and become aware of your group. This is also the easiest way to reach a wide array of students as often, after the initial orientation period, students tend to attend these types of events less often. Even a table with a sign and an interest sheet can be sufficient—just as long as you have a plan to follow-up with students afterwards, and they have something to take away from your table—whether that be something physical (a free giveaway or a flyer advertising your next meeting) or just a clear understanding of what purpose your group serves on campus.

Leading with a carrot and incentivizing your group to potential peer educators! No matter how invested students might be in your group’s mission, having a rewards system or offering incentives for involvement can be key to retention of members. These incentives can be big or small, but always have your information attached to it. Incentivizing will create an easy way for students who are interested to contact you for further involvement.

Examples:

Rakhi (Area 11): At my school, the new student orientation program hosts an activities fair for all incoming students. Our peer education group always has a table, and we draw students to our table by giving away items directly related to our group—free stress balls, sleep masks, etc. This way, students have something to remember us by!

Jeanette (Area 2): Here on my campus, our peer health education group has a variety of incentives ranging from chapsticks, pens, highlighters, hand sanitizers, backpacks and etc. All of our incentives have our contact information embellished on them, so if any students have any questions, they have the information needed and are able to use the incentive at the same time.

Have various types and forms of programming. Know who your target group is. Remember all groups on campus are different and unique, therefore your approach may need to be tailored to each group. When recruiting from different groups, you can emphasize the part of your organization they may be more interested in. For an example: If you’re trying to recruit from the biology or kinesiology club you might emphasize the health and fitness aspect more.

Hold different forms of programming such as social events or educational programs. This will allow potential peers to see your organization in action and get a feel for what your group is really about. Schedule your events or programs on varied times and days. This will give the students the opportunity to become more active and involved.

Create a fan base. Create a place where interested students can find more information about your organization. Use the technology your students use. Who doesn't use Facebook or Twitter? Facebook and Twitter are a great way to advertise and promote your group. Your potential members can go on these websites to learn more about your organization and be able to get information on upcoming events. On Facebook, create an event page for your upcoming program and invite all the students on your friends list. This allows the students to respond whether they plan to attend and you will have a better idea of who will be there. Fan base websites will provide your students with current information and a way to stay updated.

These are just a few ideas. Remember holding a kickoff event can help get the word out about your organization and allow students to come see what your group is all about. Who doesn't like free stuff? Incentives are a good way for students to remember your organization. Programming is an important part. Remember whom you are targeting and emphasize what may interest them. And lastly, create a fan base. This will enable students to get the information they need and be able to stay current on upcoming events. Recruiting can be very time consuming, so manage your time well and set deadlines for your peer group. Have fun and good luck!

Want more? Check out Rewards and Recognition on Any Budget and Recruiting and Retaining Peer Educators

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

Win a Free General Assembly Registration by Creating the Theme for GA 2012

General Assembly 2012 will be held November 1-4 in Orlando, Florida. Our conference hotel is The Doubletree Hotel at the Entrance to Universal.
This year we invite our student members to submit their ideas for the conference theme. The person submitting the winning theme will receive one
free conference registration fee. If duplicate winning themes are submitted, we will place all duplicates into a drawing for one winner.

Ideas are due by 5 PM Eastern Standard Time on Wednesday, February 29, 2012.

Include the following in an email to admin@bacchusnetwork.org
1. Subject Line is "GA 2012 Theme"
2. Your Full Name:
3. A Phone Number Where We Can Contact You:
4. Campus Peer Education Group Name:
5. Campus:
6. Your Conference Theme:
7. A Narrative about the graphic or artwork you might associate with this
theme: (Limit 70 words)

Make the most of your creativity and budget by submitting an entry!
Winner will be announced on the website.

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.

More Wellness, Less Waste: BACCHUS Goes Green

As you may have noticed, The BACCHUS Network has become more “green” over the past few months. The Sexual Responsibility Week and Safe Spring Break campaigns were delivered electronically. The Peer Educator™ magazine is now an online, interactive publication. BACCHUS monthly updates and the quarterly newsletter from your Student Advisory Committee member arrived in your email box using Constant Contact. A paper version of the annual charter renewal form was not mailed out this year but is available to be filled out quickly and easily on the BACCHUS website.

