The Century Council Public Relations Campaign

By:

Daniel DeMaiolo, Kollin Rupert, Kevin Jubach, Linda Dozier, Phil Walls, & Kyle Jones

Dr. Wang Ying

PREL 3710 Public Relations Campaign

December 3, 2008

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Table of Contents

I. Executive Summary……………………………………………………1

II. Situational Analysis………………………….………………….........3

A. Overview……………………………………………………...........3

B. Defining Binge Drinking…………………………………………..3

C. Psychographics – National Picture on Binge Drinking……………4

D. Denial of Problem………………………………………………….6

E. Consequences of Binge Drinking………………………………….6

F. Failed Campaigns & New Trends in Society…………….……......8

III. Target Publics…………………………………………….…….........9

A. YSU Students – Demographics……………………………………9

B. YSU Student Survey – Demographics & Psychographics……….10

C. Faculty, Staff, Administration……………………………………11

D. University Stakeholders……………………………………….....11

IV. Public Relations Campaign………………………………………...12

A. Objectives & Strategies………………………………………….12

B. Tactics……………………………………………………………14

C. Budget……………………………………………………………21

D. Evaluation………………..………………………………………23

V. Addendum………………...………................................................25

VI. Works Cited…………………………………………………..…….26

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I. Executive Summary

Binge drinking has become a social problem among college students. Each year,

thousands of college students are negatively impacted by binge drinking. In an attempt to

thwart this negative movement, a non-profit organization, The Century Council, was

established. According to the case study, “The Century Council, founded in May

1991…is a national, independent not-for-profit organization dedicated to fighting drunk

driving and underage drinking and to promoting responsible decision making regarding

beverage alcohol” (The Century Council).

The primary purpose of this report is to develop an effective and targeted public

relations campaign to tackle the problem of binge drinking among college students.

Ultimately the practice of public relations will allow for The Century Council to gain

third party endorsements from media attention which enhances the credibility of the

messages among key stakeholders and further allows for The Century Council to send

messages that are well received by those stakeholders as opposed to the failed attempts at

advertising.

The report is organized as follows: first, we conducted both primary and

secondary research to show demographics and psychographics of the key college student

publics at Youngstown State University as an illustration of trends on a national stage.

This report then shows that binge drinking is a serious issue especially among college

students through various secondary research and a survey conducted among Youngstown

State University students. This report cites specific national data, case studies, and a

survey of Youngstown State University students to provide the demographic and

psychographic statistics that highlight specific strategies and tactics our group will use in

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targeting college and other stakeholder publics. Second, upon accumulating the

necessary research, we establish public relations objectives and develop strategies for The

Century Council’s public relations campaign. Third, we develop detailed public relations

programs including: creating monthly events for one year that are hosted on campus

which feature responsible alcohol use, creating a sense of fun in non-alcohol events,

reducing alcohol use in student programming by 2% per year, and establishing

meaningful partnerships with internal and external stakeholders. Finally, the evaluation

will survey YSU students and key stakeholders that both attend and do not attend the

events to discover how they feel about the campaign, gauge the amount of drinking

incidents reported by YSU police, and determine whether our efforts have combated

binge drinking.

This report concludes that increased programming and partnerships will allow us

to establish our goals in promoting alcohol awareness education to the key publics at

YSU. Most importantly, this sample University will allow us to gauge the effectiveness

of our national campaign in educating college students about the perils of binge drinking.

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II. Situation Analysis

A. Overview

Binge drinking, a common recreational trend among college students, is growing

in strength as more and more students engage in “potentially deadly consumption” of

alcohol which is defined “medically by the number of drinks that induces alcohol

poisoning, or brings an individual’s BAC level to .25 or higher” (The Century Council).

As has been explored through numerous studies, binge drinking is extremely prominent

as a cultural experience and is growing due to ineffective anti-drinking ads and legal

drinking ages. Across the United States, colleges are dealing with the problem of

drinking alcohol on campuses. An overwhelming majority of college students (88

percent), some under the legal age, have or will use alcohol beverages

(www.pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications). Many colleges such as The University of

Washington, Southern Florida State University, Iowa State, UCLA, and small colleges

like Alvernia College in Reading, Pa, Hobart and William Smith College are working

with intervention programs to help bring forth the awareness of this problem on

campuses. The Task Force on College Drinking, The Century Council and the National

Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism are working together to get an perspective on

college drinking. Before exploring specific trends in the area of binge drinking, the

concept much first be defined.

