And the survey says...Nearly half of incoming CU students indicate interest in alcohol-free activities

9/12/2008

The Colorado Daily

By Lance Vaillancourt

An integrative approach to providing students alternative activities to underage and high-risk drinking is in the works on the CU campus, thanks to a highly successful web-based course spearheaded by the Alcohol and Other Drugs Program.

At the heart of the new campaign is AlcoholEdu, an online alcohol-prevention program that motivates behavior change by providing students with answers to alcohol-related questions and links students to alcohol-free campus community activities.

Students who complete the AlcoholEdu course not only contribute to a national database of survey information through filling out questionnaires, but also receive specific information based on their responses and are offered opportunities to become involved in campus events based on their interests.

The first step toward maximizing the program's effectiveness was to get incoming CU students aware of the program before even setting foot on campus, which is why, in July, a letter discussing the program's benefits was mailed to each CU freshman expected to attend this semester.

"By completing this course, all incoming students will have an appropriate and accurate understanding of alcohol and the potential for alcohol abuse. Whether or not you decide to drink while at CU-Boulder, this course will help you make decisions for yourself, as well as assist you in coping with the possible drinking behavior of your peers," stated the letter signed by Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Philip DiStefano, Ph.D. and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Julie Wong.

Since the letter was mailed to the approximate 5,800 students making up this year's record-breaking freshman class, 4,800 of those students went on to complete the 2.5 hour course voluntarily, and more than 2,300 signed up to get involved in the alcohol-free student engagement features, according to Jan Curtis, director of the alcohol and other drugs program.

"That's music to my ears," said Curtis, referencing both the 80 percent success rate of the initial letter and the 48 percent success rate of engaging the students who completed the course.

Curtis noted that, now that the first step is complete, they have a working list of students interested in getting involved in alcohol-free activities. He also noted that there is still a lot of work to be done to connect them to their desired engagements. By the hundreds, students confirming for AlcoholEdu that they were interested in sports, movies, games and activities such as bowling and/or community service are now being notified of various campus programs and event opportunities based on their responses.

Students who verified an interest in community service, for example, had their name and e-mail address routed to the Volunteer Resource Center, who can now contact them about community-service activities.

"We had over 700 students respond to us through the AlcoholEdu program," said Anna Domenico, director of the VRC. "It's a great opportunity for our services and programs because now interested students can get involved right when they start their CU experience."

Domenico also commented how getting engaged in student groups through programs such as AlcoholEdu is an easy way to make friends because it connects like-minded peers who share the same interests.

According to Curtis, the program is not meant to be exclusive to freshmen, as the goal is to broaden its appeal to all students throughout campus.