[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 30 (Monday, February 14, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7372-7374]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-3387]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Elementary and Secondary Education--Safe and Drug-Free 
Schools and Communities National Programs--Federal Activities--Grant 
Competition To Prevent High-Risk Drinking and Violent Behavior Among 
College Students

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of Proposed Priorities, Proposed Definitions, and 
Proposed Selection Criteria for Fiscal Year (FY) 2000 and Subsequent 
Years.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Secretary proposes priorities, definitions, and selection 
criteria for FY 2000 and, at the discretion of the Secretary, for 
subsequent years under the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities 
National Programs--Federal Activities--Grant Competition to Prevent 
High-Risk Drinking and Violent Behavior Among College Students. The 
Secretary takes this action to focus Federal financial assistance on an 
identified national need. This competition seeks to prevent high-risk 
drinking and violent behavior among college students.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before March 15, 2000.

ADDRESSES: All comments concerning these proposed priorities, proposed 
definitions, and proposed selection criteria should be addressed to 
Richard Lucey, Jr., U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, 
SW--Room 3E252, Washington, DC 20202-6123. Comments also may be sent 
via the Internet: [email protected]. You must include the phrase ``High-
Risk Drinking and Violence Prevention for IHEs'' in the subject line of 
your electronic message.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard Lucey, Jr., (202) 205-5471. 
Individuals who use a telecommunication device for the deaf (TDD) may 
call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at (800) 877-8339. 
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an alternate 
format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on 
request to the contact person listed above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Invitation To Comment

    Interested persons are invited to submit comments and 
recommendations regarding the proposed priorities, proposed 
definitions, and proposed selection criteria. All comments submitted in 
response to this notice will be available for public inspection, during 
and after the comment period, at 400 Maryland Avenue, SW--Room

[[Page 7373]]

3E252, Washington, DC, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., 
Eastern time, Monday through Friday of each week except Federal 
holidays.

Assistance to Individuals With Disabilities in Reviewing the 
Rulemaking Record

    On request, the Department supplies an appropriate aid, such as a 
reader or print magnifier, to an individual with a disability that 
needs assistance to review the comments. An individual with a 
disability who wants to schedule an appointment for this type of aid 
may call (202) 205-8113 or (202) 260-9895. Individuals who use a 
telecommunication device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at (800) 877-8339.

Discussion of Priorities

    We will announce the final priorities in a notice in the Federal 
Register. We will determine the final priorities after considering 
responses to this notice and other information available to the 
Department. This notice does not preclude us from proposing or funding 
additional priorities, subject to meeting applicable rulemaking 
requirements.

Definitions

    1. ``Two-year institutions of higher education (IHEs)'' are defined 
as those IHEs or branches of IHEs that are public or private nonprofit 
organizations and confer at least a two-year formal award (certificate, 
diploma, or associate's degree), or have a two-year program creditable 
toward a baccalaureate degree or higher award.
    2. ``High-risk drinking'' is defined as those situations that may 
involve but not be limited to: Binge drinking (commonly defined as five 
or more drinks on any one occasion); underage drinking; drinking and 
driving; situations when one's condition is already impaired by another 
cause, such as depression or emotional stress; or combining alcohol and 
medications, such as tranquilizers, sedatives, and antihistamines.

General

    In making awards under this grant program, the Secretary may take 
into consideration the geographic distribution of the projects in 
addition to the rank order of applicants.
    Contingent upon the availability of funds, the Secretary may make 
additional awards in FY 2001 from the rank-ordered list of nonfunded 
applications from this competition.

    Note: This notice does not solicit applications. A notice 
inviting applications under this competition will be published in 
the Federal Register concurrently with or following the publication 
of the notice of final priorities. The notice inviting applications 
will specify the date and time by which applications for this 
competition must be received by the Department. Applications 
received after that time will not be eligible for funding. 
Postmarked dates will not be accepted.

    Absolute Priorities: Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) and the Safe and 
Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1994, the Secretary proposes 
to give an absolute preference to applications that meet one or both of 
the following priorities, and would fund under this competition only 
those applications that meet one or both of the following absolute 
priorities:

Absolute Priority #1--Develop or Enhance, Implement, and Evaluate 
Campus-Based Strategies to Prevent High-Risk Drinking by College 
Student Athletes, First-Year Students, or Students Attending Two-Year 
Institutions

    Under this proposed priority, applicants would be required to 
propose projects that develop or enhance, implement, and evaluate 
strategies to prevent high-risk drinking by college student athletes, 
first-year students, or students attending two-year institutions of 
higher education. Grant applicants would be required to:
    (1) Identify the target population and provide a justification for 
its selection;
    (2) Provide evidence that a needs assessment has been conducted on 
campus to document prevalence rates related to high-risk drinking by 
the population selected;
    (3) Set measurable goals and objectives for the proposed project 
and provide a description of how progress toward achieving goals will 
be measured annually;
    (4) Design and implement prevention strategies, using student input 
and participation, that research has shown to be effective in 
preventing high-risk drinking by the target population;
    (5) Use a qualified evaluator to design and implement an evaluation 
of the project using outcomes-based (summative) performance indicators 
related to behavioral change and process (formative) measures that 
assess and document the strategies used; and
    (6) Demonstrate the ability to start the project within 60 days 
after receiving Federal funding in order to maximize the time available 
to show impact within the grant period.