B. Defining Binge Drinking

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and the National Advisory

Council, there are four main types of drinkers: abstainers, extremely infrequent drinkers,

low-risk drinkers, and binge drinkers (the latter of which will be targeted in the public

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relations campaign. Before further research is undertaken, a definition of each of the four

categories is necessary.

First, abstainers are defined as “those who do not consume beverage alcohol” (The

Century Council). Next, extremely infrequent drinkers are defined as “those who

consume between one and 12 drinks per year” (The Century Council). Third, low-risk

drinkers are “defined by the government (for adults over 21) as one drink for females and

no more than two drinks for males per day/occasion” (The Century Council). Finally, the

subject of the campaign, binge drinkers, according to the National Institute on Alcohol

Abuse are “defined by the government as four drinks or more for females and five drinks

or more for males in a row within a two-hour period” while Alcoholism’s National

Advisory Council defines binge drinking as a “pattern of drinking alcohol that brings

blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to .08 or above” (The Century Council).

C. Psychographics – National Picture of Binge Drinking

To give a more explicit description of binge drinking at the national level, “data

reported by the CORE Institute at the Southern Illinois University at Carbondale [shows]

college students are drinking an average of 5.8 drinks per week – 5.3 drinks for freshmen,

5.5 drinks for sophomores, 6.2 drinks for juniors, and 6.8 drinks per week for

seniors…[and] on average, male students overall and by grade level report drinking more

than their female peers” (The Century Council). Freshman students feeling like they are

grown up and away from home are the most susceptible to the on campus drinking.

Fraternity and sorority members drink more alcohol frequently than their peers and

accept more high levels of alcohol consumption and associated problems. Drinking in

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groups and serving oneself may promote higher levels of alcohol consumption and

students at bars drank more when in groups.

According to Campus Activities Programming, a publication of the National

Association for Campus Activities, “many institutions discovered students drank because

seemingly there was ‘nothing else to do’ ” and alcohol served as an only means of

entertainment (Dietz, 7). According to a CORE study, students drink for the following

reasons: “gives people something to do (74%), gives people something to talk about

(69%), allows people to have more fun (62%), facilitates a connection with peers (62%),

facilitates male bonding (59%), facilitates sexual opportunities (54%), facilitates female

bonding (48%)” (The Century Council).

In addition, “individual students typically believe that most other students on

campus drink more heavily than they do…the research clearly suggests that among the

college student community there may be a different perception as to what constitutes

binge drinking or dangerous overconsumption of alcohol” (The Century Council).

Also, factors that can cause binge drinking include personality characteristics, such

as impulsive and psychological behavior such as depression or anxiety. Another

psychological factor that affects binge drinking is the perceptions of college students

which lead to loosened inhibitions and increased relaxation. On many college campuses

alcohol is seen as a rite to passage where tradition is handed down through generations of

college drinkers and this serves to reinforce students expectation that alcohol is a

necessary in social success (http://www.drug-rehabs.org/Ohio -drug -rehab.htm).

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D. Denial of Problem

In many cases negative attitudes and beliefs prevent colleges deal with drug and

alcohol problems effectively. Some schools do not want to acknowledge the problem on

their campus. As President Emeritus Laurence W. Mazzeno stated, “no college in

America is immune from the use of alcohol and drugs.” He believes there are leaders at

many small colleges who are convinced that alcohol is nonexistence or may not be a

major problem on their campuses. (President Emeritus Laurence W. Mazzeno: Alvernia.

Reading, Pa). William DeJong, Ph.D, former director of the U.S. Department of

Education’s Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence

Prevention and a professor of social and behavioral sciences at the Boston University

School of Public Health, sees college and universities failing in compiling information

that is needed to evaluate prevention work. He states, “That on a typical campus each

department was too wrapped up in its own affairs to think about alcohol problems in

terms of the campus as a whole.”

E. Consequences of Binge Drinking

The goals of groups like the NIAAA, The Century Council, The Task Force on

College Drinking and colleges is to bring forth the problems and situations that can

happen with the use of alcohol consumption especially under age drinking. Statistics have

shown that alcohol in the hands of those who are not the legal age to consume it, are

involved in car accidents, fights at parties, rapes, and overdoses. Alcohol consumption

has been involved with crimes such as date rapes, fraternity parties, and binge drinking.

