Alcohol Awareness Week to challenge students’ alcohol use

Given the culture of a college campus, drinking alcohol is something many students participate in, whether legally or illegally. The Center for Peer Education begins its yearly Alcohol Awareness Week today to help students gain a deeper understanding of the effects of alcohol.

“National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week is an annual event hosted the third week of October,” said Brittany Bohl, a prevention coordinator for CPE. “The purpose of Alcohol Awareness Week is to provide education and awareness about responsible alcohol consumption.”

Students are often put in new situations when they live on their own for the first time. The CPE wants to provide students with the resources they  need to make safe decisions. 

 “During this week, the Center for Peer Education facilitates events and programs to educate about binge drinking, alcohol poisoning, bystander intervention, standard drink sizes, consent and unintended consequences associated with high-risk drinking behaviors,” Bohl said. “Furthermore, this week is designed to promote safe and responsible drinking.”

There will be several different events going on during the week. The week will kick off with the event “Did You Notice Me Last Night?” a live art demonstration to show students what happens when irresponsible drinking occurs and the problems it can create.  

“This event is a series of live displays which depict real-life scenarios of what can happen at parties,” Bohl said. “The images are impactful and meant to communicate powerful non-verbal messages.”

This demonstration will take place from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday on the west lawn of the University Center.

“This event is a call for bystander intervention as it asks students to recognize things that are going too much to drink, is too intoxicated to drive, is engaging in non-consensual sex, etcetera,” Bohl said. 

Thursday will provide students with numerous events to attend on campus. The CPE, Greek Life and Sigma Kappa and Pi Kappa Phi will host guest speaker Tait Martin. His presentation is titled  “Exposure 101: Smart Tactics to Manage Your Social Media Identity.”

Given the permanent nature of the Internet, sometimes students don’t realize the implications that can come from posting something sensitive or embarrassing on one of their many social media platforms.

Martin will help guide students through the opportunities and nightmares associated with social media use. More specifically, he will inform students of ways to successfully control their online identity in easy and practical steps and address the problems and benefits that can come along with an online identity. For example, he will give in-depth descriptions of social media friends, online image, building and enhancing branding and cyber-stalking. 

There will also be a new event taking place on Thursday and Friday, called Serving Size Challenge.

“At this event, we will challenge students about serving sizes with different sized solo cups,” Bohl said. “The purpose of this event is to educate students on actual serving sizes so that they are better equipped to estimate their blood alcohol content and pace themselves more accurately if they choose to drink.” 

This event will take place from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on the lower back patio of the UC.

The week will end by kicking off Family and Friends Weekend with bingo on Friday instead of its usual Wednesday night.  Doors open at 8 p.m. and the games start at 8:30 p.m.