MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS - A PROJECT REINFORCING POSITIVE NORMS, CORRECTING MISPERCEPTIONS, AND REDUCING HIGH RISK DRINKING AMONG STUDENT-ATHLETES

Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY 14456

Project Directors:

• H. Wesley Perkins (Department of Anthropology and Sociology)

• David W. Craig (Department of Chemistry)

Misperception of peer norms has been shown by HWS researchers as well as others to dramatically affect levels of alcohol use and harm. Moreover, student-athletes have been shown to consume more alcohol than their non-athlete peers and also misperceive their peer norms. The project introduces a comprehensive campaign targeted at student-athletes to promote positive norms, reduce harmful misperceptions about student drinking norms, and ultimately reduce high-risk drinking among athletes on this undergraduate residential campus with the development of innovative social marketing strategies.

Major activities include:

• Comprehensive web based survey of the student athlete population,

• a print (Newspaper ads and MVP Factoids column), poster and electronic mass-media campaign (Kiosks and MVP E-Bits) based on local survey data to reduce myths about athletes,

• an orientation program for student-athletes that communicates expectations and responsibilities as well as positive norms and values of the athletic community,

• creation of student-athlete peer educators, drawn from among athletic teams,to promote and communicate alcohol policies and positive healthy athlete norms,

• workshops on social norms prevention strategies and actual athlete norms for athletic staff and student-peer educators, and

• a social norms education workshop for alcohol policy offenders who are athletes.

The primary objective is to produce a new and more integrated athletic, academic and social climate, where athletes and the general student body have a more realistic awareness of peer disapproval of alcohol abuse, a more responsible level of public conversation about alcohol norms, and a lower level of high risk drinking among athletes.

Key Personnel:

• H. Wesley Perkins, Professor of Sociology

• David W. Craig, Professor of Biochemistry

• David Diana, Director of Alcohol and Other Drug Programs

• Deb Steward, Director of William Smith Athletics (2005 - present)
  Susan Bassett, Director of William Smith Athletics (2001 - 2005)

• Michael J. Hanna, Director of Hobart Athletics

• Debbie Herry, Research Assistant

Acknowledgement:

This Project is supported by a grant from the United States Department of Education, Safe and Drug Free Schools Program to reduce high risk drinking and violence in higher education. Technical assistance in media and web design was provided by Bernadette van der Vliet of BMT Design.

This project is a component of the HWS Alcohol Education Project.