A public service announcement video produced by NDSCS students has been named the winner of the 3rd Annual Red Ribbon Week Campus Video PSA Contest. The video is available online at https://youtu.be/aVxwT1RmjgQ.

The video, titled Live Your Best Life, was produced by the NDSCS Media Squad, a student organization that produces videos to inform the campus community of activities, events and important topics. The video features a rap written and performed by second year student Jo Ross of St. Paul, Minn. and was produced and directed by Kerri Kava, NDSCS Assistant Director for Student Life, and Bethany Mauch, NDSCS Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Prevention Specialist.

As the Contest winner, NDSCS received $3,000 to support campus drug abuse prevention efforts. The NDSCS Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs (ATOD) Prevention Team, which is focused on bolstering student success by promoting and supporting low-risk decisions regarding ATOD use through the College and broader community, will use the funds to further prevention and education regarding the harmful effects of ATOD use in creative and engaging ways. Due to the ongoing education and prevention efforts, NDSCS has experienced a decline in the 30-day student alcohol use rate, going from 76.8% in 2008 to 61.5% in 2016; and overall is seeing less alcohol and other drug-related negative consequences among students.

The Red Ribbon Week Campus Video PSA Contest was sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration, and the winning entry was announced at the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) 2019 Strategies Conference in Washington, DC. Contest entries were 30- to 60-second antidrug PSA videos that focused on the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse among college students.