Busch Funds Social-Norms Research Center

Anheuser-Busch has donated $2.5 million to the University of Virginia to create a National Social Norms Institute, which will focus on communicating "normative" behavior models about alcohol use.

The Charlottesville Daily Progress reported Sept. 22 that the school has been using the social-norms model of prevention since 1998, and says the approach has cut the numbers of students with alcohol-related injuries, drunk driving, and unprotected sex.

John T. Casteen III, president of the University of Virginia, said the institute would study alcohol abuse at colleges nationally and share information about effective interventions. Dr. James C. Turner, who will head the institute, said that treating students like adults is key. "The message is if they find themselves in a situation where alcohol is involved, that they do the right thing," he said.

Turner added that a responsible-drinking approach works best on college campuses, where, he said, "the drinking age is virtually irrelevant." He said that Anheuser-Busch will not influence the institute's work. "It'll be independent," said Turner.