Jennifer March wrote an article titled “If you take a drink, you take a chance,”

which was about drinking and date rape and how women wanted to be able to drink

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without the risk of being raped. Even if the choice results from caving into peer pressure,

it is their decision to make their own decision to drink and not be forced or conned into a

situation (http://www.journalism.sfsu.edu//www/pubs/gator/). No woman should become

a target for rape after another student. In this case, the accused perpetrator is often held

accountable for conning or force sex and subsequently was expelled from the campus

because he had been pushing alcohol on women so he could have his way. Either way,

drinking is causing many women to lower their inhibitions and give into a perpetrator’s

temptations.

According to Donna E. Shalala, Secretary of Health and Human Services, many

college students don’t fully grasp the consequences of alcohol abuse which can lead to a

variety of social and health problems (Shalala, “Message”). Some problems of binge

drinking are outlined by The Century Council:

• 71% had sleep or study interrupted • 57% had to take care of an intoxicated student • 36% had been insulted or humiliated • 23% had experienced an unwanted sexual encounter • 23% had a serious argument • 16% had property damaged • 11% had been pushed, hit or assaulted • 1% had been the victim of a sexual advance, assault or “date rape”

---The Century Council

According to the NIAAA, students living on campuses with a higher proportion of

binge drinkers experience more incidents of assaults and sexual advances as a result of

their peer’s drinking. Irrespective of the alcohol-related problems that college student’s

experience, their degree of social acceptance may be tied to drinking.

Drinking on college campuses is more pervasive and destructive than many people

realize. The extent of the problem of alcohol consumption is linked to at 1,400 student

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deaths and 500,000 unintentional injuries annually. It is also important to note the

criminal activity that takes place due to alcohol. According to the Youngstown State

University Police Department, there were 21 liquor law violations/arrests on campus

property in 2006, 19 in 2005, 14 in 2004, 26 in 2003, and 9 in 2002. In terms of criminal

arrests in the Residence Halls because of liquor law violations, there were 16 in 2006, 9

in 2005, 10 in 2004, 0 in 2003, and 7 in 2002. In terms of student conduct referrals

because of liquor law violations, there was only 1 in 2006. Clearly this data indicates an

increasing trend toward more alcohol abuse. Alcohol consumption by college students is

associated with drinking and driving, diminished academic performance, medical and

legal problems.

F. Failed Campaigns & New Trends in Society

According to Henry Wechsler and a team of researchers at the Harvard School of

Public Health, “social norms campaigns fail to reduce alcohol abuse on college

campuses;” moreover, evidence provides that binge drinking is becoming more

prominent among college students as several anti-drinking advertisements are not only

failing, but further evoking a sense of drinking as a recreational activity (Willig, “Anti-

drinking”). According to Professor Christine Griffin in a recent news release, the ads’

drinking stories depict “extreme inebriation [which] is often seen as a source of personal

esteem and social affirmation amongst young people” and if the viewer is “the subject of

an extreme drinking story [it may] raise esteem within the group” (www.about.com,

“Anti-Drinking”). In addition, “students caught in such embarrassing situations see them

as temporary problems” that have no long term-consequences on their health and

personal lives (www.about.com, “Anti-Drinking”).

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Another issue of consideration regards the drinking age and the legal

ramifications on binge drinking. One proponent of lowering the drinking age, the

Amethyst Initiative, argues that “the current laws encourage binge drinking on campuses”

(Davis, “Colleges”). Because of this argument, it seems that binge drinking is a growing

argument and that an effective NSAC public relations campaign can help counteract

misconceptions that students have.

III. Target Publics

For the purposes of the campaign, data from Youngstown State University will be

taken and analyzed as a representative of the average University. In particular, the target

publics will consist of YSU undergraduate college students, YSU faculty, staff, and

administrators, and University stakeholders.

A. YSU Students – Demographics

According to the Office of Institutional Research at Youngstown State University,

there were 12,275 undergraduate students with 5,611 consisting of males and 6,664

consisting of females, in the age range between 18-25 (average age was 23.9 years old

and median was 21 years old), earning approximately $0-10,000 in occupations for low-

skilled to semi-skilled workers in Fall 2007. In addition, these students developed an

education for approximately 12-15.5 years. Also, according to the University, “YSU also

reported that 1,291 students are living on-campus housing…[which is the] highest

number of students ever to live in on-campus housing at YSU” (Cole, “YSU News”). As

has been previously mentioned, residential students are more susceptible to alcohol abuse

and this trend toward increased housing is a good indicator to increases in binge drinking.

