In an effort to bring substance abuse to a halt across America, four SMU student-athletes and two staff members attended the 23rd annual APPLE conference in Charlottesville, Va. this past weekend.

The four athletes in attendance were rower Hanna Axene, volleyball player Julianne Scheidler, soccer player Anthony Jeffries, and football player Cameron Smith.

These four along with more than 220 attendees representing 40 schools addressed how athletic departments and athletes can have an impact on the campus’ health and well-being.

“I enjoyed hearing the APPLE teams from other institutions speak about their projects and initiatives and I really enjoyed meeting student-athletes from different institutions,” Scheidler said.

APPLE uses seven “slices” in its model to speak on these issues, including departmental expectations and attitudes, education, alcohol and other drug policies, drug testing, sanctions, recruitment practices, and referral and counseling services.

SMU’s athletes and staff members have elected to focus on substance abuse education using the APPLE model.