President Richard Pattenaude sent a letter this week to all University of Southern Maine faculty and staff informing them about a survey they would receive addressing high-risk alcohol consumption among college students. In the letter he explained the survey is part of a grant-funded effort to reduce high-risk drinking behaviors among students and is not about faculty and staff’s substance use.
Over the next two years, USM will receive a Federal grant of $20,000 in an effort to get information about drugs and alcohol to students and the USM community. Paul Dexter, assistant dean of Student Life, is coordinating the program.
“This grant is not in response to a particular event or an increase in a trend. It’s on-going funding from federal sources to tackle a problem that is pretty pervasive throughout the country,” he said.
Dexter went on to say that students who are targeted as high-risk alcohol and drug users are those in their first years of college. Residential students in Gorham were surveyed in October about their alcohol and drug behaviors, attitudes and beliefs. Dexter said students in Gorham provided the campaign with a definable target population. It also provided them with their largest number of students who are under the legal drinking age. 90 percent of Gorham residential students are under age. The results from this survey will be available late November.
USM has had a coalition with the town of Gorham for three years with the purpose of dealing with alcohol issues that extend beyond the campus. This campus community coalition will receive part of the grant money. The money will provide awareness materials for students, parents, faculty, staff and local law enforcement. It will also be used to develop resources for students who partake in high-risk drug or drinking behaviors.
“Grant sources don’t tend to seek us out and say ‘we would like to give you money’,” Dexter said of the acquisition of the grant. The U.S. Department of Education put out a national call for grant proposals addressing this issue. Maine responded by writing a proposal called the Maine Higher Education Alcohol Prevention Partnership. Maine’s proposal was unique because it included a coalition of eight other colleges and universities besides USM that would be taking part in a drug and alcohol awareness campaign. Collectively, the coalition received $190,899.
Maine’s coalition, which is led by the Maine Office of Substance Abuse, was one of 13 organizations chosen from a group of 159 applicants to receive a grant. Maine’s grant was the largest award out of 13.
Molly Lovell can be reached at [email protected]