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B. YSU Student Survey – Demographics and Psychographics

According to primary research conducted by our group, we found that of the 25

respondents, the highest age was 27 and the lowest was 19 – with the average age around

20.5 years old. Of these students, 5% were freshman, 45% sophomore, 35% junior, 10%

senior, and 5% graduate level.

The students reported drinking alcohol on the following occasions: 20% never,

10% less than once per month, 30% 1-3 times per month, 30% 1-3 times per week, and

0% more than 4 times per week. In addition, they consume alcohol with the following

frequencies: 10% one drink, 35% 2-4 drinks, 25% 5 or more drinks, and 20% never

drank. When asked, “binge drinking would be any more than,” the lowest opinion was 2

drinks, the high was 12 drinks, and the average response indicated binge drinking was

7.25 drinks; moreover, 60% gave an answer that was higher than 5 drinks and 25% gave

an answer 9 drinks or higher. It should be noted that 10% wrote in something like “it

varies according to the individual.”

The survey results also indicate that respondents drink in the following locations:

45% bars, 50% friends’ homes, 35% sporting events, 50% at parties, and 50% at home.

Please note, respondents could choose more than one answer.

In terms of finding information about problem drinking, 15% consult AA, 10%

seek a counselor/professional, 40% browse the internet, and 10% ask their friends. When

asked about different resources, 75% are familiar with AA, 65% know about SADD, only

5% recognize the Century Council, and 10% have heard of the National Council on

Alcohol Awareness.

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Finally, in terms of recreational activity on campus: 50% attend sporting events,

25% attend Greek events, 50% attend performing arts events and 60% attend off campus

sporting events, 35% participate in community organization events, and 40% attend

performing arts events.

C. Faculty, Staff, Administrators

According to the Youngstown State University Department of Institutional

Research, the average range for faculty, staff, and administrators is 30-60 years old, the

salary for these individuals in 2006 was $66,286 (with a range between $42,450-81,644),

they often have 17-21 years of education, and consist of 1,054 males and 1,091 females.

D. University Stakeholders

The university stakeholders consist of all community members usually in the ages

of 25-50 years old with average incomes of $10,000-$100,000. These stakeholders can

be parents/family of YSU students or community leaders that are interested in the welfare

of the American youth. This report was unable to generate further data on the

stakeholder environment.

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IV. Public Relations Campaign

A. Public Relations Objectives & Strategies:

Programming Objectives:

1. Create monthly events for one year that are hosted on campus. These events will

promote sobriety for underage students, moderation for legal students, and

promote awareness, education, safety and healthy social habits. Further details

are outlined below.

2. More than 50% of the events planned for this campaign will be non-alcoholic and

will feature at least one alcohol education component and one activity component.

The reason for this is because previous research indicates that educational

exercises are often more effective when coupled with activities that promote

social interaction.

3. Less than 50% of the events planned for this campaign will feature alcohol for

those students 21 and over. These events will feature alcohol education that

teaches alcohol in moderation. By excluding alcohol at events, students will

realize that the fun they are having comes without becoming drunk and will

realize that there are alternatives to drinking.

4. Generate an approval rating of non-alcoholic events by 20% of students.

5. Reduce alcohol use in student programming by 2% per year.

6. Create meaningful partnerships with campus officials (i.e. police), student

organizations, the media, alcohol prevention organization, and Housing and

Residence Life. Partnerships will be created through the invitation of all of these

parties to actively participate in the event as a co-sponsor or attendee.

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7. Increase the number of on-campus events by 5% in order to reduce the number of

off-campus alcohol-related incidents by 5%.

8. Raise awareness of binge drinking definition and consequences by 20% of total

student body and 35% of residents.

9. Educate 40% of target publics about binge drinking problem and ways that each

public can help fight the problem. This way buzz is generated and each public

will act as a reference group member in influencing one another not to consume

or at least not over consume alcohol. To illustrate, an administrator, upon

understanding the importance of this campaign, may approach a student and

discuss academic consequences.

10. Change perceptions of 15% of student body that drinking is not a requirement for

fun and entertainment.

Media Objectives & Strategies:

1. Use social networking utilities such as Facebook and MySpace to relate to key

publics and promote events amounting to 15% of total budget. These mediums

are more youthful and will seem more relevant and credible among younger

college students. More details are listed below under tactics.