Absolute Priority #2--Develop or Enhance, Implement, and Evaluate 
Campus-Based Strategies to Prevent Violent Behavior by College Students

    Under this proposed priority, applicants would propose projects 
that would develop or enhance, implement, and evaluate strategies to 
prevent violent behavior by college students. Grant applicants would be 
required to:
    (1) Provide evidence that a needs assessment has been conducted on 
campus to document prevalence rates related to violent behavior;
    (2) Set measurable goals and objectives for the proposed project 
and provide a description of how progress toward achieving goals will 
be measured annually;
    (3) Design and implement prevention strategies, using student input 
and participation, that research has shown to be effective in 
preventing violent behavior among college students;
    (4) Use a qualified evaluator to design and implement an evaluation 
of the project using outcomes-based (summative) performance indicators 
related to behavioral change and process (formative) measures that 
assess and document the strategies used; and
    (5) Demonstrate the ability to start the project within 60 days 
after receiving Federal funding in order to maximize the time available 
to show impact within the grant period.

Selection Criteria

    The Secretary proposes to use the following selection criteria to 
evaluate applications for new grants under this competition. The 
maximum score for all of these criteria is 100 points. The maximum 
score for each criterion or factor under that criterion is indicated in 
parentheses.

(1) Need for project. (15 points)

    In determining the need for the proposed project, the following 
factors are considered:
    (a) The magnitude or severity of the problem to be addressed by the 
proposed project. (10 points)
    (b) The extent to which specific gaps or weaknesses in services, 
infrastructure, or opportunities have been identified and will be 
addressed by the proposed project, including the nature and magnitude 
of those gaps or weaknesses. (5 points)

(2) Significance. (20 points)

    In determining the significance of the proposed project, the 
following factors are considered:
    (a) The likelihood that the proposed project will result in system 
change or improvement. (5 points)

[[Page 7374]]

    (b) The potential contribution of the proposed project to the 
development and advancement of theory, knowledge, and practices in the 
field of study. (10 points)
    (c) The extent to which the proposed project involves the 
development or demonstration of promising new strategies that build on, 
or are alternatives to, existing strategies. (5 points)

(3) Quality of the project design. (30 points)

    In determining the quality of the design of the proposed project, 
the following factors are considered:
    (a) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be 
achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable. 
(10 points)
    (b) The extent to which the design of the proposed project is 
appropriate to, and will successfully address, the needs of the target 
population or other identified needs. (5 points) a)
    (c) The extent to which the design of the proposed project reflects 
up-to-date knowledge from research and effective practice. (10 points)
    (d) The extent to which the proposed project will establish 
linkages with other appropriate agencies and organizations providing 
services to the target population. (5 points)

(4) Quality of project personnel. (10 points)

    In determining the quality of project personnel, the following 
factors are considered:
    (a) The extent to which the applicant encourages applications for 
employment from persons who are members of groups that have 
traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national 
origin, gender, age, or disability. (3 points)
    (b) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, 
of key project personnel. (7 points)

(5) Quality of the project evaluation. (25 points)

    In determining the quality of the evaluation, the following factors 
are considered:
    (a) The extent to which the methods of evaluation are thorough, 
feasible, and appropriate to the goals, objectives, and outcomes of the 
proposed project. (10 points)
    (b) The extent to which the methods of evaluation include the use 
of objective performance measures that are clearly related to the 
intended outcomes of the project and will produce quantitative and 
qualitative data to the extent possible. (10 points)
    (c) The extent to which the methods of evaluation will provide 
performance feedback and permit periodic assessment of progress toward 
achieving intended outcomes. (5 points)

Intergovernmental Review:

    This program is subject to Executive Order 12372 and the 
regulations in 34 CFR part 79. One of the objectives of the Executive 
order is to foster an intergovernmental partnership and a strengthened 
federalism. The Executive order relies on processes developed by State 
and local governments for coordination and review of proposed Federal 
financial assistance.
    This document provides early notification of our specific plans and 
actions for this program.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7131.

Electronic Access To This Document

    You may view this document, as well as all other Department of 
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe 
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at either of the 
following sites:

http://ocfo.ed.gov/fedreg.htm
http://www.ed.gov/news.html

    To use the PDF, you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader Program with 
Search, which is available free at either of the previous sites. If you 
have questions about using the PDF, call the U.S. Government Printing 
Office (GPO) toll free at 1-888-293-6498; or in the Washington, DC area 
at (202) 512-1530.

    Note: The official version of this document is the document 
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the 
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal 
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html.


(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 84.184H Office of 
Elementary and Secondary Education--Safe and Drug-Free Schools and 
Communities National Programs--Federal Activities--Grant Competition 
to Prevent High-Risk Drinking and Violent Behavior Among College 
Students)

    Dated: February 8, 2000.
Michael Cohen,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 00-3387 Filed 2-11-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-U