What's Happening

What is Moorhead Together?

Moorhead Together is a tri-campus/community collaboration to reduce high risk drinking of Moorhead college students, funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools.

The project brings together Concordia College, Minnesota State Community and Technical College-Moorhead, Minnesota State University Moorhead, and the Moorhead Police Department in a collective effort to create a safer learning environment for all of our students.

What is the goal of Moorhead Together?

The overarching goal of Moorhead Together is to reduce high risk drinking of Moorhead college students by 5 percent over two years. This goal was defined in the grant competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools.

Is there a target audience?

Yes. This project targets incoming freshmen and all students who choose to live off-campus, who attend MSCTC-Mhd, MSUM, or Concordia College.

How  is Moorhead Together going to accomplish this goal?

This project uses evidence-based strategies that have been shown to be successful by the National Institutes of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (NIAAA) and by other institutions of higher education.

Specifically, "Moorhead Together" uses a "3-in-1" approach to manage the environment by addressing 1) the individual, including at-risk or alcohol-dependent drinkers, 2) the student population as a whole, and 3) the college and the surrounding community.

What, exactly, does that mean?
It means that we are comprehensive in our approach. This project weaves together communication, intervention, education, enforcement, and social norms. Each strategy is evidence-based and part of the 3-in-1 framework.

Here's how we're doing it:
1) Increase low-risk drinking among students at highest risk for frequent and occasional binge drinking.
  • MSCTC-Moorhead and Concordia College will each add a chemical health counselor to their staffs. The professionals in those positions will be responsible for coordinating and providing one-on-one counseling to the students at highest risk. MSUM already as a chemical health counselor on staff.
  • The grant allows MSUM to train additional counselors in chemical health counseling.
  • Now, each campus will now use e-CHUG, an online tool that provides personalized feedback to students regarding their alcohol use. Concordia College had been successfully using e-CHUG in the past.
2) Improve the awareness of personal liability and enhance student and parent awareness of alcohol policies, penalties, and the enforcement of underage drinking, eliminating mixed messages.
  • All incoming freshmen and their parents, and all returning students of MSUM, MSCTC-Moorhead, and Concordia College, will receive a mailing from each institution's President including a letter from the president, a brochure regarding campus alcohol policies, Minnesota state laws, and Moorhead City Ordinances, a wallet card detailing the symptoms and steps to assist an acutely intoxicated individual.
  • All residents in the neighborhoods surrounding campuses will be informed about alcohol and law enforcement and be provided tips for developing positive relationships between renters and permanent residents.
3) Increase law enforcement of minimum age drinking laws.
  • Each campus is collaborating with the Moorhead Police Department to increase the security patrols of the neighborhoods surrounding all three campuses. "Moorhead Together" provides funding for law enforcement personnel throughout the academic year.
4) Increase first-year students' accurate perceptions of student alcohol use.
  • MSCTC-Moorhead, MSUM, and Concordia College will each conduct social norm marketing campaigns throughout the academic year, using positive social norms regarding alcohol use.
  • Each campus will work with student leaders (peer health educators, residence life students, student government, student orientation counselors, etc.) regarding the campus' social norms.
5) Decrease the climate of tolerance for problem behaviors.
  • We will conduct "bystander training" for students, faculty, staff, and members of MPD, with Alan Berkowitz. The training educates participants on bystander behavior and intervention skills.
  • Each campus will conduct social norm messages surrounding bystander behavior.
6) Provide education regarding alcohol and college life to all incoming students
  • All MSUM incoming freshmen will complete a one-credit online course "Alcohol and College Life" in partnership with the University of Minnesota.
  • Concordia College and MSCTC-Moorhead will evaluate the feasibility of implementing Alcohol and College Life on their campuses.
 

Concordia College  /  Minnesota State Community and Technical College Moorhead  /  Minnesota State University Moorhead  /  Moorhead Police Department

The contents of this website were developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.

Contact: Dr. Susanne Williams, Assistant to the President, Minnesota State University Moorhead susannew@mnstate.edu

Copyright © 2006