2. Make events “newsworthy” to where local newspapers such as The Vindicator

and The Jambar cover the events and communicate our messages to our key

stakeholders as well as the main college demographics. Target to reach is

approximately 5% of local headlines. With newsworthiness comes more buy-in

and support for the campaign which will allow us to reach more publics.

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3. Create a “sticky” website that generates approximately 1,000 hits a month to

illustrate success and build community support. By using a website that is

relatively “sticky,” we can keep the community informed and continuously send

messages to our publics.

4. Place 5% more videos on YouTube to generate maximum reach and frequency

among the younger college students that The Century Council targets. This

medium is often in our key publics everyday lifestyle which effectively will

allow us to reach them without creating a lot of noise and clutter.

B. Public Relations Tactics:

In general, our campaign will host a year long series of “dry” events, along with a

few events that do feature alcohol. Though the events will specifically cater to resident

students who are under the age of 21, we also wish to educate those who are of age on the

benefits of moderation. Based on the preceding research, we believe that the best way to

combat the problem of binge drinking on YSU’s campus is through a series of

entertainment and wellness based events that will actively engage students in the alcohol

awareness process.

Campaign Central Theme

The title and overall theme of our campaign is “Get SMASHED”, which is an

acronym for get Sober, get Moderate, get Aware, get Safe, get Healthy, get Educated, and

get Developed. Within the acronym lies all of the goals we wish to achieve in this

campaign which is to promote sobriety amongst underage students, moderation for of age

students, and provide education, promote awareness and healthy behaviors regarding

drinking habits. The phrase “Get Smashed” is a common phrase among younger college

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students who binge drink, and, because of this, will be an appropriate phrase to use in

trying to communicate our overall theme of safety without losing the perceived

“coolness” of “getting smashed” – but in a different way. We hope in the end this will

aide in the overall development of a college student.

It is reported that more underage students (those who are under 21) engage in

more binge drinking behaviors than those who are not (NIAAA). Though YSU has a

small percentage of resident students, it is reported that students living on campuses are

more likely to be binge drinkers than those who live off campus (NIAAA). Subsequently,

students who live on campus are mostly students who are underage; thus the target public

of our campaign. Because our target public resides on campus, it is the strategy of our

campaign to provide healthy activities (tactics) that can be hosted on campus for resident

students.

A side effect of binge drinking is the increased likelihood of students to damage

property, skip classes, and experience problems with the authorities (NIAAA).

Conversely, and noted in the Student Involvement theory, highly involved students spend

a great deal of time and energy on their studies, participate in student organizations, and

intermingle with faculty and other students (NIAAA). In addition to this observation, the

theory concludes that in order to inspire involvement in campus activities, campus

activities must elicit energy from students. In order to elicit energy, campus activities

must expose students to activities that appeal to their interests effectively (NIAAA). In

our campaign, we will aim at creating activities on campus that will meet the interests of

students. The more students we can inspire to get involved with campus activities, the

more positive and healthy their extracurricular activities will be.

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An objective of this campaign is to directly combat the factors associated with

binge drinking. Again, we hope to achieve this through active entertainment and

wellness-based events. Factors that can cause binge drinking include personality

characteristics, such as impulsive behavior. In addition, psychological behavior such as

depression or anxiety can also compound a binge drinking habit (NIAAA). As previously

mentioned, another psychological factor that affects binge drinking is the perceptions of

college students. Also, as mentioned before, generally, students perceive their peers’

drinking habits to be higher than their own. In addition, students perceive their peers’

drinking habits to be greater than they are in reality (NIAAA). Perceptions of loosened

inhibitions and increased relaxation are also perceptions that factor into college students’

binge drinking (NIAAA). Based on this research, it is clear that student perceptions are

skewed surrounding binge drinking. Our events will be direct interaction with students

that inspire healthy and sober behavior.

However, there has been some progress made with studies that target specific

aspects of binge drinking behavior. For example, one study found that college students

are more likely to binge drink when in groups. According to this study, drinking habits

are influenced by the behaviors of those around them (NIAAA). With our campaign, we

hope to reverse this trend by creating an environment with positive influences. Because

our events will not serve alcohol, students will be surrounded by other students who are

sober and engaged in fun activities that peak their interests. This will influence

responsible behaviors, considering the fact that drinking habits are influenced by

students’ peers.

