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California State University, Long Beach
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Do you make wise Beach choices?
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About Wise Beach Choices

From major international sporting events to neighborhood pick-up tournaments, sport and alcohol have had a long-standing association. The use and misuse of alcohol by sports participants and spectators is widespread, and on too many occasions the combination of alcohol and sport has had volatile and even lethal results. It would therefore seem appropriate that athletes take a lead in helping to educate their peers on the safe and responsible use of alcohol and the many available legal, healthy, appropriate and safe alternatives.

Three students smiling.

California State University Long Beach (CSULB) is one of the state’s largest educational institutions. In fall 2006, over 28,600 undergraduate students attended CSULB; 40% were male and 60% were female, and the median age was the same for both: 23 years. CSULB consists of a diverse and varied population, including 32 percent Caucasian, 18.9 percent Mexican American, 18.3 percent Asian, 8.2 percent Latino, 5.6 percent African American, 7.1 percent Filipino/Pacific Islander and 0.7 percent Native American students. CSULB has 350 athletes on 18 teams that compete at NCAA Division IAAA level within the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and the Big West Conference.

Student-athletes and other students face daily intellectual, physical and social demands, and the consumption of alcohol is still a prominent social outlet on too many university campuses. CSULB is surrounded by the restaurant and sports bar scenes of Shoreline Village, Pine Avenue, The Pike and Belmont Shore, and is also within driving distance of major tourist attractions, such as the Queen Mary, the Aquarium of the Pacific and Disneyland. This very active and social environment makes for a unique off-campus bar scene comprised of college students and tourists.

"Alcohol use and abuse is a fact of life on college campuses. They affect our teams and teammates. As educators it is our responsibility to assist young men and women in the process of making smart and right decisions. This is no different than teaching student-athletes about how to become bigger, stronger and smarter competitors."
—Vic Cegles, Athletic Director

Man playing basketball.

CSULB proposes to initiate a program that will attempt to break the bond between college sports and drinking. It will provide alternative social resources for all of its students, and address the myths associated with alcohol and its misuse, particularly in relation to sport. The Program will also provide suggestions and methods to cope with the social pressures associated with alcohol. Campus planners have elected to call this program Making Wise Beach CHOICES. The initiative will collaborate with the university’s current informal education program, which also addresses substance abuse prevention and positive alternative choices.

Making Wise Beach CHOICES will initially seek to educate the 350 CSULB student-athletes, representing a wide range of team sports, about the hazards and risks associated with alcohol consumption, including binge and underage drinking. The Program aims to inspire the athletes to develop skills that enable them to promote more positive social goals and healthy alternatives to their peers, on and off campus.

The Making Wise Beach CHOICES Program will address student and student-athlete alcohol consumption and misuse, and promote legal, healthy, appropriate and safe alternatives through the following methods:

Peer Education

Making Wise Beach CHOICES will enlist and train student-athletes as mentors to inform their peers about safe and healthy alternative activities. Many of the undergraduate students view student-athletes as campus leaders. Making Wise Beach CHOICES aims to make use of this perception, direct the infectious enthusiasm of students and student-athletes, and ultimately motivate undergraduate students to join the healthy cause of Making Wise Beach CHOICES. 

Social Marketing

Eighty-eight percent of CSULB students choose not to drink and drive. Social marketing will focus on this majority behavior, which is often clouded by heavy public advertisements and other outlets. Making Wise Beach CHOICES Program staff will distribute information via the CSULB Beach Board, the campus’ password-protected, electronic message board portal. Beach Board allows for communication among groups and individuals (message boards, comment sections, event announcements), as well as one-way communication (including posted class syllabi and assignments). Other marketing approaches will include banners, classroom presentations and campus news articles that will promote the positive choices made by the majority of the student body.

Alternative, Alcohol-Free Activities

Alternative CHOICES promotional cards and flyers will be developed and distributed throughout the school year, and a calendar of alcohol-free events will be posted. Regularly-scheduled and one-time activities will be offered that will capture student interest, aid in recruiting mentors, promote Making Wise Beach CHOICES, and increase awareness of the consequences of drinking. Activities will include movie nights, social nights, sporting events, guest lecturers and barbecues.

Policy Development

The program aims to update existing Athletic policies, and after added evaluation, introduce new policies related to alcohol misuse within the Athletic Department and on campus.

Data Collection

Making Wise Beach CHOICES, in conjunction with the established campus Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs (ATOD) Program, will collect information annually regarding student alcohol use and related data through a standard survey instrument.  The data will be used to analyze the program for improvement and assess the impact of Making Wise Beach CHOICES.

Making Wise Beach CHOICES will collaborate with campus and community organizations including Student Services, Campus and Long Beach Police, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), The Automobile Club of Southern California (ACSC), and Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) to ensure that students have an extensive list of positive resources and communication opportunities. Making Wise Beach CHOICES will also establish a dedicated website that will provide an efficient, confidential and informative resource for all CSULB students. Ultimately, Making Wise Beach CHOICES will help create a university with a coherent and convincing message regarding alcohol consumption, thus assisting and educating students to make healthy and positive choices.

Taking all of this into account, we respectfully request $30,000 ($15,000 in year one) with decreasing awards over the subsequent years.