Guest Blogger  |  Sean Morgan  |  James Madison University Student

This February, I attended a Greek leadership conference in St. Louis called AFLV.  Keep Friendship Alive was the closing keynote, and during her presentation, Erica advocated for Good Samaritan Policies.  At the time, I was only kind of familiar with GSPs – when calling 911 for a student experiencing a medical emergency with alcohol, you don’t get in trouble with the school.  A fellow James Madison student, Francis, and I returned to campus and realized that our ‘policy’ was more of an unwritten rule; there was no official documentation.

After learning about other schools’ effective policies, Francis and I decided that a Good Samaritan Policy is something that JMU truly needs.  How could our school, where kindness and giving is an engrained tradition, not have a policy that encourages students to make smart choices and help their peers?  Surprisingly enough, Good Samaritan and Medical Amnesty Policies are a relatively new phenomenon.  With that said, over a hundred universities and twelve states have some sort of Good Samaritan Policy in place, and many more are in the process right now.

We had no idea how easy or difficult getting a policy passed might be, but we started with a Google search.  We quickly realized not many sites exist with information, and most sites link us to other university websites.  We collected information on their policies, effectiveness, alcohol statistics, etc.  We also began to ask others at JMU if they knew anything about Good Samaritan Policies, if anyone had tried to pass one before, and if they knew would be best to work with at JMU.  By pure luck we came across two other undergrads and a grad student who were also in the beginning phases of creating a policy.  Once we all connected and brought our research and ideas to the table, we drafted up our ideal policy.  Multiple meetings and drafts later, we had what we believed to be a strong policy, but we were still were uncertain on logistical details.  There were not many places to look where you could find extensive information on creating a effective policy.

At this point, one of our team members met with the Dean of Students.  He was very receptive and supportive of our policy, and helped us work through different ideas of implementation, how others might be react to it, and how to move forward.  This Spring semester, our group met with other major organizations and offices on campus to get their feedback and ideas for the policy.  For the most part, people were very supportive, but that isn’t to say everyone was.  Some were hesitant or simply thought it wouldn’t be passed.  All of this feedback was helpful.  While some gave us helpful ideas, others motivated us even more to continue doing what we believe to be right for our campus.  As of now, our final draft has been submitted and we’re just waiting to hear if it will pass.

Throughout the past few months, while having no idea what we were doing, I emailed Erica more times than I’d like to admit.  We both decided there needs to be a place where students can get more detailed information and ask questions.  The result to all those emails was a new WordPress site, students4GSP.wordpress.com.  My hopes for the website/blog are that students can easily read through ideas, steps, and policies so that they can more easily create these life-saving policies at their own schools.  During the past three years as an undergrad, I have taken a lot of classes, gone to a lot of speakers, and sat through many group meetings.  However, I now realize that students really have the power to create lasting change on college campuses.  With the right tools and motivation, policies such as Good Samaritan/Medical Amnesty Policies are not only possible but ultimately leave a positive lasting impact for years to come.

We heard you!
Due to spring break and finals,
we are extending the application deadline to
Saturday March 17th!!
BE BOLD & CREATIVE!
GOOD LUCK!

This is pretty darn exciting – it’s time for the UP intern search!  Keep Friendship Alive’s Founder & Executive Director, Erica Upshaw, is looking for a few really special people to trek to Laguna Beach this summer and help her launch “UP” – a modern and unconventional substance abuse prevention program for middle schools, led by college students.  If you are interested in learning more about this potentially life-changing experience, you must read this first.

THE APPLICATION

What we can offer you:
UNPARALLELED LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE
this isn’t your typical corporate internship.  you are essentially starting a company.
RESUME BOOSTER
just read some of the projects below.  you’ll certainly get your hands dirty.
OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE BACK
we are going to do so much good together.