You, our members, have encouraged us to reduce our use of paper and we listened. The response from our Network has been overwhelmingly positive. In fact, we have had one of the highest early return rates of charter renewal forms in our history.

Because it has been so well received, you will be seeing more electronic delivery of BACCHUS materials and communications including information about General Assembly registration, call for programs, and awards applications, and NCAAW campaign materials. Be sure you are receiving these timely notifications by

• Renewing your BACCHUS affiliation so your current email address is in our database
• Subscribe to the BACCHUS Twitter feed
• Join the BACCHUS Facebook Fan Page
• Subscribe to the BACCHUS listserv
• If you have not been receiving our communications, contact admin@bacchusnetwork.org and we can offer suggestions to assist you

You can view back issues of our BACCHUS e-newsletters on our website.

If you have opted-out from our Constant Contact e-newsletter and would like to receive it again, please email ann@bacchusnetwork.org for instructions on how to re-subscribe.

Five Super Easy Outreach Programs for the End of Fall

We have passed the halfway point of the Fall term. Finals and the holidays are fast approaching. Your peer educators are exhausted from all the programs they have implemented and need to catch up on course work; yet, promoting healthy decisions to the student body is even more important at this time of year. Here are five quick programming ideas that do not take a lot of time, people power, or funding.

Stress Busters

You can feel the tension rising on campus as it gets closer to finals. Everyone is talking about being stressed. Spread the word on how to reduce stress through social media. Have your peer educators brainstorm ways to reduce stress and take turns posting them on Facebook, Twitter, and your campus website. Have a little more time? Create a video of stress relieving breathing exercises and post it to YouTube.

Impaired Driving Prevention

Holidays are a high-risk time for driving under the influence. Create a holiday pledge for students to sign and promise to not drink and drive, let friends drink and drive, or ride with an impaired driver. Print the pledge and distribute in the residence halls and student center, or create a group or fan page on Facebook. Develop your own pledge or use the following: This holiday season, I give my friends and myself the gift of life. I pledge to not drink and drive, ride with an impaired driver, let my friends drink and drive or ride with an impaired driver, and to always wear my seatbelt. If your peer educators have the time and energy, have them serve BAC-tails, delicious non-alcoholic drinks, in the student center and invite students to sign the pledge.

Managing Money

As first year students approach the completion of three months or more of living away from home, many may realize that they have not done well with managing their money. Growing credit card debt along with shrinking savings may be causing stress. Partner with a finance faculty member or your campus banking institution to develop a bookmark of money management tips. Have the bookmarks available at the bookstore, library, and ATMs.

Healthy Holiday Eating

Many students are looking forward to home cooking and a break from dining hall food or cooking for themselves. Holiday celebrations and parties may temp students to over indulge in their favorite foods. Publish a list of your peer educators’ favorite tips for healthy eating over the holidays on your website, in your “Potty Press,” or on table tents and place them in the dining hall.

New Year’s Resolutions

The New Year, and new academic term, is a great time to make a behavior change for health. Encourage students to begin planning before January 1^st about how they will make the change, such as quitting smoking, beginning an exercise program, or managing money better. Create a planning worksheet using the Stages of Change model. Ask students to write down

• What are the good things and the not-so-good things about the behavior they want to change?
• What would be different in their life if they change the behavior?
• Who would support them in the process to make this change?
• What is one thing they can do before January 1, 2011 that will help them get ready to make the change? For example, picking up a quit kit from your office or contacting the campus recreation center about spring exercise classes.

Provide a list of campus and community resources that will help students develop their healthy habits. If students are willing to provide an email address, your peer educators can follow up with them at the beginning of the new academic term to provide motivation and resources to continue the efforts to become healthier.

Students may not have time to attend programs at this time of year, but they will appreciate receiving timely health promotion tips to get them to the end of the school term and position them for a great holiday break. If your peer education group has a quick and easy program, please share it by commenting on this blog.

Staying Healthy: Fuel for School!

By Tiffany Mathews, Keene State College
BACCHUS Maine State Coordinator

Eating well in college is not only important, it's also easy. By following these five nutrition tips, you can fuel your body with the essential nutrients it needs to keep up with your busy schedule.

Tip #1- Choose natural and unprocessed foods such as veggies, fruit, wraps and sandwiches made with whole grain breads. Eat locally whenever possible to get the most nutrients for your money.

