Each college and university involved with PIP is required to write and implement a strategic plan for prevention in order to decrease problematic health and safety behaviors on campus and in their community. Funding is provided to each campus affiliated with the PIP coalition. To identify progress of their goals, and to obtain data for program implementation, each campus implements the Missouri Assessment of College Health Behaviors (MACHB), an annual, online survey implemented each spring semester since 2007.

Member Institutions

Statewide Partners

*Denotes funding source

Our Mission & History

Partners in Prevention’s mission is to create a campus, city, and state environment that supports positive health and safety behaviors by the college students who attend higher education institutions in the state of Missouri. Since 2000, PIP's primary focus is on decreasing at-risk drinking by students on Missouri's college and university campuses. Since its founding, PIP has provided training and networking to its members through monthly meetings, assisted in developing a campus-community coalition on each member campus, annual evaluation of alcohol and drug use behaviors and related consequences, and drive-in workshops and conferences. Each campus in Missouri Partners in Prevention writes an annual strategic plan for prevention, guided by data, to identify those problems and strategies most relevant for their campus communities.

In addition to PIP’s work with high risk drinking, Partners in Prevention also provides technical assistance and support to campuses on issues such as underage drinking, suicide prevention and college student mental health, safe driving behaviors, problem gambling, and tobacco cessation and prevention.

Partners in Prevention is funded by the Missouri Division of Behavioral Health with additional funding from the Missouri Department of Transportation's Highway Safety Division, the Missouri Department of Mental Health Suicide Prevention Project, SAMSHA’s Garrett Lee Smith Suicide Prevention program, the Missouri Department of Public Safety’s Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws Training Program.

Goals

Purpose
To create a state-wide coalition of public institutions of higher education in Missouri and relevant state agencies (the Missouri Division of Behavioral Health, Missouri Department of Liquor Control and the Missouri Division of Highway Safety) to Collaboratively develop strategies for reducing and preventing high-risk drinking among Missouri college students. The goals are as follows:

1. To establish a communication network among the public institutions of higher education in Missouri and state agencies to create effective strategies for addressing the misuse of alcohol and other drugs among Missouri college students.
2. To provide on-going training opportunities for higher education professionals and students on the effective prevention of alcohol and other drug misuse among Missouri college students.
3. To facilitate evaluation efforts including an environmental assessment, needs assessments, establishment of baseline data of students' AOD usage patterns, and measuring the effectiveness of policy changes and program implementation over the grant period.
4. To provide resources that the campuses can access in order to create on-going, creative and effective prevention efforts.

Outcomes

1. An increase in the number of campus/community coalitions throughout the state.
2. An increase in the skill level of those students and professionals who participate in training opportunities.
3. To collect baseline data on students at all participating Missouri colleges and universities.
4. A decrease in availability of alcohol to college students.
5. An increase in the number of alternative, alcohol free programming on the participating campus communities.
6. A decrease in student drinking rates including; binge drinking, average number of drinks per week and number of times students drink per week.
7. A decrease in the negative consequences of binge drinking including violence.
8. An increase in the accuracy of students' perception of their peer's AOD use.

Recognition for PIP

In 2009 Partners in Prevention was the recipient of CADCA's 2009 Got Outcomes! Coalition of Excellence Award, winning in the Coalition in Focus category, which recognizes coalitions that demonstrate contributions to communitywide declines for one substance-related issue.

See the feature story here: http://www.cadca.org/resources/detail/got-outcomes-feature-missouri-partners-prevention

In 2008, the National Prevention Network recognized the work of Partners in Prevention with the 2008 National Exemplary Award for Innovative in Substance Abuse Prevention Programs, Practices, and Policies. For more about the National Prevention Network, click here.

