New Students Must Pass Alcohol Program BY Sasha Vasilyuk Contribution Writer Thursday, July 28, 2005 All entering students at UC Berkeley will be required to pass an online alcohol- education program starting this fall as a measure to teach students about drinking in college. Following the recent revision of AlcoholEdu, a program that had been used only in some Greek houses and as a sanctioning measure for student violations, all first year, transfer and fall extension students will have to complete the course as part of their campus orientation. The program consists of three surveys, multiple-choice questions and an exam, and takes two to three hours to complete. Students will have to complete the first section of the course by Aug. 19 and the other half a month later. In order to pass the course, students have to get 70 percent or higher on the exam. Students who do not pass are allowed to retake the test. “The goal of the program is to give students information before they come to campus,” said Stacy Holguin, manager of judicial affairs and compliance in the Office of Student Life. The university has used this program for two years as a sanction for students who committed violations under the influence of alcohol, Holguin said. “We learned that students who completed the program were half less likely to commit another violation than the students who did not,” she said. “Now the technology has reached a point where mass education is possible.” AlcoholEdu was created in 2000 by Outside the Classroom, an alcohol-education company, and will cost the university $6 per student and $36,000 total. “I’m very excited that we’re doing something this comprehensive with the entering students,” said Dean of Students Karen Kenney. Despite its widespread campus support, some incoming freshman are skeptical about the effectiveness of the program. “I don’t know what they can tell me that I don’t already know,” said freshman David Nachum. “Most students have been drinking before they come to college.” Holguin agreed that statistics show that the majority of students have their first drink before they come to campus. “But in a college environment the students do not come home to their mom and dad,” she said, explaining that AlcoholEdu outlines some college-specific situations involving alcohol like living in the residence halls and casual sex. The program underwent revisions on July 13 to further personalize the test. Students who abstain from alcohol will be tested on different subjects than students who say they are heavy drinkers. Also, test-takers can opt out of particular sections that they feel familiar with, such as blood-alcohol concentration or addiction. Freshman Nick LoCicero, who said he is not planning on drinking at school, recently completed the first section of the program. LoCicero said the test helped him understand alcohol’s possible consequences, even for nondrinkers. “If a roommate stumbles in and throws up on the floor at 2:30 in the morning, how will I do the next day at my 9:00 class? The alcohol program tells you the answer. I am glad I know it now,” LoCicero said. However, many students who did not drink in high school will not necessarily continue to abstain in college, students said. “I know I’ll be responsible, but I’m sure that’s what everybody says,” said freshman Joe Lowney. http://www.dailycal.org/article.php?id=19069 Back To Guvment Skool Page 7 COPYRIGHT "DUHMAG.COM" 2005