Tip #2- Limit salt, sugar, and fat intake by choosing fresh foods that are served raw, broiled, baked, or stir fried.

Tip #3- Increase water consumption by getting into the habit of carrying around a bottle of water and sipping on it throughout the day. You can add fruit juice or fresh fruit to your water to give it a different taste. A rule of thumb is to drink 8 eight-ounce glasses of water each day, however you can also increase your water intake by consuming fruit and veggies, which are usually good sources of water.

Tip#4- Know the nutrition facts. Read the labels on foods you eat. Notice the differences of nutrients among foods and keep an eye on the ingredients list. Choose foods with a short list of ingredients to ensure that you are getting a natural source of energy.

Tip #5- Eat small meals throughout the day to keep you energized. Eating foods high in vitamins, minerals, and whole grains will help you sustain your energy. Balance your plate with 50% fruits and veggies, 25% protein, and 25% whole grains to keep you going.

For more information about eating well, visit the American Dietetics Association website at www.eatright.org.

Five Tips for Great Classroom Presentations

As peer education advisors, peer educators, and health educators, we want to be asked by faculty to present on collegiate health and safety issues. Classroom presentations provide outreach to students, increase awareness of services available on campus, and are a great peer educator recruitment tool. These presentations can also be challenging. Fifty-minutes is not a lot of time to thoroughly cover many health issues.

Rachel Billowitz, MPH (Rachel.Billowitz@nau.edu), a health sciences lecturer at Northern Arizona University, suggests the following tips to increase the effectiveness of one-time presentations to classes. These were originally posted to the HEDIR Listserv in regards to sexual health presentations and are reprinted here with permission.

1. If possible, try to ask the instructor for two class periods, so you are not trying to condense all the content into one.

2. Ask the students to do the reading prior to your presentation so they are familiar with the content.

3. Work with the class instructor to solicit anonymous questions from the students about the topics. Small squares of paper collected in an envelope work just fine. Obtain those questions before the presentation, and tailor your presentation to address the unique concerns of that student group.

4. Do not try to focus on delivering a large amount of factual information in the presentation. Instead, consider focusing your presentation on activities that ask the students to apply the knowledge gained from the reading to real-world scenarios to help facilitate skill building. For example, put students into groups of three and ask them to: brainstorm factors a heterosexual couple should consider when selecting a birth control method; brainstorm ways to negotiate condom use; brainstorm ways to give and get consent in a fun/ sexy way, etc.

5. Connect students with online resources that can link them to medically accurate sexual [or other] health information. Several sites have functions that allow people to ask questions anonymously and a health educator posts the answers within a day or two. An excellent site is the Go Ask Alice site from Columbia.

Thank you to Rachel for these great tips. Do you have any additional tips for classroom presentations? Share your tips with others by posting them as a comment to this article.

Five Peer Educator Recruiting Blunders to Avoid

Now is the time to plan your recruitment strategies for the 2010-11 academic year. Here are five major mistakes to avoid. Planning ahead will increase your recruiting success.

1. Waiting until September to start recruiting.

First year and transfer students are attending summer orientation, checking your school’s website for information, and receiving emails from other groups on your campus throughout the summer months. Begin recruiting now by having a presence at summer orientation events, collecting new student emails, and sending emails or e-newsletters throughout the summer. Be sure your web page is up-to-date and clearly explains how to get involved. Invite new students to join your Facebook group and post your recruitment meetings as events.

2. Only recruiting first year students.

The National Peer Educator Study (NPES) conducted by Michigan State University has found that the majority of peer educators became involved after their freshman year. Juniors and seniors are looking for opportunities to apply what they are learning in their majors and to build career skills. Decide from what academic subjects you would like to attract students and talk with faculty about how being a peer educator provides practical, career-relevant experience (i.e., leadership, delegation, time and management planning).

3. Not answering the “W” questions.

Before a student commits to becoming a peer educator, he or she wants to know four things: Why me? Why now? What for? and Who says? Some students do not see themselves as peer educators. If you see in a student the qualities necessary to be a peer educator, tell him or her. When recruiting, talk about the issues students on your campus are facing now and how peer educators can help. Highlight your peer education group’s past successes. Your current peer educators are the best spokespersons for your group. Encourage them to speak about what they have received from being a peer educator.

