Jan. 6, 1998
         
                              MEDIA ADVISORY

                 U.VA. TO HOST HIGHLY ACCLAIMED CONFERENCE 
                 ON SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND LEADERSHIP

	Over 150 student-athletes, plus athletic trainers, coaches and
administrators representing
41 colleges and universities from all three NCAA divisions, will
attend the seventh Athletic Prevention, Programming and Leadership
Education (APPLE) conference in Charlottesville 
Jan. 23-25 at the Omni Hotel. 

	The APPLE model of drug and alcohol prevention and leadership
was created in 1991 by Susan Grossman, associate director for
prevention programs at U.Va.'s Institute of Substance Abuse Studies
(ISAS), and Joe Gieck, head athletic trainer at the University. The
model provides a way for athletic departments to assess and improve
their alcohol and drug prevention programs. At the weekend-long
conference, the 225 attendees, divided into "prevention teams," will
appraise their school's recruiting, expectations, attitudes, policies,
drug testing, discipline, referral and counseling. Each school's team
comprises 4-6 people including a student athlete.

	Student-athletes participate in the APPLE model through the
Student Assistant/Athlete Mentor Program (SAM), a peer-based program
designed to train students in substance abuse prevention and to
provide teammates and peers with resources for information and
services in their community. 

	"APPLE has been a very successful program," Grossman said.
"This year we have 20 schools on the waiting list for the
Charlottesville conference alone."

	ISAS has received a grant from the National Collegiate
Athletic Association (NCAA) for the past seven years to teach the
APPLE concept as a model for prevention programs. Two annual
conferences have been hosted by ISAS for the last 5 years, one in
Charlottesville and another on the West Coast. The second APPLE site
for 1998 is San Diego, where the conference will take place Feb. 6-8.

	A conference schedule is attached.

	For more information or to arrange coverage of the conference
contact Susan Grossman, project director, or Debra Reed, conference
coordinator, at the Institute for Substance Abuse Studies, (804)
924-5276. Television reporters should contact our TV News Office at
(804) 924-7550.

                                   ###

           U.Va. news online: http://www.virginia.edu/topnews



                            APPLE  Conference
                            Jan. 23-25, 1998
                               Omni Hotel
                           235 W. Main Street
                          Charlottesville, VA
                             (804) 971-5500
		
Schedule:

Friday, Jan. 23
7:30-8 p.m.		Welcome and Introductions
			Susan Grossman
			Associate Director for Prevention Programs
			Institute for Substance Abuse Studies
			University of Virginia

			Joe Gieck
			Head Athletic Trainer
			University of Virginia

8-9 p.m.               	The APPLE Model-An Overview
			Building a Better Program
			Joe Gieck and Susan Grossman

9-10 p.m.		Team Building



Saturday, Jan. 24

8:30-9:30 a.m.		"Beer Puzzles"
			Linda Hancock
			Assistant Director of the Office of Health Promotion
			Virginia Commonwealth University

9:30-10:15 a.m.	        Student Athlete Mentor (SAM) Model Overview
			Susan Grossman
			Peggy Boutilier, U.Va. SAM

10:30 a.m.-noon	        Student Track: SAM Program Part I 
			(Student Athletes Only)
			Presenter: Jenny Zenner
			Health Education and SAM Program Coordinator,U.Va.
			Guest Speaker: Linda Hancock - "Say Something"

10:15-11:15 a.m.	Concurrent Sessions

			1. Developing Policy
			   Lessons from an Administrator
			   Facilitator: Craig Littlepage
		           Associate Athletic Director
			   University of Virginia

			2. Workshop for returning conference attendees
		           Facilitator: Susan Grossman

11:15 a.m.-noon 	Panel Discussion
			Previous APPLE participants share experiences

1:30-2:15 p.m.	        Student Track: SAM Programs Part II
			(Student Athletes Only)
			Presenters: U.Va. SAMS

1:30-2:15 p.m. 	        Concurrent Sessions

			1. Problem Solving for Implementation of APPLE:
			   How to Get Time-Money-Support
			   Facilitator: Craig Littlepage and Susan Grossman

			2. Student-Athletes As A High Risk Group
	        	   Facilitator: Joel Fish, Director
			   The Center for Sports Psychology
		           Philadelphia, PA

			3. Developing and Implementing a 
			   Drug Testing Program
			   Facilitator: Joe Gieck

2:30-3:30 p.m. 	        "Violence, Alcohol and Athletics"
			Robin Sawyer, Professor
			University of Maryland

3:30-4:30 p.m.	        Team Meeting



Sunday, Jan. 25

9-9:30 a.m.		"Coach/Team Relationships"
			Debbie Ryan
			Head Coach
			U.Va. Women's Basketball

9:30-10:15 a.m.	        "Alcohol, Drugs and Student-Athlete Pressure"
			Joel Fish

10:15-10:45 a.m.	Taking "APPLE" Back Home
			Strategies for Implementation
			Susan Grossman and Joe Gieck

10:45-11:30 a.m.	Wrap-up Team Meeting