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Finally, we aim to create events revolving around things that students find

important and interesting. For example, studies have confirmed that students who

consider athletic events or parties to be important are more likely to engage in binge

drinking (NIAAA). Furthermore, researchers attended 66 college parties in Southern

California and found that themed parties and drinking games will cause binge drinking.

Researchers surmised that these types of events create an environment of intoxication and

because students have come to expect this environment, they are more likely to binge

drink when they attend these events (NIAAA). In our campaign we won’t stray from

these types of events; we will include them. We will attempt to reverse the expectation

that students have about themed parties. The majority of students find themed parties and

athletic events to be fun and interesting and this is something we won’t change. Instead,

we will host themed parties and athletic events that will not have alcohol at them. It is our

goal to show students that they may engage in these parties and activities and achieve the

same level of satisfaction without alcohol.

We have also found that alcohol awareness advertisements are not enough to

combat these skewed perceptions or even increase awareness, which is why our

campaign will be more aggressive than an advertising campaign. Rather than advertise,

we hope to harness the power of currently untapped (but very popular) mediums to relate

to the college student and stakeholder key publics. In particular, our focus on more

contemporary channels such as YouTube, MySpace, Facebook to include profile pages

and videos will allow us to communicate with our younger target publics while our focus

on more traditional channels such as our own website and local newspapers such as The

Jambar and The Vindicator will allow us to reach more conservative and older publics

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such as faculty, administration, and key stakeholders. Combining both approaches,

however, will result in the same generation of buzz, the same third-party endorsements,

and the same conversion of publicity into a newsworthy story that is credible and

interesting.

Events Fall Semester

Have Fun with Just One

This event will kick off the year long campaign. It will be a large, outdoor concert and

hosted behind Stambaugh Stadium. The concert will feature a major artist for the purpose

of drawing attendance and attention to the cause. This particular event will serve alcohol

to those of age students. The goal of this event is to teach moderation, therefore we will

partner with the International Institute for Alcohol Awareness. The IIAA will host their

special “Not in Our House” program simultaneously to the event. The “Not in Our

House” program educates adults 21 and over on the dangers of providing alcohol to

underage students. In addition, the program prevents students who are underage from

drinking. This event will allow students to learn moderation and the fun that can still be

had sober (http://www.beawarenow.org/programs.php).

Message in a Bottle

This wellness and education based event will promote awareness of binge drinking.

Hosted on the first floor of Kilcawley Center on a Monday and Tuesday afternoon, a

table full of beer bottles will be set up. Inside the beer bottles, will be facts and figures

about binge drinking and its consequences. This campaign will partner with Andrew

Wellness Center to also provide activities for students to engage in while visiting the

table. The Wellness Center will provide drunk goggles, which are tools to simulate what

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your vision looks like with different blood alcohol levels. Using these goggles, students

may participate in activities such as tricycle races, cornhole tournaments, and attempt to

walk a straight line.

Sober and Chic

Sober and Chic will be primarily for resident students and will give residents an

opportunity to participate in a formal dance and dinner. Students will be encouraged to

break out their old prom or homecoming wear and attend an elegant evening. This will be

a completely dry event, but will feature “mock tails” as a reminder that an event can be

fun without alcohol. The event will also feature high end food, decorations, and dinner

and dance entertainment from a live DJ. This event will be co-sponsored by Housing and

Residence Life.

SOS: Sober On Saturdays

Every Saturday throughout the fall semester will feature free live entertainment hosted in

Peaberry’s. Every Saturday will have a new educational topic or theme. For example, the

first Saturday of the campaign will discuss “How Much is Too Much?”. For this

particular event, we will provide the free entertainment of several comedians while also

hosting a local radio station’s live remote. The DJ from the radio station will drink live

and on air. The OVI Task force will periodically test the DJ’s BAC. Students will be able

to see the effects of alcohol first hand. They will also be able to have their alcohol

questions answered from the experts from the OVI Task Force. This event will

systematically educate students on how to drink, while entertaining them at the same

time.

Spring Semester

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Operation Moderation with Karen Gregg Price

This will be a special presentation to kick off Spring semester by highly renowned

inspirational speaker, Karen Gregg Price. Students will learn about Karen’s first hand

experience with alcohol abuse and how finding moderation with drinking changed her

life. As an extra incentive, health and science professors will be invited to offer students

extra credit for this lecture. The presentation will be an hour long and hosted in

Kilcawley.