Specific Summer Projects with Erica & the UP Team:
1. Plan & Execute a Fundraiser
2. Prepare for UP Film Series
call on celebs, activists, musicians, and artists to appear in film series
secure permission from musicians to feature their music on soundtrack
prep for high school casting sessions
3. Test UP Curriculum with Middle Schoolers during interactive Focus Groups
4. Work with local UP Leaders to prepare for Pilot Program in SoCal
5. Social Media Strategy
6. Recurring “Brainstorm on the Beach” Sessions
*These are subject to change and expect much more!*

UP Interns must embody these words:
INNOVATIVE:  think differently
GUMPTION:  pick up the phone and talk to anyone
thinkBIG:  articulate your big picture approach
CHARISMATIC:  special je ne sai quoi
DYNAMIC:  energize the rest of the group
RAINMAKER:  make it happen!
inspiredbyUP:  believe in UP’s mission wholeheartedly
VERSATILE:  strategize marketing one minute and finance the next

Your ToDo list by March 17th:
Send an email to intern@keepfriendshipalive.org and include:
1. Your Resume
2. Links to all of your Social Media Profiles
& Friend Erica on Facebook
3. A video link (YouTube, Vimeo, etc),
addressing this creative and yes, bizarre dilemma, written by a college student:
You are a lion. The leader of your pride has led you and your pride to dry watering holes day after day. Your pride is growing hungry, thirsty, and increasingly irritable. Your pride is losing faith and is beginning to fall apart. Certain lions are fending for themselves while others are turning on one another. You are presented with an opportunity to speak to your pride as a whole, for 2 minutes. What do you say?
4. Written answers to the following questions:
What can you bring to UP’s table?
When was the last time you were really stoked about something?
How do you embody the UP Intern words listed above?

The Fine Print:
1. Internship Duration:  June 1st – August 31st
(dates in CA are flexible. ideally we’d like to engage you sooner on a remote basis)
2. Housing Situation:  We are currently working to secure local dorm space
3. Internship paid in experience, not cash
4. We will contact the finalists by March 20th

“Freedom lies in being bold.”  Robert Frost

Keep Friendship Alive is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization

“Greeks Stay Strong is a program designed to teach students in College Greek Communities how to “party smart” in order to stop alcohol and drug related deaths through realistic and practical student engagement efforts.”  – www.GreeksStayStrong.com

Greeks Stay Strong was created by a college student, Noah Berger, whom I adore!  I met him one year ago at the 2011 AFLV conference (Association of Fraternal Leadership & Values).  He approached me after my presentation, and we brainstormed student-led campaign ideas for his school, Michigan State.  Shortly after the conference, Greeks Stay Strong was born, thanks to Noah’s creativity and ability to think big.  Greeks Stay Strong is a 3 step process to end alcohol and drug related deaths within the Greek community at Michigan State:

1.  Take a pledge.  (2,000 MSU Greeks took the pledge!)

2.  Put on an awareness event.  (2,000 MSU Greeks attended the event!)

3.  Host an optional crisis training session.  (1,500 MSU Greeks signed up, that’s 15 chapters!)

This incredible student turnout is due to the fact that this is a STUDENT-led campaign.  Students created it, students promoted it, and therefore students continue to support it.  When I presented at Michigan State during the 2nd step, it was by far the best audience I have ever had.  Why?  Because students knew why they were there, and they were excited to be a part of Greeks Stay Strong.  This effect just doesn’t happen when programs are implemented from the top-down.

I am excited for other Greek students to learn more about Greeks Stay Strong, and that is why I highlighted this amazing campaign during my closing keynote session this morning at AFLV 2012.  I Skyped in Noah Berger, Founder and Kristen Maddock, Co-Founder.  It was really cool to see an audience of 1,500 Greek leaders support Greeks Stay Strong by tweeting the heck out of #GreeksStayStrong.

If you are interested in bringing this campaign to your school, visit the www.GreeksStayStrong.com website and contact them for more info!  Also, check out the below interview with Noah : )

In 140 characters, what is Greeks Stay Strong?
Greeks Stay Strong is a three step program designed to save lives within college Greek communities by promoting “partying smart.”

What inspired you to start this campaign?
When I first became the Vice President of Administration for the Michigan State University Interfraternity Council (IFC), I felt that I was obligated to facilitate some type of alcohol education program for Greeks. I first came up with a requirement that every fraternity chapter must hold an alcohol education session once a year put on by our school’s health center. If a chapter did not complete this requirement they would be put on social probation. So do you think my Greek members really learned anything? HELLO! Of course not. I don’t know what I was thinking!

I realized this shortly after the sessions began. I started to think, “you know, this is ridiculous, no one is going to learn this way.” After that I began thinking more – I was confused “is there even an effective way of doing this? These are COLLEGE students after all.”

And so I began; I started thinking up plans for a program that would actually work in educating Greeks about the possible ramifications of abusing alcohol and drugs.