4. Making it hard to be a peer educator.

It is okay to be selective in choosing peer educators (click here for sample peer educator applications and interview questions: http://www.bacchusnetwork.org/peeredapps.asp). We also need to recognize that peer educators are students first and have busy schedules. Think about how you can make being a peer educator work in a student’s schedule. Develop position descriptions for peer educators that clearly define what they are to do and the time it takes. Find the day and time when the fewest classes take place and schedule your meetings during that time. Plan your trainings and events with the academic calendar in mind. Having large, intensive events during midterms will create frustration and burn out. Finally, offer a safety net to students who become overwhelmed by allowing them take a break from being a peer educator to attend to other issues.

5. Not making recruitment everyone’s responsibility.

Recruitment is an ongoing, year round process. Every program, event, web posting, or flyer is a potential recruitment tool. As mentioned earlier, your peer educators are your best spokespersons for your group and your best recruiters. If they speak positively of their peer education experience and share their enthusiasm for what they are doing, others will want to join. Encourage them to invite students to the meeting and teach them how to welcome new people to the group.

Do you have a recruiting tip? Share it with others by commenting on this article.

posted by: Ann Quinn-Zobeck, BACCHUS Director of Education and Training

Student Award for Mental Health Education

BACCHUS encourages peer educators to apply for the following award honoring excellence in reducing stigma around mental health.


The 2010 Jerry Greenspan
Student "Voice of Mental Health" Award

The Jerry Greenspan Student "Voice of Mental Health" Award was established to honor a student who is reducing stigma around mental illness, raising awareness of mental health problems on campus, or encouraging help-seeking among his or her peers.

The student selected for this honor will receive:
* a $2,000 cash award
* recognition through The Jed Foundation's website and events
* assistance with composing a video of the student's work
* a trip to New York to attend The Jed Foundation's annual gala on June 10, 2010
* video highlighting the student's award-winning work, which will be showcased during The Jed Foundation's gala
* an opportunity to appear on MTVU**

This award is designed to encourage dialogue about mental health on campuses and reduction of stigma around emotional disorders, and to raise visibility of the amazing people who are tackling these issues at schools across the country.

Applications must be completed online at http://jedfoundation.org/programs/student-voice-of-mental-health-award, and will consist of one essay.

The essay should demonstrate how the applicant is:

* Creating and/or leading campus programs or events that decrease stigma or encourage help-seeking
or

* Sharing a personal story about dealing with a mental health issue or helping a friend with an emotional problem
or

* Working to improve campus policies, programs and services

Entries will be judged by a panel that includes a mental health expert, a television/film professional, a campus professional and individuals with a personal connection to mental health or suicide.

Deadline for submissions is March 15, 2010. Only full- or part-time undergraduate or graduate students who are currently enrolled at an accredited 2- or 4-year college or university in the United States are eligible to apply.

Please direct any questions to studentaward@jedfoundation.org.


** The mtvU appearance is dependent on the focus and content of the winner's submission. This appearance is not guaranteed to the scholarship winner.

Tobacco Position at BACCHUS

BACCHUS is now accepting applications for a position on our tobacco team. For a complete job description and application instructions, please visit tobaccofreeU.org and look in the "What's New" section.

A Shout Out From Area 12

If you have never been to an Area 12 conference, this video is a testament to the school/group/area spirit that they have. Is your Area louder? Send in proof to the BACCHUS Blog.

Thanks to Area 12 SAC Mark Freeman for submitting this!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mR0HooPakvo

General Assembly 2009

Did you know that registration and preliminary information for General Assembly 2009 is available online now? It's true.

The quick details:
General Assembly 2009 - "Superheroes for Health and Safety"
November 5 - 8
Doubletree Hotel at the Entrance to Universal Orlando

Take advantage of a tremendous selection of learning opportunities during the conference at 70+ educational sessions, 2 keynotes, and 6 featured health issue presentations. If you feel like you need some specialized trainings, you can also take advantage of the pre-conference CPE (Certified Peer Educator) Training or the free Advisor’s College sessions.

