Peer Educator Program (S.W.A.R.M)

The Counseling Center is home base for the campus Peer Education Program -Students With A Realistic Mission (S.W.A.R.M.) and the Center’s staffs are the advisors. . Peer Educators are a select group of students, consisting of officers and a general body, that work throughout the academic year to provide information, programs and activities on HIV/AIDS, STDs and Alcohol and Drug Awareness to the campus population and the surrounding community. The mission of the Peer Educator Program is to provide leadership and education as an effective awareness and prevention method, while promoting the development of self-worth and respect among peers.

The Peer Education Program includes eight outreach components:

• Delivery Fairs – a collaborative effort with local community agencies to display and distribute information on current health issues;
• Safer Sex Social – prevention workshops conducted in the campus residence halls to gain understanding and ask questions about sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS;
• Prevention Workshops – offered on campus (including classrooms) and in the community to disseminate accurate information and facts on Alcohol and Drug Use, HIV/AIDS and STDs;
• Male/Female Appreciation Day – campus activities designed to affirm, empower and educate all students;
• World AIDS Day – a collaborative activity with community resources to observe this nationally recognized day; National Collegiate AIDS Awareness Week – each year in April a series of activities, workshops and speakers are offered to educate the campus community about HIV/AIDS;
• National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week – each year in October this campus event is CO-sponsored with the Counseling and Testing Center to raise awareness of problems caused by alcohol and drug abuse.

Service Learning Program - S.W.A.R.M. also partners with the Department of Health and Physical Education to provide a Service Learning component for students interested in diversifying their educational pursuits and competencies. Service Learning opportunities are available in HED 225: Drugs, and HED 224 SL: Healthful Living. Students interested in becoming a Peer Educator must make application in the Counseling and Testing Center. Recruiting takes place in the Spring for officers and general body members and in the Fall for general body members only. More