Newspapers / Elon University Student Newspaper / Oct. 1, 1998, edition 1 / Page 12
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12 October 1,1998 Features Elon & Alcohol: Creating a cultural shift October is National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Month. In an attempt to emphasize the social norms of students, several programs are being implemented on campus. How serious is the problem at Elon College? What do administrators, faculty and students think? Are there^ alternative activities for nondrinkers? This four-part series examines these questions. Giselle Pole The Pendulum When dealing with alcohol use among students, don’t think of the Elon administration as a drill sergeant barking orders or an over bearing parent demanding answers. “Elon’s goal is to show con cern and care, and to do something about what’s happening in our com munity,” said Resa Walch, assis tant professor of HPEL and director of Substance Abuse Education. It is this concern for students that led Elon College’s Administra tive Council to issue a position state ment on alcohol use in August of 1998. The report stated that Elon’s position is not one of “prohibition but one of education and account ability.” The message they want to send to students who choose to drink is that they hope students “make conscious and low-risk choices that do not diminish their success and the success of others.” According to the report, low- risk choices includes making deci sions about drinking before going to the party, and eating a meal be fore drinking. "We want those who choose to drink to control the volume and the frequency of their drinking,” said Dr. Fred Young, college presi dent. Several alcohol-related deaths on college campuses nation wide resulted in a series of media blitzes on alcohol and drug use among college students., which prompted Elon to take steps to ad dress the issue of alcohol on cam pus, primarily through a survey. In the spring of 1997 Richard McBride, college chaplain, orga nized a campus-wide CORE survey for students.When the results re turned, he said that the level of drinking amazed him the most. Elon College markets itself as a caring community. So when the results of the 1997 CORE survey showed that 46% of students have six or fewer drinks weekly, college administrators developed a plan to reach those students. They have developed five goals for the 1998-99 year. 1) Infuse substance abuse education into the academic cur> riculum. Begun as a pilot project last spring, the On Campus Talking About Alcohol (OCTAA) program is a 7-9 hour course that aims to increase abstinence and reduce high- risk drinking. This year, seven fac ulty and staff are certified to teach this program to all Wellness 110 classes (Scott Nelson, Anne Wingler, Joel Haskins, Joyce Davis, Resa Walch, Brenda Paul and Paul Miller). They plan to reach a mini mum of 75% of freshmen through this method. “This is not a repeat of your high school class. And I'm not going to tell you what’s right and wrong for you,” Walch told the bill INGOUD MAZDA OR HONDA SALES, SERVICE & BODY REPAIR Visn OUR AWARD WINNING SERVICE DEPARIMENI BURLINGTON 0 HEOIUTljBL 1 I Ml mmmwmm mm 2920 S.CHURCH ST. BmiNGTON 5*4-4878 iCXC£l V MF A M H students. 2) Develop and implement media campaign to shape posi tive drinking norms on campus. “It is a myth that Elon students drink excessively,” the report stated. “The majority of students drink one time per week or less frequently.” The goal is to portray these figures and other positive aspects of alco hol use through OCTAA classes "We want those who choose to drink to control the volume and the frequency of their drinking." *Dr. J. Fred Young, President and student media. “The more stu dents this message comes in contact with, the more it can be a part of their conversation,” Walch said. 3) Form a campus-wide committee. This is not finalized yet; how ever, a list has been generated of possible committee members and will be organized through Vice President Smith Jackson’s office. 4) Celebrate the athlete. This goal was accomplished on August 30. The program, “Stand ing strong on mind, body and spirit,” provided educational info on life skills. “The stronger a person’s life skills, the less likely they are to drink high-risk,” Walch said. 5) Involve students. “Peer education is one of the greatest untapped resources,” Walch said. “No matter how old you are, the message from your peers is the one you are most likely to listen to.” As a result, the organization Greeks Advocating the Mature Manage ment of Alcohol (GAMMA) was revitalized this semester. Social chairs of organizations are required to attend a Risk Management train ing, organized by Dean Jana Lynn Patterson, which teaches students when and how to intervene when someone has had too much to drink. Community Development Coordi nators (CDCs) will be coordinating a series of informal discussions on the role of alcohol with their resi dents. Are these goals working? Several students admitted that they were not familiar with the goals implemented by the college. But neither Walch nor McBride is sur prised. “It will take at least five or six years to see an actual difference,” McBride said. Change takes time, he added. “There has to be a shift in cultural norms in order to reduce high-risk drinking,” Walch said. “I believe that Elon is committed to creating a healthy culture... we're in it for the long haul.” GAMMA regroups ac- Freshman Chad Macy cepted a bid for Kappa Sigma fra ternity shortly before his death six years ago. This alcohol-related in cident, and the fact that he was involved in a Greek activity, in spired the reformation of Greeks Advocating Mature Management of Alcohol (GAMMA) in 1992. This fall, GAMMA is re grouping to spread alcohol aware ness on campus, especially during October, National Collegiate Alco hol Awareness Month. The group, open to all Greeks, meets the third Wednesday each month. Some of their activities for the month include hosting a speaker, distributing pins and flyers and co sponsoring events with other orga nizations on alcohol use. The goal of GAMMA is to stress “low risk drinking, not absti nence,” said Anne Wingler, GAMMA adviser. This year's officers are Kelly Woody, president; Heather Doss,vice-president; Kenisha Walton,secretary and Erika Johnson, treasurer. After the first meeting, students were eager to spread positive messages on cam pus. “It is great to get together with a group of people who are all excited and ready to get things done,” Woody said. 1160 Huffman Mill Rd. Burlington, NC 27215 (336)-584-0684 11AM-9PM Sun thru Thur 11AM-10PM Fri & Sat (Near Alamance Regional Hospital) ALL ELON Students, Faculty & Staff Receive 10% off with College ID
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Oct. 1, 1998, edition 1
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