Prevention Approaches

The following are evidence-based, best-practice strategies that Partners in Prevention recommends for its member campuses:

Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students

1. PIP recommends that alcohol policy violators take part in a screening and intervention process that allows the student to consider changing their drinking behavior
2. Programs such as BASICS also allow for the clarification of norms as well as the detection, intervention, and referral of at-risk students

Alcohol Policy/Law Enforcement

1. DWI Saturations
2. Underage Drinking Saturations
3. Clear, consistent, and on-going policy enforcement in residence halls and Greek organization housing

Norms Clarification

1. Since most college students overestimate how much their peers consume alcohol, PIP recommends campuses use social norms marketing to educate the student population about the true drinking behaviors of students
2. Social norms marketing can also be paired with educational presentations or on-line education which clarifies norms

Complimentary Education Practices

1. Avoid the use of scare tactics
2. Utilize best practices in campus-based message framing
3. Practice “positive” marketing practices

Strategic Planning

1. Annual data collection
2. Annual strategic planning:
1. Identification of campus specific needs
2. Recognition of campus specific resources
3. Implementation of programs that match campus specific needs and resources
3. Identification and appropriation of programs to target populations if appropriate

Environmental Management Practices

1. Utilize these Social Ecological Framework (3 in 1 philosophy) which addresses:
1. Individual students
2. Student population as a whole
3. Broader college and community environment
2. Provide alcohol free options and events to combat traditional drinking dates, times, events and venues
3. Review and implement appropriate campus specific access to alcohol restrictions
4. Establish and collaborate with:
1. Campus alcohol prevention task forces
2. Campus/community alcohol prevention coalitions
3. Statewide Partners in Prevention Coalition

Our Initiatives

CHEERS

Bars, restaurants and nightclubs participating in CHEERS provide FREE non-alcoholic beverages to the acknowledged designated driver in a group of two or more.

cheers.missouri.edu

Drive Safe Drive Smart

PIP member campuses and the Missouri Department of Transportation are driven to help Missouri's college students Drive Safe Drive Smart.

drivesafedrivesmart.missouri.edu

The State of Missouri Alcohol Responsibility Training (SMART)

The State of Missouri Alcohol Responsibility Training (SMART) program is an interactive, web-based course available free of charge to those who own or work for any Missouri establishment licensed to sell alcohol.

smart.missouri.edu

Party Safe

Party Safe will increase your skills and knowledge in planning and hosting a successful, fun, and safe event of any kind.

mopiptraining.org/partysafe

Gambling

It is important for people to understand that gambling is not a risk-free activity and that it is becoming increasingly important to learn risk factors, warning signs and strategies to protect yourself or someone you care about.

pip.missouri.edu/topics/gambling.html

Suicide Prevention Resources

Suicide Prevention Resources is an online network committed to suicide prevention on Missouri's public school campuses.

pip.missouri.edu/topics/suicide.html

Ask Listen Refer (ALR)

Ask Listen Refer is an online suicide prevention training tool that takes about 20 minutes to complete. The program addresses the need to educate students, faculty, staff, and parents about suicide prevention, and also addresses the need to have suicide prevention resources in an online format. The goal of this program is to educate students, faculty and staff on how to ASK is someone is thinking about suicide, LISTEN to their response and REFER them to a professional.

asklistenrefer.org

RX Initiative

rescription drug misuse is a quickly growing and largely unaddressed problem concerning college students. With this RX Initiative, we hope to educate students on the dangers of prescription drug misuse as well as provide safe and healthy alternatives.

rx.missouri.edu

Missouri Alliance of Collegiate Recovery Organizations (MACRO)

MACRO, the Missouri Alliance of Collegiate Recovery Organizations, is a statewide initiative to support addiction recovery efforts on college campuses. With support from the Missouri Department of Mental Health, MACRO provides resources, networking opportunities, and financial support for schools as they start and grow their own recovery support services.

macro.missouri.edu

Click here to access the MACRO Recovery Ally training!

President/Chancellor Letters of Commitment

Consisting of 23 public and private colleges and universities, the institutional members of PIP focus on lowering college student underage and high-risk drinking, impaired driving, and other health behaviors with negative consequences. In order to achieve healthier and safer campus communities, improve retention and decrease high-risk and underage alcohol use rates, campuses implement strategic plans for prevention that include evidence-based strategies.

