Virginia ABC Awards Six ‘Operation Undergrad’ Grants to Help Prevent Underage Drinking on College Campuses

The Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) recently awarded six Operation Undergrad grants totaling $53,900 for alcohol education and enforcement initiatives on Virginia’s college campuses.

Funded by a grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and administered by ABC, the grants were awarded to a diverse pool of universities and a college that demonstrated creative and effective alcohol education plans geared to prevent underage and high-risk drinking. The following schools are the 2012-2013 Operation Undergrad grant recipients:

George Mason University; Fairfax ($9,000)

Funding supports the university’s Controlling Alcohol Abuse through Rigorous Enforcement program. Activities include:

• Increasing both alcohol prevention education and strict alcohol law enforcement efforts; raising awareness throughout the Mason community on dangers of consuming alcohol recklessly and illegally.

Hampden-Sydney College; Hampden-Sydney ($9,000)

Funding supports Hampden-Sydney’s Operation Undergrad program. Activities include:

• Increasing educational programming and enforcement efforts on campus; organizing and promoting more alcohol-free campus activities; developing and enhancing the Campus Community Coalition.

Longwood University; Farmville ($9,000)

Funding supports the Operation Undergrad @ Longwood University program. Activities include:

• Increasing targeted enforcement efforts including saturated patrols, undercover operations and DUI checkpoints; organizing alcohol-free alternatives for campus socializing; developing and enhancing a social norms campaign and educational programming to increase students’ awareness of the consequences of illegal alcohol consumption.

Hampton University; Hampton ($9,000)

Funding supports the university’s Sober Chill program. Activities include:

• Organizing alcohol-free student socializing opportunities; promoting the university police department’s underage drinking prevention and enforcement strategies; producing and distributing an educational video to serve as a community resource.

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Blacksburg ($8,900)

Funding supports the university’s Using Bicycle Patrols to Address Underage and At-Risk Drinking Among Virginia Tech Students initiative. Activities include:

• Implementing a social media marketing campaign to provide educational messages about the dangers of underage drinking and promoting alternatives on the “Hokies for Party Positive” Facebook page; increasing enforcement efforts with the addition of strategic bicycle patrols by Virginia Tech and Blacksburg police officers.

Virginia Commonwealth University; Richmond ($9,000)

Funding supports the university’s Operation Undergrad program. Activities include:

• Producing educational media and organizing forums for guest speakers to promote safe alternatives to underage drinking in the campus community; increasing police patrols and response using social media.