UMass-Amherst is among 12 colleges and universities to receive such funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The three-year grant will also target drug abuse on campus. The new Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Prevention will oversee the project.

"Anyone who violates alcohol policies on campus will be sent to us," said Sally A. Linowski, the center's director and the associate director of University Health Services. "The focus is on drinking. The goal of it is to better assist students who are using alcohol in high-risk ways."

The money will allow the center to establish a BASICS (Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students) program. Six staff members will be hired. The program should be in full operation by January, but Linowski said she hopes to have some services available to students earlier than that. About 1,000 students a year will be served by the program.

First offenders of the university's alcohol policy will automatically be sent to the center for intervention. Local hospitals will also refer students. One-on-one counseling will then take place.

The student will first talk to a prevention specialist about the incident that brought them to the program, will fill out an assessment form and then will spend two weeks filling out a drinking log. After that, the student will meet with the specialist again.

"It's designed to assess where the student is in how they want to change their behavior," Linowski said. "Hopefully we'll improve the quality of their campus experience."

Michael Gargano Jr., vice chancellor of student affairs and campus life, established the center last year as part of the campus' ongoing efforts to promote responsible alcohol management. The grant validates the university's commitment to the issue, he said.

"There are students who need this type of daily monitoring and daily guidance," Gargano said yesterday. "It's part of our continued efforts to improve the student culture and raise our expectations of students."