Health, Safety, and Well-being Initiatives Starter Pack

Tailgating at football games has become a college traditions. Tailgating can be fun and truly enhance the fan experience. However, all too often high risk drinking during tailgating can result in alcohol poisoning, violence and vandalism.The University of Missouri has taken a proactive approach to problematic tailgating. The Wellness Resource Center, in partnership with the Athletic Department and the Fan Behavior Task Force has created comprehensive social norming and environmental management strategies that have effectively decreased the high-risk drinking rate among Mizzou students and fans during home football games.

This presentation will explore how wellness initiatives can transform concerns about college student mental health into opportunities for student development and growth. A model for wellness coaching will be shared as one approach that broadens the current spectrum of student support from traditional medical services to capacity building ventures that promote health, well-being, and success for all students.

What are collegiate recovery programs (CRPs) and why are they so important? Answers to these questions will provided along with experiences and lessons learned from the University of Connecticut’s UConn Recovery Community (URC) to help you explore the feasibility and practicality of implementing and further developing a CRP on your campus.

In alcohol prevention efforts, work is often focused on reducing high-risk drinking among high-risk drinking population. For years, this was true at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. But were our efforts always effective for all student populations? After surveying our students and finding that students of color are some of our lowest-risk drinkers, we wanted to investigate the impact our alcohol culture has on students of color. To that end, we created the Color of Drinking survey, and used it along with an analysis of social media to gain better perspective on this question. This session will examine the intersection of alcohol prevention and social justice and strategies implemented with campus partners to create a more inclusive environment.

To create attitudinal and behavioral change, we need to find ways of having meaningful, honest, and critical conversations about the harm we observe and – often unconsciously and unintentionally – engage in. In this framework, this live briefing moves the conversation beyond traditional bystander intervention programs and teaches participants simple skills to address harmful behavior they witness, but also open themselves up to feedback when they have caused harm to others.

Annually 40% of low income students accepted to college never enroll. Additionally, 64% of those who leave college do so for mental health reasons. When affordability is of upmost importance and diagnosis in college is on the rise, mental health professionals must understand implications for financial aid. This presentation will focus on how Purdue Promise, a scholarship program for low-income students from Indiana, collaborates with mental health professionals to support students in keeping their scholarships and persisting towards graduation.