Holy Cross Lauded For Alcohol Education Efforts

Outside the Classroom presents College with $10,000 to support ongoing programs

Holy Cross was recognized with an award from Outside the Classroom, the nation’s leading alcohol prevention organization, for its work on campus to combat high-risk drinking among college students. Outside the Classroom also presented the College with a check for $10,000 to further strengthen alcohol prevention programs on campus.

Holy Cross was the only college or university in the country to receive highest honors in the 2008-09 Prevention Excellence Awards.

The ceremony, held in the Hogan Ballroom Lounge, was attended by Timothy Austin, vice president of Academic Affairs and dean of the College; Student Affairs officers; and local leaders, including commissioner of public health Leonard Morse and city councilors Barbara G. Haller and Kate Toomey.

“At Holy Cross, we take very seriously our responsibility to educate students about the risk associated with alcohol and provide them with tools to allow them to make healthy decisions about alcohol use,” said Jacqueline Peterson, vice president for Student Affairs and dean of students at Holy Cross. “We have a comprehensive plan in place that is helping to create a healthier living-learning environment.”

Asserting that college drinking is one of the largest public health issues facing society today, Brandon Busteed, founder and CEO of Outside the Classroom, lauded Holy Cross for its strategic approach to combating alcohol use.

Fran Taylor, director of Wellness Programming at Holy Cross, credited the College community for its hard work in bolstering alcohol prevention efforts on campus, including support received from Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J., president; resident assistants who enforce the College’s alcohol policies; and the Students for Responsible Choices peer education group which supports activities that minimize high risk drinking.

She also described the key programs the College has enacted that have helped curtail drinking, including the online education course (AlcoholEdu) that students are required to complete before they arrive at Holy Cross and two alcohol screening days sponsored each year.

Last year, Outside the Classroom presented Holy Cross with three awards. The AlcoholEdu Team, headed by Taylor, received a Prevention Excellence Award, and Rory Ogden ’08 won the Excellence in Student Leadership Award in recognition for her achievements serving on Students for Responsible Choices. Taylor also won as a finalist in the Outstanding Alcohol and Other Drug Professional Award.

Pictured: Fran Taylor, director of Wellness Programming, stands next to a $10,000 check that Holy Cross was awarded for its alcohol prevention efforts.

Related Information:

• Institutions and Organizations Receive Accolades for Alcohol Prevention Excellence