Calvin Choices Program
Calvin Choices - Helping students consider the choices they make about alcohol
Calvin students drink less than the majority of their peers at other colleges and universities. That doesn’t surprise us. We know that Calvin Choices aredifferent.
Still… Calvin students live in a world where there are lots of choices to make about alcohol use.
The Calvin Choices posters, buttons, t-shirts, and stickers that you see around campus this year are a way to help you consider the choices you make about alcohol.
Drinking doesn’t help you perform. Our athletes know this, do you?
Research conducted at colleges and universities has shown that athletes binge drink more frequently and have more alcoholic drinks per week than do non-athletes (Leichliter, Meilman, Presley, & Cashin, 1998; Martens, Cox, & Beck, 2003; Nelson & Wechsler, 2001).
Findings based on the responses of 200 athletes who completed the Calvin Choices survey (2006) indicate that this is not the case at Calvin. Results showed that there is no significant difference in the frequency of binge drinking and the weekly consumption of alcohol between athletes and non-athletes.
Our athletes know that “Drinking doesn’t help you perform.”
NCAA Grant
The misuse of alcohol by college students is of great concern to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). In an effort to educate students about the risks involved with the misuse of alcohol, the NCAA has, through the support of the NCAA Foundation and Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc., developed CHOICES, a grant program for alcohol education. Through CHOICES, the NCAA provides funding for NCAA member institutions and conferences for the development, implementation and evaluation of effective alcohol-education and prevention programs on college campuses. The NCAA recognizes that illegal use and abuse of alcohol may occur in conjunction with athletic events. Further, the NCAA recognizes that athletics can be a medium through which alcohol education can be delivered. All alcohol-education programs that have been developed through CHOICES have used athletes or athletic events to deliver the educational program to the entire campus. Many of these programs targeted the student body rather than providing programs solely for student-athletes. Collaboration between the athletics department and other campus organizations involved in alcohol education is encouraged by CHOICES.
Links
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
NCAA Drug Education and Wellness Programs
For some healthy activity choices, check out Calvin's Student Activities website
Broene's Online Screening for alcohol abuse (On the left hand side, in the navigation bar, select "Online Screening for Mental Health". Then click on "Begin the Screening" and choose "Take the Alcohol Screening")
Cynthia Kok
Psychologist, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychology
Broene Counseling Center
(616)526-6123
Amber Warners
Professor
HPERDS Department
(616)526-6223
John Witte
Dean
Residence Life
(616)526-6546