Campus Night Out

As an alternative to going out and being exposed to the temptations of alcohol, the rec

center and Peaberry’s will host a special Friday night program. The event will begin at 10

p.m., when most students go out for the night, and will last until 3 a.m. Located in

Peaberry’s, there will be a series of live bands and free food from 10-12 a.m. Following

the mini-concert, students will be encouraged to go to the Rec for late night activities

with the bands. Activities will include laser tag, dodgeball, basketball, ping-pong, floor

hockey, and free massages. There will be prizes awarded for all activities and gift bags

promoting safe drink habits given to all students.

Snow on the Rocks

This event will be an organized campus-wide snow ball fight located in and around the

Campus Core during the peak traffic hours of 12-2 p.m. The goal of this event is to bring

awareness to the cause of stopping binge drinking and unite the campus as a community.

In order to accomplish this, we will invite student organizations, campus Greek Life, and

noted professors to form teams and participate. The format of the snow ball fight will

mimic a paintball tournament and will require teams to be assembled ahead of time.

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Teams will be required to sign a “Safe Drinking Promise” in which they will promise to

practice moderation in drinking. These signs will then be placed in Kilcawley Center as a

display. Local media stations will broadcast their mid-day reports from the Campus Core.

DD for Me

Drinking games and theme parties encourage binge drinking and the purpose of this event

will be to spin games in a positive way. Hosted in the Recreation Center, this will be a

day long event with non-alcoholic drinking games. Students will be encouraged to

participate in an apple juice chug, water pong, and will be invited to take non-alcoholic

jello shots. The event will culminate with a drunken driving simulation, provided by the

State Highway Patrol, who will also be on hand to answer students’ questions.

C. Estimated Campaign Budget:

Have Fun with Just One:

Concert-$100,000

IIAA “Not in Our House” Program- $10,000

Marketing- $500

Subtotal: $110,500

Message in a Bottle:

Bottles-$500

Messages-$150

Marketing-$200

Subtotal:$850

Sober and Chic:

Dinner Entertainment- $850

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Dance Entertainment- $1500

Food and beverage- $1500

Decorations- $1500

Favors- $2000

Lighting- $2000

Marketing- $800

Subtotal: $9,150

SOS: Sober on Saturdays

*15 Saturday Events

Entertainment budget for each event- $3000 ($45,000 total)

Food per event- $1000 ($15,000 total)

Educational material per event- $1000 ($15,000 total)

Subtotal: $75,000

Operation Moderation with Karen Gregg Price

Speaker’s fee- $3000

Marketing- $200

Subtotal: $3,200

Campus Night Out

Activities- $1000

Food-$2000

Entertainment-$5000

Marketing- $500

Subtotal:$8,500

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Snow on the Rocks

Signage- $300

Marketing- $300

Subtotal: $600

DD For Me

Non-Alcoholic Supplies- $1000

Marketing-$200

Subtotal: $1,200

Estimated Campaign Grand Total (plus $10,000 miscellaneous expenses): $209,000

D. Evaluation Objectives and Strategy:

Our evaluation will conduct a number of surveys and data to gauge the

campaign’s effectiveness as follows:

• Check with YSU police force to determine whether the number of alcohol

related crimes as decreased over the last three years. If significant

decreases are reported, we can determine that our campaign was effective

in eliminating amount of crimes caused by binge drinking.

• Survey YSU students at campus events to determine whether or not their

attitude has changed regarding alcohol consumption. If students convey

that they enjoy the events and have now started to eliminate alcohol

consumption in their daily lives, we will know that our campaign was

effective in providing the entertainment requisite to communicate with

students on a national level.

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• Survey non-participants of alcohol awareness events to determine what

causes prevented them from participating. Also determine that amount of

exposure our media relations had upon them. If they were completely

unaware of the event, the campaign will need to be fixed before targeting a

national audience.

• Conduct focus groups of key stakeholders such as community leaders,

professors, faculty, and administrators to see if they believe students have

reduced alcohol consumption. Also, investigate whether our media

relations were effective in communicating an unbiased, third-party

endorsement of our campaign that allowed for them to learn about the

social problems of binge drinking.

• Determine the number of fatal alcohol related deaths from the Mahoning

County Coroner’s office from the past three years to decide whether or not

the campaign was successful in curbing the growing rate of fatalities

caused by alcohol in this area.

