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Press Coverage (2001)

December 9, 2001
Social Norms Marketing
By Mark Frauenfelder, The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine has selected Social Norms as one of the "80 ideas that shook the world (or at least jostled it a little) in 2001."

November 1, 2001
Alcohol and College Students
Fox 29 News, Interview with Dr. Wesley Perkins, San Antonio, TX

August 26, 2001
Colleges Shift Focus to 'Social Norms'
by Michael Haines, p1B, Times Union, Albany, NY

July 22, 2001
Facts Change Student Drinking
By Michael Haines, Director, National Social Norms Resource Center, USA Today
"We've learned that by changing students' perceptions of what is 'normal' drinking behavior, we can reduce alcohol abuse. When students are armed with the truth about the moderate and responsible drinking habits of the majority of their peers, they tend to consume less themselves."

This op-ed piece highlights the effectiveness of the social norms approach in reducing college alcohol abuse. Mention is made of a number of institutions that have implemented or are about to implement a social norms campaign. They include: the University of Arizona, the University of Virginia, Hobart and Williams Smith Colleges, Northern Illinois University, and the California State University system, comprising 23 campuses and 370,000 students.

July 8, 2001
Officials Fighting College Drinking
By Matt Bender, The San Bernardino Sun (California)
This article focuses on the expected implementation at Cal State San Bernadino of a social norm intervention to address alcohol consumption. Howard Wang, Cal State San Bernadino's assistant vice president of student affairs, remarks of the social norms approach: " It has proven more effective than just pointing fingers and saying, 'Thou shalt not drink.'"
Mention is also made of the anticipated adoption on Tuesday, July 10, 2001 of the final report of the Alcohol Policies and Prevention Programs Committee of the California State University's Board of Trustees.

June 18, 2001
How to Manage Teen Drinking (The Smart Way)
By Jeffrey Kluger, Time Magazine
Although the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has documented that "across every age group we've become an ever more sober society over the past two decades," concern over "youthful drinking" persists. This article discusses, in part, the role that colleges and college administrators have in addressing this concern, and notes the appeal and effectiveness of the social norms approach. The work of H. Wesley Perkins and David Craig at Hobart and William Smith Colleges receives special focus. Also mentioned are the social norms interventions at Northern Illinois University, Western Washington University, and the University of Missouri-Columbia.

June 12, 2001
Finding Good in 'Normal'
By Lynn Smith, The Los Angeles Times
As the subtitle of this article states: "Students are getting a surprise lesson: binge drinking and other risky behaviors aren't popular." This lengthy and glowing article notes the successful social norms interventions at a number of institutions, among them: Cal Poly Pomona, Northern Illinois University, the University of Arizona, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, and Western Washington University. Experts in the social norms field who are quoted include: H. Wesley Perkins, Pat Fabiano, and Michael Haines.

May 7, 2001
A Closer Look at Alcohol
By Mark Alden Branch, Yale Alumni Magazine, Yale University