Regional Winner |
Month: March 2012 |
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Educational Program of the Month |
| Kick The Keg | |
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| School: |
Indiana University of Pennsylvania |
Region: |
CAACURH |
| Person in charge: |
Rachel Scherer |
Nominator: |
Vince Sawyer |
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| Target Population: 50 |
Time Needed to Organize: 2 weeks |
| Number of People in Attendance: 65 |
Date(s) of Program: March 24, 2012 |
| Number of People Needed to Organize: 1 |
Cost of Program: $120.00 |
| On-Campus Population: 4400 |
Chapter Size: 44 |
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| Origin of Program: The Suites on Maple East Community is home to the SOAR
(Students Opting for Alcohol/drug-free Residency) organization. These
students frequently put on programming aimed at offering the residents
alternative activities to using alcohol or drugs to have a great time,
as well as a safer and healthy college experience. As a Community
Assistant on the SOAR floor, Rachel Scherer often provides fun and
educational opportunities for residents to enjoy themselves, become
closer as a community, and educate themselves about the facts and
myths associated with drinking and drug use.
For Kick The Keg, she decided to provide multiple different fun
activities throughout the four floor building that would be both fun
and educational. By offering fun alternatives to the typical partying
associated with college life, Rachel could succeed in providing a fun
and safe environment for the residents in the building to enjoy
themselves while also passively educating about the dangers of
irresponsible drinking.Word Count: 153 |
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| Please give a short description of the program: Kick The Keg was held throughout the Suites on Maple East
building, encompassing three floor with multiple different
activities involving several different organizations.
Beginning with the SOAR floor (second floor), Rachel set up
an array of games typically associated with drinking in the lobby at
different stations. The games included flip cup, quarters, the card
game kings, and others. At each station was a description of the
game, different items used for playing the games, and different sets
of information about responsible drinking. This method was
particularly effective because residents were drawn to the games
initially but ended up leaving with different types of educational
worksheets, phamplets, and informational business cards. Also,
Rachel worked with another organization on campus that promotes
responsible lifestyles in regard to drinking (BACCUS) to purchase a
root beer keg for the event. Residents were really impressed with
the keg, and it generated alot of enthusiasm for the event.
On the third floor lobby were ping pong tables set up for the
game beer pong. Residents lined up in pairs to play against each
other in games of "root beer pong." Also, in the connecting TV
lounge was the video game "Mario Kart" for residents to play. With
the assistants of local police, drunk goggles were provided for this
activity, as well as the other games. By playing a simulated
driving game while wearing the goggles, residents could really learn
the dangers of drinking and driving while having a fun time engaging
with other residents. Many residents commented on how difficult it
was to complete tasks as simple as just walking with the goggles on,
thus showing this experience was one where residents genuinely
learned the dangers of alcohol misuse.
On the fourth floor, members of the campus NRHH helped create
a dance party in the lounge. The party included a DJ, glow sticks,
and, of course, tons of enthusiastic residents. This provided the
population of the Suites on Maple East with a safe environment to
enjoy a night of dancing with fellow residents without needing to be
in a situation where alcohol is present.
Overall, the combination of multiple forms of entertainment
combined with various opportunities to educate residents on alcohol
use make this program amazingly successful. Reaching out to
multiple other organizations, Rachel was able to give the residents
in her building a truly enjoyable and educational experience that
they will not soon forget.Word Count: 400 |
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| Goals of the program: There were two major goals of the program. The first was to
educate residents about alcohol use, misuse, and the effects of
alcohol use in general. This was accomplished in several different
ways. Using the informational resources on the second floor and the
educational device of drunk goggles on the third floor, residents
received both written educational resources and real-life experience
with the effects of alcohol use. Utilizing something as unique as
the presence of a keg filled with root beer intrigued residents into
attending, and the valuable information they gained passively while
enjoying themselves will benefit them moving forward in their
college careers.
The second goal of the program was to provide the most
enjoyment for the residents attending the program. With a variety
of different activities and games, residents were able to engage in
multiple different fun events while interacting with their fellow
neighbors and those living in their community. As a result,
residents became closer as a community while enjoying their night of
alcohol-free entertainment and learning about the dangers of alcohol
use and misuse.Word Count: 178 |
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| Positive and lasting effects of the program: The first positive effect on the Maple East community is the
tremendous amount of information and education received about
alcohol use. Whether it be through written materials or actual
experience with simulations involving alcohol use and driving,
residents came away with a better understanding of the negative
effects of alcohol use. This is an imperative thing for all
residents--especially younger, more inexperienced residents--to be
educated on.
Another positive impact is the amount of community
interaction achieved during the program. Residents from every floor
were able to come together and engage in entertaining activities
that promoted the development of a community atmosphere. By
engaging in alcohol-free entertainment, residents can build bonds
and friendships with their collegues in a safe, responsible
environment. As a CA for the building, this is one of Rachel
Scherer's main focuses.
A third positive effect of the program was the collaborative
element involved in the planning of the event. By introducing
residents to other educational organizations on campus such as
BACCUS, and also to residence organizations such as the NRHH at
Indiana University of Pennsylvania, a link can be formed so students
can reach out during the rest of their time at the college to get
involved.Word Count: 200 |
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| Short evaluation of the program: Overall, this program was an extreme success in terms of
meeting every goal set when planning it. It is extremely difficult
to generate interest in an educational program; residents are
constantly focusing on their education outside of the residence
hall, and returning to the community is often a time to relax rather
than learn. Another problem is that the weekend is often a time
when education is usually avoided, and this often leads to bad
decisions in regard to alcohol use. This program was able to make
educating seem fun for the residents by incorporating a wide variety
of different activities spanning over three floors of the
building.
In addition, the growth of community spirit was an amazing
sight! Seeing residents from all over the building from all
different majors laughing, playing, and enjoying themselves for
hours was quite an experience. One of the most important aspects of
residence life is the overall comfort an enjoyment of the residents
themselves. Creating positive environments for each resident will
promote healthier, more engaging students that will not only excel
in their college careers, but take the experience with them for the
rest of their lives. This program succeeded in creating that
environment.Word Count: 200 |
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| How could this program be adapted to other campuses? This program could potentially be held at any university if
adjusted correctly. The program utilized three floor for the
various activities, but this isn't mandatory for success. A large
space could suffice for the multiple floors, or multiple different
rooms on a single floor of a residence hall could substitute if
utilizing multiple floors is not possible.
The cost for the program seems high, but most of it was
invested in the root beer keg which was purchased by outside
funding. To reduce cost, the keg could simply not be purchased.
While this was a unique feature that generated higher attendance,
residents had just as much fun playing the various games as they did
trying the root beer.
The main thing that makes Kick The Keg a success is the wide
variety of different activities for the residents to engage in, and
this is what promotes the passive educational value that makes the
program extremely valuable to residents. Other campuses would be
free to use the same games used in Kick The Keg or find other fun
games associated with drinking. As long as the reinforce the games
with useful educational materials, the program will successfully
adapt on any campus.Word Count: 200 |
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