Mary Immaculate College (MIC) was one of ten institutions to recently receive a REACT Award, presented by Minister of State for Higher Education, Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD, at the inaugural awards ceremony in Dublin City University (DCU).
REACT (Responding to Excessive Alcohol Consumption in Third Level) is the first national award and accreditation scheme that recognises and rewards an institution’s efforts to reduce alcohol-related harm amongst its students. The overarching aim of the project is to encourage third level institutions to implement and evaluate a multifaceted, strategic, evidence-based, stakeholder-led action plan.
Speaking at the awards ceremony, Professor Niamh Hourigan, Vice President of Academic Affairs at MIC said, “I am delighted to receive this award on behalf of MIC. Within the College, we have made huge strides in addressing alcohol related challenges which can impact negatively on student life and disrupt student success. The REACT accreditation is welcome recognition of these efforts and we thoroughly endorse the aims and objectives of this national scheme.”
Accepting the award, Aisling Cusack, President of the Students’ Union at MIC (MISU), said, “MISU is delighted to be accepting this award with Mary Immaculate College. MISU welcomed the opportunity to get involved with the REACT programme and to collaborate with MIC to raise awareness with the student body of the dangers associated with excessive alcohol consumption, as well as the importance of students knowing their own limits when it comes to alcohol. She continued by saying, “We look forward to working with MIC to continue and build on the work which has been done as part of REACT.”
On receiving the award, Dr Geraldine Brosnan, Director of Student Life at MIC, said, “We are very proud to be one of the first institutions to receive the REACT Award and to have also helped develop a sector-wide approach to responding to the issue of excess alcohol consumption among third-level students in Ireland.”
In total, the REACT Award has eight mandatory and eighteen optional action points. Mandatory action points include the training of relevant staff in brief intervention, developing a college alcohol policy, and the formation of a cross-institutional, dedicated REACT steering committee. Optional action points include building partnerships with relevant community groups, as well as developing a calendar of events with the local Students’ Union.
As a designated Health Promotion College, MIC promotes health and well-being amongst all members of the College community and has been involved in the REACT Award and Accreditation Scheme since its launch in November 2016. MIC is also a key partner in the Mid-West Third Level Drug and Alcohol Awareness Initiative, which aims to create awareness, amongst third level students, of the harms associated with substance misuse.
