SUNY New Paltz is one of 20 SUNY and CUNY campuses selected to receive state funding to help prevent drug use and underage drinking on campus, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced recently.
The funding, provided by the state Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS), will support the development of campus and community partnerships to help strengthen local prevention efforts, and will be specifically targeted at students from 18 to 24 years of age.
“College is a formative time in young people’s lives and it is critical that we provide our students with the necessary tools to avoid making bad decisions with potentially life-altering consequences,” Governor Cuomo said. “Through campaigns aimed at combatting drug use and underage drinking, we can help set students on the right path by creating a campus environment that fosters education, awareness and growth for all.”
New Paltz will receive $125,000 annually over a five-year period ($625,000) beginning on July 1, 2017. A portion of those funds will be used to create a new position, the College Prevention Coordinator, who will liaise with campus and town community members to reduce substance abuse.
Other programs enabled by the grant will include new training for faculty and staff, an awareness campaign, the purchase and implementation of national survey instruments, and joint operations between College and Town of New Paltz officials.
“We are excited about the opportunity to partner with OASAS to expand the college’s regional commitment to preventing underage drinking and substance use,” said Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Linda Eaton, who worked with Director of Student Development Michelle Combs and Assistant to the President Raymond Schwarz to bring this grant to New Paltz.
“The new Prevention Coordinator will cultivate relationships with the Greater New Paltz Community Partnership and create a new campus/community coalition expressly dedicated to decreasing underage and high-risk drinking by our students, both on campus and off.”
“This project will build on a strong history of New Paltz town-gown collaboration and Student Affairs programming to help our students be safe and develop healthy life habits,” said President Donald P. Christian. “I am pleased and impressed with the work that Linda Eaton, Ray Schwarz, and Michelle Combs did to write a strong, competitive grant under very tight timelines.”
