A $40,000 grant recently awarded to Shippensburg University by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) will be used to cover the costs of an online alcohol education course for all incoming first-year students.
SU was one of 20 colleges and universities, and one of eight Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) schools, to receive the grant according to Sarah McDowell, interim director of the university’s Connection alcohol and other drug program. There were 115 applications this year and 61 recipients of the grant.
According to the PLCB, grants were chosen on a competitive basis. The funds are intended to initiate programs focused on ways to reduce underage and dangerous drinking.
SU will use the funds to pay for AlcoholEDU, an online course all incoming SU students will be required to take prior to their first semester. They will receive an email approximately two months before the start of the semester with logon information and directions on how to complete AlcoholEDU.
“AlcoholEDU will be offered to all incoming students each year before they arrive on campus.
It will provide them with personalized education about alcohol, social norms, high-risk versus low-risk drinking, potential consequences associated with personal choices and campus support services available to them,” McDowell said.
“Data collected from surveys imbedded in the course will be used to develop programs specific to Shippensburg University students.”
According to its website, the PLCB has awarded over $4 million to colleges, universities and municipalities throughout Pennsylvania to help curb underage drinking and alcohol abuse by students since 1999.
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