• Post a feedback form on the website to allow for participants and non-

participants to voice how the community would like future campaigns to

respond.

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V. Addendum

Survey Results of Youngstown State University Students

By: Phil Walls

question 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

32 E E c 10 e internet a,b c c 20 B D c 10 abcde abd b a 27 D D c 8 a internet a c a 19 A D b 8 abd ab abc abc 19 B C a 12 de wikipedia ab ac c 21 B D b 7 abcde internet ac abd

21 C C b 4 b campus counseling ab

abd speeches ab school elections

22 C A d 6 aa 20 C D c 10 bde internet abcd ab abd private clubs 20 C A d 9 internet ab ac ac 19 B C a 2 e aa ab abc abc movies 20 B C b 10 abd professional a ac 20 C a d counselor b a a

21 C b b 6 varies abcdef camping int friends ab abc

20 C d b 3 abcde aa ab c ac 19 B b b varies b peers a ac acd volunteering

20 B a d 5 e books ab cd clubs bcd clubs festival arts

20 B c c 8 abcde internet ab a 21 B c c 8 abcde internet ab a

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VI. Works Cited

About.com. “Anti-Drinking Campaign Ads May Backfire.” 22 Jan 2008. About.com.

24 Sept 2008. http://alcoholism.about.com/b/2008/01/22/anti-drinking-

campaign-ads-may-backfire.htm

Alcohol Alert. July 1995. National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. 20 Oct.

2008 <http://www.pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications//aa29.htm>.

Catalyst Winter 2008 Vol.9 No.3. Laurence W. Mazzeno. 2008. Publication of the U.S.

department of Education's Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug

abuse and Violence Prevention. 20 Oct. 2008 <http://Http://www.edgov/OSDFS>.

The Century Council. “Case Study on Binge Drinking Developed for the 2009 NSAC

Campaign.” 18 Feb 2008. The Century Council. 30 Sept 2008.

Cole, Ronald. “YSU News – Enrollment Hits 14-Year High.” 11 September 2008.

Youngstown State University Office of Marketing and Communications. 30

September 2008.

Davis, Aly. “Colleges Campaign to Lower Drinking Age through Initiative.” 18 Sept

2008. The Seahawk Online. 24 Sept 2008.

http://media.www.theseahawk.org/media/storage/paper287/news/2008/09/18/New

s/College

Dejong, William. "Evaluation for Prevention Programs." Catalyst 9.3 (2008): 1-2. . ..

2008 <http://Http://www.edgov/OSDFS>.

Drug Rehabs.org. 2005. Ohio Drug Rehab Alcohol Treatment. 7 Oct. 2008

<http://www.drug-rehabs.org/Ohio-drug-rehab-treatment.htm>.

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Golden Gater Online. Jennifer March. 16 Feb. 1995. 18 Oct. 2008

<http://www.journalism.sfsu.edu/pbus/gater/spring>.

International Institute for Alcohol Awareness. “Not in Our House.”

International Institute for Alcohol Awareness. Accessed 18 Oct. 2008.

http://www.beawarenow.org/programs.php

National Association for Campus Programming. “Late Night Programming.” Campus

Activities ProgrammingCampus Activities Programming. National Association

for Campus Programming. July 2007. Accessed 20 Oct. 2008.

Parties, Police and Panderenonium:an Exploratory Study of Mixed Issue Campus

Disturbances. Cythia K. Buettner & Andrews, David W. 2004. 11 Nov. 2008

<http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=os10856778927>.

Shalala, Donna E. "Message from Secretary of Health and Human Service." Alcohol

Alert: 1. July 1995. 20 Oct. 2008

<http://www.pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications//aa29.htm>.

Willig, Spencer. “Anti-Drinking Ads Fail, Study Says.” 31 July 2003. The Daily

Pennsylvanian. Accessed 28 November 2008.

http://media.www.dailypennsylvanian.com/media/storage/paper882/news/2003/0

7/31/News/AntiDrinking.Ads.Fail.Study.Says-2154249.shtml

Youngstown State University. “2007-2008 Institutional Research.” 28 Jan 2008.

Youngstown State University Office of Institutional Research. 30 Sept 2008.

http://www.ysu.edu/institutional-research/

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----------------------------------. “Alcohol Abuse Data.” 1 Jan 2008. Youngstown State

University Police Department. 30 Sept 2008.

http://www.ysu.edu/police/stats.htm