Pubdate: Thu, 18 Sep 2003
Source: Daily Mississippian (MS Edu)
Copyright: 2003 The Daily Mississippian
Contact:  http://www.thedmonline.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1345
Author: Amy Cardosi, Special to The DM

UM APPOINTS DRUG COORDINATOR

The university has named a new alcohol and drug education coordinator
to meet the need for alcohol education on the Ole Miss campus.

Ole Miss graduate Kimberly Kraft has stepped up to the
plate.

Her position works closely with the task force that was formed in the
spring 2003 and the city of Oxford.

She also works with different departments on campus, such as housing
and the counseling center, to meet one basic goal for alcohol education.

"The main goal of my position is to combine all the areas on campus
that have been working to meet the need for alcohol education on
campus," Kraft said.

She also said the departments on campus have been working against each
other to get out the same message of alcohol education.

"What I am doing right now is getting all these areas and departments
under one umbrella, the goal is to get a consistent message out."

Kraft has outlined the major aspects of her position into six areas of
focus: peer education, city/community, fund-raising/grants, awareness
week/large programs, ongoing education and research/CHOICES.

"This position is still very new to me," she said. "We are building
everything from the ground up."

The main component of Kraft's position is peer education; students are
able to talk to one another about drugs and alcohol.

Kraft said the research she has done has showed positive results for
peer education.

She will be working closely with the organization Rebels Against Drunk
Driving and the city of Oxford. RADD is a campus organization that
informs people of the dangers of driving under the influence.

Kraft met with Oxford Mayor Richard Howorth last week to go over plans
for the upcoming year.

"We are still working on plans for the city to cut down on alcohol
related incidents in Oxford," she said. "I am also working with the
Oxford Police Department and the UPD."

Lloyd Holmes, associate dean of students for judicial affairs, said
Kraft's position is extremely important.

"The university needs a position like this because many students are
charged with driving under the influence or they are visibly overcome
by alcohol when they get to college," Holmes said. "Her position
allows us to target these needs instead of attempting to do so in
three different areas."

Kraft said she wants to be on a more personal level with the Oxford
Police Department and the University Police Department so students
will feel more comfortable calling them and discussing alcohol or
drug-related problems.

A lot of the work Kraft is focusing on right now is looking for
various grants and funding. Kraft said federal and statewide funding
is hard to find because the grants are very specific.

A key factor in Kraft's program is ongoing education; this allows
either Kraft or students to travel to classrooms, high schools or
residence halls.

"Many schools or organizations will call us with a specific need they
want us to talk about," she said. "We then form an ongoing education
with them about drugs and alcohol."

On Oct. 14, Mark Sterner will speak on the Ole Miss campus. Sterner
travels around the country, telling the story of his three fraternity
brothers who died while he was driving the car under the influence of
alcohol. They had a video camera rolling in the car until 15 minutes
before the accident.

"The night Sterner speaks will be the kick-off night for RADD; they
will explain who they are and what they are about," Kraft said.

The National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness week is Oct. 19 -- Oct. 25.
This is a national date for all colleges and universities.

Kraft said she has many ideas on what she wants to do in her position;
however, the groundwork is still being set.

"One thing we will be doing is social - norming tests. This is where
we take the drinking habits of students at Ole Miss and show
percentages of how many students drink weekly or nightly and their
behaviors," Kraft said.

Union Reservationist Melissa Jacobsen said Kraft's position is a good
idea for the university.

"Many of today's youth do not know the repercussions of drinking and
drugs," Jacobsen said. "This position will help create a better
channel of communication for the students. If we want change we need
to make change, and this position should do just that."

Kraft has many meetings set with Howorth as well as the departments on
campus that have been focusing on alcohol and drug education. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake