SPRINGFIELD – Valerie Scarbrough, alcohol and other drug prevention coordinator in the Counseling Center at the University of Illinois at Springfield, was recently awarded three grants totaling $16,000 to be used in the study and prevention of alcohol abuse among students.
Two grants of $7,500 each were awarded by the Illinois Higher Education Center for Alcohol, Other Drug and Violence Prevention, funded by the Illinois Department of Human Services. The third grant, for $1,000, was from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
Scarbrough said she will use the grants to provide strategies and activities to help prevent underage drinking by UIS students. Specifically, the IHEC grants will be used to educate female students on the effects of binge drinking, to encourage responsible alcohol consumption, and to decrease the use of alcohol and other drugs among all UIS students. The NIAAA grant will involve incoming freshmen in a multi-campus alcohol evaluation study over the next two years.
IHEC works to reduce negative health and safety consequences to Illinois college students related to alcohol, other drugs, and violence. NIAAA provides leadership in the national effort to reduce alcohol-related problems in a number of ways, including research and collaborations with international, national, state, and local institutions, organizations, agencies, and programs.
UIS' Counseling Center provides counseling, outreach, and psychological consultation to students, faculty, and staff.
For more information, contact Scarbrough at 206-7122.
