State grant supports the Safe and Sound program

Further implementing GCSU’s plan to create a risk reduced campus environment, the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety has awarded an $8,210 grant to the college.

For the sixth consecutive year, GCSU has received the Young Adult Program funding to support the campus’ Safe and Sound program, which seeks to bring awareness among students to the tragedies that can occur when alcohol is abused, as well as the importance of wearing seat belts.

Alcohol is the most abused depressant drug in America and, according to a Nationwide College Alcohol survey, it has proven to be involved in 29 percent of dropouts, 38 percent of academic failures, 64 percent of violent behaviors, 66 percent of unsafe sexual practices and 75 percent of acquaintance rapes, among college students.

The need for campus-wide programs informing students of these dangers is apparent as one person is killed in alcohol-related accidents every 31 minutes.

Providing a solid foundation for administering these programs and demonstrations on college campuses, GOHS strives to educate the public on highway safety and facilitate the implementation of programs that reduce crashes, injuries and fatalities on Georgia roadways.

National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week, a widely known program funded primarily by the GOHS grant, allows GCSU to seek and invest in creative techniques to appeal to students through alcohol-free events on campus and guest speakers.

Also benefiting from the program funding is the student peer organization, PAWS, an acronym for Peers Advocating Wellness Successfully. The GCSU chapter of The BACCHUS Network, a national organization that focuses on college health and safety issues, PAWS assists in designing campus initiatives to help promote seat-belt use and reducing high-risk alcohol use through creating support learning, and a caring environment that encourages peers to discuss and develop responsible habits, attitudes and lifestyles regarding these issues.

The Young Adult Program remains under the direction of Dr. Barbara Funke, a professor in the Department of Kinesiology.

“We have 14 students signed up to be trained as Bacchus Network nationally certified peer educators,” Funke said. “The peer educators will speak to students in residence halls, freshman seminar classes and other venues where student-to-student communication is believed to be an effective prevention strategy.”

Being an active participant in promoting the healthy exercise of highway safety is made accessible through numerous Registered Student Organization outlets on campus. Contributors to the Young Adult Program include Counseling Services, Public Safety officers, University Health educators, and staff members from Student Affairs, Campus Life and University Housing.

Along with being involved hands-on with the Young Adult Program, it’s also important for students to look out for one another, Funke said.

“There’s really no simple answer when it comes to facing these issues. It’s helpful for students to help each other, protect yourself and protect your friends,” Funke said.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Oct 30 2009. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry