NCAA Grant to Enhance Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention at Northern Kentucky University

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, KY – Northern Kentucky University (NKU) has announced that it has received an NCAA Choices grant from the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

The $30,000 grant will focus on alcohol prevention at the university. The NKU grant is titled “REAL CHOICES” (Responsible Education About Life) and is aimed at educating, empowering and engaging first-year students to make REAL CHOICES about their drinking habits, their health and their academic success.

“We are excited for this opportunity to enhance our alcohol and other drug prevention efforts on campus and to provide increased prevention programming to students,” says Siobhan Ryan, an alcohol and other drug counselor at NKU.

The program will train 8-10 peer educators who will be nationally certified through BACCHUS/NASPA. They will provide peer-led trainings, activities and social norm campaigns to reduce misperceptions about alcohol and other drugs while promoting healthy lifestyles with the aid of NKU student athletes as role models.

REAL CHOICES is a collaboration between the NKU Division of Student Affairs and the Department of Athletics.

The grant, which is supported by the NCAA Foundation and Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc., will be funded over three years.

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