11/9/01

AU RECIPIENT OF NATIONAL ALCOHOL; DRUG PREVENTION AWARD

AUBURN -- Auburn University is one of six universities nationwide to receive an award from the U.S. Department of Education to recognize model programs aimed at reducing high-risk alcohol and other drug use among students.

The award, made Thursday (Nov. 8) at the 15th annual national meeting on Psychological Services Center, part of the Department of Psychology, will receive $99,400 for one year to help students understand the problems associated with alcohol abuse.

Other universities selected to receive the award through a nationwide competition are Boston College, Lehigh University, San Diego State University, Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute and The State University of New York at New Paltz.

AU's Psychological Services Center, which operates the Health Behavior Assessment Center, provides AU students with an evaluation of their alcohol use along with a brief intervention aimed at reducing heavy drinking and drinking-related harm.

"The intervention is supportive rather than confrontational and includes detailed feedback about the student's drinking pattern, blood alcohol content and risk factors," said Polly Dunn, director of the AU Psychological Services Center.

Dunn, psychology professor Rudy Vuchinich and psychology graduate student Jim Murphy, wrote the proposal for the grant.

"We are extremely honored to receive this award," Dunn said. "Our work to reduce heavy drinking among AU students is an example of the commitment on the part of the AU Psychological Services Center and the Department of Psychology to provide valuable outreach to the Auburn community."

Since the Health Behavior Assessment Center began in 1997, it has assisted 120 students at a charge of $40, Dunn said. The grant will allow them to serve greater numbers of AU students at no charge. "For some students, the price we had to charge was prohibitive.

"The U.S. Department of Education grant award will allow us to provide this service to interested AU students free of charge, and also will support continued research and dissemination of this novel approach to reducing collegiate drinking."

Dunn said most students have responded well to the center's approach and are interested in the drinking-related feedback and advice.

"We also have conducted research that attests to the effectiveness of our HBAC service for reducing heavy alcohol consumption," she added.

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nov01: AU-award

CONTACT: Contact: Dunn, 334/844-6860.