According to the Core Institute Survey, 300,000 of today’s college students will eventually die of alcohol-related causes, and 159,000 of today’s first-year college students will drop out of school next year for alcohol- or other drug-related reasons. Furthermore, almost one-third of college students admit to having missed at least one class because of their alcohol or drug use, and nearly one-quarter of students report failing a test or project because of the after effects of drinking or doing drugs.
Alcohol Response-Ability:
Foundations for Student-Athletes™
In response to the alarming rate of alcohol use and abuse among students, the NCAS, in collaboration with The BACCHUS Network, developed an educational solution: the Alcohol Response-Ability: Foundations for Student Athletes™.
As a member of the NCAS, your university has the opportunity to utilize a 90-minute, Internet-based alcohol education and life skills program designed specifically for student-athletes and those who work with them in the college and university setting. In this first program of its kind, student-athletes will receive a customized educational experience that is interactive, interesting and designed to help them reduce harm and recognize the consequences associated with alcohol abuse in their campus communities.
Program Overview
Foundations for Student-Athletes™ may be completed in a single one and a half hour sitting or over a period of several days. Coaches and staff members assigning the course will receive an email notifying completion by each student, but answers are entirely confidential. The course offers student-athletes a one-on-one learning experience that challenges the user to be honest and open without the fear of repercussions. In return, each student-athlete will receive a personalized risk assessment regarding the decisions they make.
Program Goals
There are four main learning objectives to the Foundations for Student-Athletes™ curriculum:
- Student-athletes will be aware of what alcohol does to the body and brain in terms of blood alcohol concentration and impairment of physical functions.
- Student-athletes will be aware of the true norms of their peers in terms of choices about alcohol, in order to combat the many myths and misperceptions about alcohol use.
- Student-athletes will be aware of the potential risks that use and excessive use of alcohol can cause in the areas of:
- Physical health
- Academic success
- Impaired driving
- Sexual decision-making
- Student-athletes will be offered risk reduction strategies they can use in order to reduce their chance of harm and encourage safe and healthy future decision-making on alcohol.
Program History
The BACCHUS Network has an established reputation in designing educational resources that meet the needs of college and university students. Its first online course called Alcohol Response-Ability™ was specifically designed for campus policy offenders and the results have been extremely positive. Of all students who took the course, 93 percent said they learned something new, and 95 percent of them said they would try at least one of the strategies they learned to lower risk. An impressive 83 percent said they would likely make safe decisions as a direct result of the course. We expect similar success in the course for athletes.
With NCAS as a partner, the Foundations for Student-Athletes™ course was designed to suit the proactive needs of our members and recognizes student-athletes as university representatives and potential campus leaders. Therefore, all of the educational material is specifically designed for student-athletes. One trial per institution is available.