'Party small' campaign gets under way

September 29, 2011

By UCSC Public Affairs831-459-2495

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UC Santa Cruz is once again this fall implementing its "Party Small—Gnome" campaign, which aims to decrease risk from alcohol use and promote safe drinking practices on and off campus.

New students should expect to see posters promoting awareness of the latest alcohol awareness initiative sponsored by SHOP (Student Health Outreach and Prevention), a program in the Student Health Center.

'Party Patrols' planned

Santa Cruz and UCSC Police have scheduled a 2nd round of party patrols, for Friday and Saturday nights, September 29 and October 1. The focus of these patrols will be large and out-of-control parties in Westside Santa Cruz neighborhoods.

Santa Cruz and UCSC Police have scheduled party patrols for Friday and Saturday nights, September 16 and 17. The focus of these patrols will be large and out-of-control parties in Westside Santa Cruz neighborhoods.

Information about hosting smaller, safer parties is available at . Request the Red Cup Brochure.

Each year, SHOP designs new T-shirts featuring the "Party small" gnome, which helps publicize a campaign that provides education about the risks of excessive drinking, along with drinking-related accidents and crimes. This year's T-shirt design has a brand-new theme: "Gnome Your Limits." Last year's was "Gnomeland Security."

SHOP is also distributing informational brochures to Santa Cruz neighbors, UCSC residential colleges, and program offices. Informational materials will also be available at neighborhood block parties that will take place throughout Santa Cruz on October 2.

SHOP also coordinates a separate, safety-related program,AlcoholEdu, a three-hour online prevention course mandated for UCSC students 24 years old and younger.

UCSC's campaign is part of the Safer CA Universities Project (SCUP) which began as a statewide research study involving fourteen UC and Cal State Universities. The main focus is "large, out-of-control student parties off campus," said Paul Willis, SHOP's alcohol and other drug educator.

Part of the community-wide safety campaign also includes increased enforcement during the first six weeks of the fall quarter in neighborhoods near campus. UCSC Police, Santa Cruz Police, and California Highway Patrol (CHP) will all be involved in "party patrols" and other enforcement efforts.

For the past three academic years, UCSC has provided money to the Santa Cruz Police Department to fund voluntary overtime for officers on the weekends during the academic year for enforcement of the city's "loud and unruly noise ordinance" and to respond to large parties. Executive Vice Chancellor/Campus Provost Alison Galloway approved the campus expenditure of $25,000 for the 2011-12 academic year to continue the partnership program with the city.