My counterpart on the Panhellenic Council, Kristen Maddock, and I discussed that the program would have to be personal, relatable, and promote engagement in order to see any type of success. Keeping those three integral qualities in mind, I thought of a three step program – one step to cover each.

While thinking of what the goal of the program should be, I realized people should adopt this goal as their own goal, or in other words, “Take a Pledge.” I thought about what the true goal of the program was, and I came to the conclusion that it wasn’t to educate about alcohol and drugs, but rather to eliminate – ZERO – any accidental deaths that could occur from misusing alcohol or drugs. I mean why should there even be one? If you go out to have a good time, you’re not going out to die, right? So why does it happen?

With this fundamental goal now in mind, the three steps were created.

How does the process work?
The Greeks Stay Strong process is three steps. The first is to take the pledge, the second is to hold a mandatory speaker session with a relatable speaker, and the third is to hold optional crisis management training sessions.

The first step is simply asking Greek students to take the pledge: “I pledge to party smart in order to stop alcohol and drug related deaths in the Greek community.”

The second step is to hold an awareness session featuring a speaker who will present a fun, cool, and relatable outlook on partying smart. We chose to have Erica Upshaw at our school because I really liked the way she presented her story when I first heard her at a conference in 2011. By having Erica, the East Lansing Mayor, and me (a relatable Greek student) all present, the second step was successfully positioned as a “cool” session on partying smart.

The third step is all about practicing what was taught in steps one and two in order to develop the skills needed to recognize an emergency and then act successfully – we call it a “Crisis Management Session.” Michigan State University’s Olin Health Center agreed to create a Crisis Management Session which we can be used for this third step. The session offers a facilitated discussion based around realistic video clips – filmed just for this! The session also includes pre and post-test social norming questions. Olin Health Center has agreed to share this session and its related resources for schools who would like to adopt Greeks Stay Strong. It is important to us that this third step to be labeled as “optional” in order to leave it up to the students themselves to become engaged with the program.

How does Twitter play a role in Greeks Stay Strong?
#twitterishugerightnow  #youcantgoanywherewithoutahashtag. With the popularity of Twitter in mind, I knew I wanted to incorporate it into the program. #How? Well, during the second step, we asked everyone to take out their smart-phones and tweet something using the hashtag #GreeksStayStrong to support the program and express interest in the optional third step. Within minutes we had hundreds of tweets pouring in!

Why was this good? People who were at the awareness session got to see all of their peers supporting the Greeks Stay Strong program, thus, making them more comfortable in showing their program support. Also, people who weren’t at the awareness session got to see what they missed and all of the support this program was receiving.

At the end of the day, whether you were at the session or not, you couldn’t help but know what Greeks Stay Strong was, and how everyone felt about it!

Why is Greeks Stay Strong different?
Greeks Stay Strong is different because it is a program founded BY students that is FOR students. Because of this, we know that some things just won’t work!

You will never see us doing the following:

1. Preach and mandate promises

2. Exclaim “No Drinking!”

3. Utter “Partying is Bad”

Here IS what we do:

1. Teach how to party smart

2. Present important information in a fun, relatable, and cool way

3. Share ideas, stories, and practices to guide others to make decisions

How are students responding to Greeks Stay Strong at Michigan State University?
At Michigan State University, the students actually think this is a COOL program. We weren’t sure how the Greeks would take to it, but after seeing the reactions to step one, two, and the signups for 3, we now understand the success in the strategic positioning of the program.

I have had emails and phone calls pour in from Greek chapter leaders who have had doctors tell them that they saved a friends life because of the actions they learned to take in this program. Greeks at Michigan State have seemed to accept the reality that partying smart is a necessity rather than an option – and they’re okay with that!

Where do you see this going in the next 1 year, 5 years, 10 years?
Although my plans are lengthy and in depth, I will say this. In 1 year I hope to secure Greeks Stay Strong at Michigan State University as an annual and regular program for Greeks and non-Greeks alike. In 5 years I hope to have other colleges adopt Greeks Stay Strong and teach smart partying at their school using this effective method. In 10 years, aside from me hoping I’ll be on a beach somewhere, I also hope that the fundamental steps in Greeks Stay Strong will have aroused emotion in enough people to realize an effective way in promoting smart partying in order to ELIMINATE accidental alcohol and drug related deaths.

Where I want this to go is simple: I want people to understand how three simple tasks can teach thousands to save millions.

Noah Berger | Greeks Stay Strong Founder