ST. LOUIS - Saint Louis sent four student-athletes to the APPLE conference in Indianapolis, Ind., on Jan. 25-27. Junior volleyball player Grace Bonoma spoke on a student-athlete mentorship panel on the merits of the SLU program ResponsiBillikens.

The APPLE conferences are the leading national training symposiums dedicated to substance abuse prevention and health promotion for student-athletes and athletics department administrators. The goal of the APPLE conference is to assist colleges in promoting student-athlete health and wellness by empowering teams of student-athletes and administrators to create an institution-specific action plan.

The ResponsiBillikens are a peer resource for SLU student-athletes to go to for discussion and dialogue on difficult issues related to things such as: sexual health, sexual assault, substance use and overall wellness. The student-athletes are trained in various health and wellness topics and communication skills and function as a resource on their teams as well as within the athletic department.  The ResponsiBillikens were made possible due to an NCAA Choices Grant received by the University last year.