College Coalition on Substance misuse, Advocacy, and Prevention
History
A brief history includes the following highlights:
- The College Coalition for Substance Abuse Prevention, formerly known as the Washington State Substance Abuse College Task Force (WSSACTF), was established in 1985
- Individuals involved with prevention programs at a number of colleges and universities in the state met to discuss common issues and problems.
- They decided to meet on an ongoing basis, at least six times annually, and these informal gatherings evolved into WSSACTF.
- The primary mission of WSSACTF was “to provide support for the development and continuation of substance abuse prevention programs on all college and university campuses in Washington State.”
- Main activities of WSSACTF
- Networking sharing programs, ideas and current prevention technologies.
- Technical Assistance assisting colleges and universities 1) with program development, implementation and improvement, and 2) in complying with federal mandates.
- Pacific Northwest Conference on Collegiate Wellness sponsoring, coordinating and facilitating this annual conference.
- Funding
- WSSACTF was initially under the umbrella of and received funding from the Washington State Substance Abuse Coalition.
- Beginning in 1988, WSSACTF was funded by the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse (DASA), which covered travel expenses, training and other administrative assistance. Several years later, DASA provided additional funding to hire a WSSACTF coordinator.
- Beginning in 1986, WSSACTF coordinated or co-sponsored the annual Pacific Northwest Collegiate Wellness Conference, which served as the BACCHUS and GAMMA Peer Education Network regional conference.
- In January 1989, WSSACTF, with support from DASA and the Washington State Substance Abuse Coalition, developed the College Substance Abuse Program Development Manual, which was published by the Washington State Traffic Safety Commission. An updated version of the manual was published in 1992. Training sessions on the manual were held throughout the state.
- In 1992, WSSACTF developed a brochure describing the various prevention programs in place at Washington State colleges and universities. The brochure was mailed to all high school counselors throughout the state.
- In September 1995, WSSACTF coordinated a statewide media campaign on binge drinking and responsible decision-making. The campaign included three sets of posters, videotapes, audiotapes, materials ready for print advertising and contacts with television stations, and was funded by the DASA grant.
- In spring 1996, a needs assessment survey of WSSACTF members was conducted.
- Over the years, key prevention partners in the state became involved with WSSACTF, including the Washington State Traffic Safety Commission, the Lt. Governor’s Office, the Washington State Liquor Control Board and DASA.
- On April 24, 1998, a WSSACTF Web site was established.
- On October 28, 1998, presidents of all baccalaureate institutions in the state met in Olympia to sign a commitment statement to address alcohol and other drug abuse. WSSACTF played a leadership role in coordination of the event.
- In March 1999, WSSACTF coordinated a campus-community coalition building team training for institutions across the state, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education’s Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention.
- On October 19-22, 2000, WSSACTF participated in the Washington State Prevention Summit, an annual statewide conference for prevention professionals, law enforcement, youth and other interested parties. WSSACTF provided a college track with 19 programs for the Summit.
- At the WSSACTF meeting on April 21, 2001, a new name, College Coalition for Substance Abuse Prevention (CCSAP), and mission statement were adopted.
- Today, CCSAP is funded by DSHS Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery (DBHR), which covers travel expenses, training and other administrative assistance. CCSAP also receives support from the BACCHUS and GAMMA Peer Education Network and The Network of Colleges and Universities Committed to the Elimination of Drug and Alcohol Abuse (The Network). In February 2001 CCSAP developed a Steering Committee, which is providing direction to the Coalition regarding implementation of a Statewide Initiative on alcohol abuse prevention.