Students now have access to round two of AlcoholEdu as part of the University’s effort to ensure that incoming students are well-informed on the consequences of consuming alcohol.
AlcoholEdu is a program designed to educate students on smart alcohol consumption and how to recognize the effects of poor alcohol use. It is presented online through a series of reenactments, animations and statistics reflecting aspects of alcohol usage.
The program consists of two informative portions as well as utilities to plan better habits and set limits for alcohol consumption and is offered free to all students. Completion of the informative portions is required of all incoming students under the age of 21 to register for spring semester classes.
AlcoholEdu, which the University made mandatory three years ago, has been received positively by health faculty who see it as a vital tool to fighting alcohol abuse.
Chris Austin, assistant director of health promotion, said the program addresses a major concern at the University.
“Alcohol is the number one issue on campus and students need to know more,” he said. “Many issues which students encounter revolve around alcohol use.”
Austin said the program has helped in making the student body more aware of the implications of alcohol consumption and making it mandatory ensures all students are at least somewhat informed.
“Since the program was made mandatory there has been an increase in reported cases of alcohol poisoning, but this is because more students are able to recognize poisoning and know how to respond properly.”
Dr. Ronni Margolin, clinical psychologist at the Counseling Center, said she noticed an increase in awareness with regards to alcohol from the students who come to the Counseling Center since the program was instituted.
“Students now tend to have a better understanding when they come in on topics like blood alcohol concentration and habits to moderate alcohol consumption,” Margolin said. “It helps a lot as there is less time needed to educate students and more time for addressing actual problems.”
Despite commendation from health officials, the program has been poorly received by many students who concede little to its benefits and see it as a waste of time.
Students like Audrey Caster, a freshman in nutrition science, are not impressed with the program, going so far as to say AlcoholEdu is not effective at all.
“It’s a good gesture to make it mandatory, but it’s really lame, long and pointless,” Caster said. “It’s nothing you didn’t learn from your high school alcohol classes.”
Adelyn Lively, a junior in business and public relations, said she recalls having to complete the program in her first year.
“I didn’t think it helped at all,” she said. “It takes more than forty minutes and most people just let it auto-play and click random answers.”
Lively said while some information provided by the program may be insightful, it is not going to apply to non-drinkers nor change people who do drink.
“In the end, it’s just another requirement on the list to get into college,” she said.