Atlanta Hawks Treat KSU Women’s Basketball Team to Game
After a power outage paralyzed the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Dec. 17, the Kennesaw State women’s basketball team missed its flight and a tournament in San Juan, Puerto Rico. When the Atlanta Hawks heard the Lady Owls missed the game, the Hawks decided to spread some hometown love and invited the KSU team to its game against the Indiana Pacers.
According to KSU head coach Agnus Berenato, when the power went out, the airport was evacuated and the team headed back to KSU.
They reached out to Chattanooga, Birmingham, Greenville and Knoxville looking for an early flight to Puerto Rico. Each airport had the same answer — no flights for three days. The tournament, which was only three games, would be over.
The team did the next best thing. They stuck together, kept practicing, watched films, took a cooking class together and distributed food and tins of holiday cookies to unsuspecting people around Kennesaw.
With Dec. 21 approaching, which would have been the team’s departure date, the Atlanta Hawks offered to donate tickets for their upcoming game to the entire KSU team.
“What goes around, comes around. We missed three games but gained so much more,” Berenato said.
Health and Promotion Wellness Received State Grant for Road Safety.
Health and Promotion Wellness received a $19,704 grant from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety to participate in the Georgia Young Adult Program to raise awareness for highway safety issues, including underage drinking.
The program, which targets young adults, seeks to spark conversation on safety measures that can be taken to reduce the risks of alcohol consumption.
The grant will help fund a B.A.C. Zone widget subscription, TIPS University Training, the American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment II survey and a social norming campaign, according to Health Promotion and Wellness director Sherry Grable.
B.A.C. Zone is an organization that provides personalized information to individuals on their blood alcohol concentration and tips on how they can reduce risks associated with it.
Health Promotion and Wellness plans to pay a yearly subscription to place the organization’s widget on their website, giving students access to information about their personal BAC levels. The department also plans to incorporate the widget into class assignments to increase its use by students.
The grant will also help fund TIPS University training, which is meant to develop students’ social skills and give specific information on how to tell when a friend has had too much to drink. The training will teach students specific strategies that will aid them in making difficult decisions during alcohol-related situations and guide them to consider the consequences of their actions.
The money will contribute to funding for the ACHA-NCHA II survey. The nationally recognized survey will help gather data on KSU students’ health habits and behaviors, including alcohol use, personal safety, tobacco use, drug use, sexual health, weight, nutrition, mental health and violence.
The last research survey was completed in spring 2016, and a new ACHA-NCHA II survey will be implemented next month.
According to Grable, data gathered from the ACHA-NCHA II will also be used to create a social norming campaign to promote healthy choices when it comes to alcohol use and traffic safety. Health Promotion and Wellness will place ads on KSU shuttles, high-traffic bus stops and on napkin dispensers in The Commons that will promote healthy behaviors.
Cameron Loi contributed to this story.
