About the Grant
The NCAA grant was used to develop a comprehensive educational/outreach program called Dons: Do Something About It to reduce problem drinking and its negative consequences. The program targeted the USF general student population, with a special focus on male freshmen students, male student-athletes, and, to a lesser extent, ROTC cadets, and sorority and fraternity members.
It was based on the bystander intervention approach framework, which encourages bystanders to advocate for healthful behaviors (i.e., responsible drinking) and act to prevent potentially catastrophic behaviors (i.e., binge drinking, sexual assault). The bystander intervention approach asks individuals to take a stand, promotes responsible behaviors, changes individuals’ attitudes and perceptions, and helps to create a responsible, responsive community on campus.
Dons: Do Something About It will achieve its goals by:
- Training five peer educators to conduct educational workshops, Brief Motivational Interventions, campus outreach (including tabling at events), and a social norming campaign
- Educating students on problem drinking and its negative social consequences
- Promoting a bystander intervention approach, and providing resources, skills, and strategies on the issue
- Collaborating with the existing USF Campus Community Coalition to oversee program planning, implementation, and evaluation of all program activities and services, and
- Recommending new campus policies and promoting existing ones to institutionalize responsible behavior with respect to alcohol.