Staff Report
The New Mexico State University Counseling Center's Choices Program has been chosen as the winner for the 2001-2002 Annual College and University Drinking and Driving Prevention Award.
The award is sponsored by AAA New Mexico and the Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention, and includes a $1,000 award.
The award is given to programs that have the best preventative measure against binge drinking and drinking and driving at the state university level.
Choices, a program that educates college students about the dangers of binge drinking as well as healthy alternatives, was founded in part by the university's Counseling Center.
According to recent NMSU surveys, the university has witnessed a 13 percent decrease in the number of students who admit to binge drinking - consumption of five or more drinks at a time - from 41 percent in 1999 to 31 percent this year.
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The award was endowed Saturday at a ceremony during the University of New Mexico and New Mexico State football game at the Aggie Memorial Stadium.
NMSU Counseling Center Director John Irvine said in a American Automobile Association press release that NMSU students are "concerned about assisting other students," and that Choices strives to use strategies that have been shown to reduce the possible injuries inflicted by alcohol by using appropriate strategies and offering a variety of alcohol-free activities.
Semester offerings of such activities include music festivals, health fairs, participation in the National Alcohol Screening Day, and the biannual Stress Out - an activity that focuses on reducing stress without alcohol.
The evaluation award's committee bases final appraisal on effectiveness of the program, program quality and program administration. The committee is comprised of professionals involved in drunk driving prevention from across the Southwest. Members include experts from the National Transportation Safety Board and the California Office of Traffic Safety.
"We're proud of New Mexico State University's Choices program because it exemplifies what can and must be done to inform students about the dangers of alcohol and that there are alternatives to driving while intoxicated," said Rachel Leeman, district manager for the AAA office in Las Cruces.
