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Student leaders are seeking “Mustangs Who Care.”

The program, launching Thursday, October 1, encourages students to act responsibly in social settings and trains them to intervene when someone is misusing alcohol or drugs and needs help.

“ ‘Mustangs Who Care’ is about students watching out for their fellow students,” says Patrick Kobler, student body president. “It’s a way for ��«����Ƶ students to show that we can be responsible for ourselves.”

Kobler, a senior political science major, developed the program with Student Senate members and the ��«����Ƶ Circle of Trust chapter, a partner of the Gordie Foundation.

To join the program, students first must enroll in Training for Intervention Procedures (TIPS), a two-and-a-half-hour course offered through Memorial Health ��«����Ƶ. TIPS participants learn decision-making and interpersonal skills to help them take a leading role in preventing alcohol misuse. ()

For TIPS-certified students, the “Mustangs Who Care” course is 20 minutes of additional training led by students. Participants learn the signs of alcohol poisoning and drug overdose, how to use ��«����Ƶ’s Call for Help program and to call 911 when a student is in distress.

After training, students receive a “Mustangs Who Care” wristband to wear on campus and out socially.

“The wristband will allow for a student in distress to easily locate a ‘Mustang Who Cares,’ ” Kobler says, “and with the training, the student will know how to handle a potentially life-threatening situation.”

“Mustangs Who Care” will be offered at 4:30 p.m. Wednesdays and 5:30 p.m. Thursdays at the Student Affairs & Multicultural Student Affairs office in Hughes-Trigg Student ��«����Ƶ.

Please contact Patrick Kobler at pkobler@smu.edu or 214-768-4448 with questions or comments.

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