Colleges and universities strive to be safe places where students thrive academically and grow personally, socially, and professionally. As leaders of institutions of higher education in the State of Missouri, it is our duty to create a campus and community culture that encourages, supports, and enhances every student’s potential.

The biggest obstacles to college students’ success and retention is the misuse of alcohol, the misuse of drugs, and gender violence. College and university presidents and chancellors must address the problems caused by the inappropriate, unhealthy, and illegal use of alcohol, including gender violence. College officials must work to change the campus and community environment through an integrated combination of programs, policies, and educational campaigns.

Therefore, as a leader of an institution of higher education in the State of Missouri, I hereby express our institution’s continued commitment to serve as a proud member of Missouri Partners in Prevention. As a leader of my institution, I hereby express my commitment to:

1. Support the work of the Partners in Prevention professionals on my campus
2. Support the work outlined in the annual strategic plan for prevention, authored by the Partners in Prevention professionals on my campus
3. Foster campus and community collaboration to create an environment and culture that supports and encourages healthy and responsible decision-making about alcohol
4. Communicate to all of our constituents that our campus does not tolerate the misuse of alcohol and drugs

Signed,

Statewide Social Media

Facebook

1. @AskListenandRefer
2. @MoSafeRx
3. @MissouriALR
4. @MODriveSafeDriveSmart
5. @MissouriPIP
6. @ProjectCHEERS
7. @MOcollegiate recovery

X

1. @MissouriPIP

Instagram

1. @MissouriPIP

LinkedIn

1. Main page
2. Company page

FAQs

I want to participate in your schools survey, but do not think I will be able to collect a list of e-mail addresses and send them to PIP. How can I participate in the survey without giving away my students email addresses?

All of our surveys are distributed through CampusLabs and respondents information and data is kept confidential. To view more information about how CampusLabs protects data refer to their website: campuslabs.com/technology. While it is the most preferred method of implementing surveys, PIP can work with your school and CampusLabs so that you may distribute the survey yourself.

I have limited time and money to address problematic drinking on my campus. What is the best strategy to reduce drinking on campus?

What we have found in Missouri that a comprehensive prevention plan to address drinking is most successful. This includes education, but it expands beyond that to include policy development, enforcement, and adjudication, social norms clarification, harm reduction approaches (designated driver programs, etc), and support for those high risk drinkers (BASICS screening program, etc). Often, we cannot educate the problem away- students need to know what the expectations are from the cues in their environment on campus, etc.

I am concerned about the drinking on my campus, but the problem seems overwhelming. Where do I start?

We know it can seem overwhelming, here are a few suggestions:

1. Consider implementing a survey to identify the specific problems on campus. You may have a small number of binge drinkers, but since they are binge drinking and experiencing some pretty significant problems, it may seem like a larger problem that it is. If you can identify what percentage drinks, but does not binge, and other key factors, that will help to identify the strategy you choose. National surveys include the Core Survey or the National College Health Assessment from ACHA. All schools in Missouri can participate in the Partners in Prevention Missouri College Health Behavior Survey.
2. Visit national resources, such as the NIAAA report on collegiate drinking, the National Center for Safe and Supportive Schools (who has some higher education prevention resources listed), and the BACCHUS Network, a national peer education organization.
3. Learn more about comprehensive, evidence-based prevention. We have posted a guide for our campuses here.
4. Develop a coalition of key personnel in the campus and community. Talk about the resources above and what the key issues are you want to address (look at survey data if possible) and develop a manageable plan that all can contribute to.
5. Consider moving away from educational approaches focused on scare tactics and into education that focuses on empowering students (bystander intervention approaches, helping students learn about the alcohol they are consuming by teaching about BAC, drink sizes, etc). Give students the tools to make empowered choices. PIP recommends the publication “Why Scare Tactics in Drug Prevention Messaging Don’t Work” from the Drug Free Action Alliance.