There are many great opportunities for professionals, students and guests. At the Assembly, peer educators gain new ideas and strategies for their programming and awareness events. Advisors learn how to make prevention efforts stronger on their campuses while supporting the students who make it happen. Our advisors come from many different areas of the campus but all join together to network and to learn from each other. As a student peer educator, whether your emphasis is alcohol abuse prevention, drug education, sexual responsibility, mental health, nutrition, sexual assault, violence prevention, tobacco prevention, or other health and safety issues, you will find program offerings and other peer education groups similar to yours to gain and share new ideas.

We hope to see you there!

Bring BACCHUS Expertise to Your Campus

Looking to improve your comprehensive prevention programming and need some ideas on how to do it? BACCHUS can help. The BACCHUS Network™ is offering staff facilitated trainings. Take advantage of these affordable opportunities to bring BACCHUS expertise to your campus. Prices range from $1000 for half-day consultation to $2500 for a day-and-half training and includes travel.

Campus Site Visit & Consultation
BACCHUS will send a senior staff member on a site visit to consult with you, your chief student affairs officer, your students, your campus or community task force, and other key stakeholders to assess program strengths and suggest ways to improve prevention efforts. This structured visit will include a follow up report to assist you with future strategic planning, writing for grants, and budget development.

Screening and Brief Intervention (SBI) Training for Student Life Staff
Screening and Brief Intervention (SBI) has emerged as an effective tool to reduce college alcohol abuse. This training provides a brief screening tool and incorporates motivational interviewing techniques to assist student life staff in having intentional conversations with students. Participants will leave with tools for implementing SBI and resources for assisting students to consider a behavior change.

Certified Peer Educator (CPE) Training
Does the idea of bringing in our national trainer to conduct BACCHUS CPE Training for your campus sound appealing? You can utilize the convenient and affordable option of having The BACCHUS Network™ come to your campus and conduct the training. A BACCHUS staff member will work with you every step of the way to plan the CPE training. The independently evaluated CPE program has increased knowledge, confidence and skills in peer educators completing the training. For less than the cost of many national speakers who present for an hour, you can have a twelve-hour training that empowers your students to commit to healthy and safe lifestyle choices.

Tobacco Cessation Program Training
Tobacco cessation for young adults is a challenging piece of the campus tobacco control puzzle. BACCHUS staff members have expertise in providing cessation efforts on campus. A full-day training includes the top 10 list of campus cessation efforts including: assessment; empathy for addiction; Stages of Change; working with health and counseling centers; medications; cessation groups; technology; targeted promotion; events; staff involvement; and national resources. Participants will leave with strategies for implementing a comprehensive cessation program on campus.

For more information on fees and scheduling, please contact Ann Quinn-Zobeck, Director of Education and Training, at ann@bacchusnetwork.org or 303-871-0901.

Reminder - Charter Renewals

As part of your annual affiliation renewal to keep your charter active with The BACCHUS Network, each affiliate must complete and return their 2009 Charter Renewal Form by March 30. For those returning the form on time, your campus will be placed in a drawing for either a CPE Training Kit or a registration fee to the 2009 General Assembly in Orlando, Florida, Nov. 5-8. You can submit the form online, by fax, or postal mail. Mailing was sent to each campus' advisor on record, Feb 20. Check out more information here.

Not a member of BACCHUS? Click here for all the information.

Screening and Brief Intervention (SBI) Toolkit for Colleges

Many campuses will implement brief alcohol screenings for their campus students and staff on April 9, 2009, this year's Alcohol Screening Day. These quick assessments, particularly when followed with a brief, intentional conversation, can help students and staff to identify potentially high-risk alcohol use as well as strategies for decreasing their drinking. Take advantage of a free Screening and Brief Intervention Toolkit for campuses to help your campus effectively address alcohol abuse. BACCHUS will post additional SBI resources in the near future as well.

Identified as an effective strategy for addressing alcohol abuse among college students, The BACCHUS Network™, under a cooperative agreement with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, created a toolkit to assist college and university campuses utilize screening and brief intervention. Click here to download the pdf of the toolkit and to learn more about this strategy.

Caring for Veterans

As more and more veterans return home and enroll in college, it will be crucial that health educators on campus be prepared with knowledge and empathy to help them with unique concerns.

What are campuses currently doing in this area? Do you have plans to expand professional development for staff/peer educators? Will you ramp-up services in your wellness center to provide extra assistance to servicemen and servicewomen? Please share ideas with other affiliates so that we can continue to learn from one another.