NASPA Conference 2011

$0 spent on Caribou Coffee (there is no Caribou in FL, boo), 1 pre-conference workshop, 2 outdoor runs in 70degree weather (about 8 miles total), 3 nights, 4 Oles, 5 keynote speakers, 6 cruise ships at the Port of Miami anxiously waiting to set sail, 7 hours on the plane, $8 wasted on a horrible lunch at Checkers (last time we let Glen pick a meal!), 10 meals with great friends, 11 poster sessions, 13 round table discussions, 30 minutes of Skyping with home, 56 workshop sessions, 78 work emails received while I was away (still waiting in my inbox), 450 professionals from all around the country, 3,028 miles from Minneapolis to Miami and lots of great memories...

Miami, Biscayne Bay...pretty great running scenery!

My running friend and co-worker, Charlie. A fellow Gustie and co-worker at Olaf.

It was a great trip to the 2011 NASPA Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Prevention and Intervention/ Mental Health Conference. The discussion of alcohol prevention and intervention is underway at St. Olaf and it is exciting to be a part of it. I know people get sick of hearing this at Olaf-and I really try to bite my tongue about it- but Gustavus has such a great framework and execution of their prevention and response strategies to AOD (alcohol and other drug) education. St. Olaf is starting to make some good progress, though...hence why they sent 4 of us to do some 'research'. My psychology/counseling background leads me to believe that much of the severity of the issue surrounding college students and alcohol/drug use could be eliminated or decreased if we put more of our resources and heart into preventative, proactive education. It's exciting to be heading in that direction...

Here are a few of the ideas/things I took from the conference:

• Prevention efforts are ESSENTIAL. So often we get caught in the discussion of how to handle the aftermath of issues relating to drug or alcohol use but it is so important to put valuable resources into preventative measures. In a time when resources are tight, it can be difficult to make a case for preventative education, especially since it is hard to measure results and outcomes in preventative studies, but without a focus on education we cannot put 100% responsibility on students for poor decisions. As educators in higher education, we are obligated to providing students with necessary information, regardless of moral issues. 
• More potential exists in bystander intervention. The research tells us that peer-to-peer education/intervention is one (if not the most) significant way to stop or help problem behavior, especially surrounding alcohol and other drug issues, disordered eating behaviors, hazing, and sexual abuse/assault. We need to figure out a way to empower students to take initiative with their peers in situations that could lead to negative consequences/outcomes. The University of Arizona has created a great program...http://www.stepupprogram.org
• AOD prevention and intervention needs to be a collaborative effort. Students need to be educated from all angles, not just through AOD programs or wellness centers. We need to integrate material into classrooms through discussions and projects, in athletics, greek life, wellness centers, conversations with parents, friends, etc. 'Curriculum infusion' was a fancy way to talk about this, but it's true...if we integrated materials into classrooms, we'd reach a new level. 
• Social norming campaigns are a great way to bridge the gap between perceived norms and actual norms among college students. Research has proven that there is a major difference between what students think their peers are doing and what their peers are actually doing. 
• Clickers are awesome! In our pre-conference workshop, the presenters used clickers (individual, handheld, remote-like devises) that provide instant audience feedback based on a presenters question. In many situations, I think technology has gone too far but in this case, the positive impact these have in the classroom is awesome. Here is a neat article about them: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7844477/ns/us_news-education/ Clickers could be an awesome tool in social norming campaigns or to make a point in a presentation or training. 
• Gustavus is awesome. Of course I have to add that Judy Douglas, the Director of Drug & Alcohol Education, has done an incredible job integrating her knowledge and wisdom about AOD programming throughout her 30+ years serving the Gustavus community. Her passion and determination to make a difference in this field is unprecedented in my opinion.  The framework she has created is impressive...an incredibly successful peer education program, social norms committee and campaigns, alcohol task force, connection between alcohol and athletics...of course there is always room for potential but she definitely has it figured out. Plus, the Peer Assistants (PAs) are awesome!! Check them out: http://orgs.gustavus.edu/peer_assistants/