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Program to educate students about alcohol

Cougar News Services

The Century Council has joined forces with the University to fight college binge drinking with knowledge and end college alcoholism with a new program for incoming students as part of the required alcohol education curriculum. 

The Alcohol 101 Plus CD-ROM program will highlight summer orientation, where users can enter a virtual campus and interact with scenarios in which they make virtual decisions like the ones college students are faced with daily. 

When the wrong decision is made users are told of the consequences of their "virtual" actions.

This new program originated because 80 percent of freshman reported they have had alcohol in the past year, consuming nearly six drinks a week. This is a fact the Century Council says can only be countered with proper education.

"College health officials know that confronting alcohol abuse on campus is a top priority, Alcohol 101 Plus is an important tool that will help us address this significant problem of alcohol abuse on campus," said Gail Gillan, director of the Health and Wellness Center.

The Alcohol 101 Plus program also includes features such as an interactive game called "b4udrink" which tests user's knowledge about how alcohol affects the body, friends, studying and sex. 

The program will be available to students as part of a pre-class orientation from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday in the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center.
 

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