The Office of Student Judicial Affairs and the Office of Health Promotion and Wellness are teaming up to promote Alcohol Awareness Week on campus from Oct. 18th to Oct. 22.
According to the Judicial Affairs website, the two offices will be hosting a series of events on the Quad throughout the week. On Monday the organization set up 1,900 red flags representing the national number of alcohol-related college student deaths. The organization also plans to distribute alcohol awareness ribbons through Thursday, “Know Your BAC” cards today and help host a drunk driving simulator seminar Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Ferguson Center.
“I think the purpose of Alcohol Awareness Week is just to make students aware of making good choices and decisions,” said Paula Perry, assistant director of educational programs at the Office of Student Judicial Affairs. “We just want to make sure they know what’s out there and available for them whether it be a cab service, or if they need 348-RIDE — stuff like that.”
Perry said students have preconceived notions about how others are drinking around them, which leads to dangerous drinking habits.
“They think that everyone on campus is drinking and that everybody is drinking to get drunk,” Perry said. “That’s not always the case. Most are just having a couple drinks to get a good buzz.”
It’s these misconceptions that often get students in trouble, and educating the student body is one way to reduce the number of alcohol-related sanctions, Perry said.
“We do get a lot of minor in possession. That’s our main case,” Perry said. “But we’re doing a lot of proactive work where we go out to all of the freshman compass classes, and we talk about making good choices when it comes to alcohol. We also talk to them about the most common sanctions: minor in possession, DUI and public intoxication.”
Perry said students need to learn about the consequences of uncontrolled drinking, but also should take steps to protect themselves while drinking.
“Most of the time, young people don’t have a high tolerance level,” Perry said. “They just get to campus where they get an up-close and personal chance to actually drink the way they want. Know your tolerance and stick with it. Have a plan and some friends with you who know that plan. Don’t let yourself be convinced to have more than you can handle.”
Delynne Wilcox, assistant director of Health Promotion and Wellness at the Student Health Center, also advised students to mind their limits when consuming alcohol.
“It’s important to be aware of how much alcohol you are consuming,” Wilcox said. “Students should take protective measure like eating before they drink and while they are drinking. Pacing their drinks is also important.”
She said self-made drinks can be the most harmful because students aren’t always aware of how much they’re pouring. A lot of the time, students end up making much stronger drinks than they intended.
“Just because it fits in a 16-ounce SOLO cup doesn’t mean it counts as one drink,” Wilcox said.
Alec Gainer, a junior majoring in operations management, said he doesn’t let alcohol disrupt his life and affect his college performance.
“I think that alcohol is a problem on campus, but that there are better things I can be spending my time on,” Gainer said.
Alyssa Viladiu, a freshman majoring in secondary English education, said she appreciates how the University is addressing the problems associated with alcohol head-on.
“Honestly, I’m not much of a partier,” Viladiu said. “But it’s good that [Alcohol Awareness Week] is such an outward motion on campus. I’m not super educated about alcohol, but I’m glad they’re doing this.”
For more information about alcohol awareness, and common alcohol-related citations, visit the judicial affairs website at ja.ua.edu/index.html.
