(Posted September 24, 2007)

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- Juniata College was awarded $11,500 in grant funds by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board to support the board\'s mission to prevent underage and high-risk alcohol use. \"Juniata will use the grant to reframe some perceived negative images of college life that can lead to high-risk alcohol abuse,\" explains Beth Williams, college counselor in the college\'s Health and Wellness Center. \"The grant will fund three initiatives, including a campaign that reinforces the social norms for drinking in moderation, and to fund alternatives to alcohol use activities at various campus events.\" The grant also will fund a study that surveys Juniata freshman, and then surveys the same students again as seniors to determine if their drinking patterns change over time. The liquor control board awarded $700,000 in funding to 65 colleges and universities or local organizations to fund community-based initiatives. \"Youth are more creative than ever in their attempts to get alcohol and drink alcohol in ways that jeopardize their lives,\" says P.J. Stapleton, chairman of the PLCB. \"Strategies supporting a local environment that does not accept underage drinking and high-risk college drinking will reduce the willingness of young people to engage in such activities.\" The grants will support a range of initiatives, including law enforcement training, community and youth outreach, and prevention programs. The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board is an independent state agency that manages the alcohol beverage industry in Pennsylvania. It is responsible for licensing the possession, sale, storage, transportation, importation and manufacture of wine, spirits, malt or brewed beverages in the Commonwealth, as well as operating a system of retail liquor distribution and providing education and prevention services to reduce the harmful effects of alcohol misuse. The grant program is administered by the Bureau of Alcohol Education.

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.