10-15-98
											
OHIO STATE JOINS COLLEGES NATIONWIDE TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST ALCOHOL-
RELATED DEATHS AND TRAGEDIES

	COLUMBUS -- Members of The Ohio State University Get Real 
Alcohol Coalition will gather Monday (10/19) at 2 p.m. on the Oval 
to speak out against alcohol-related deaths and tragedies on 
college campuses nationwide. 

	The “Not Here” event is a nationally coordinated event at more 
than 800 college campuses to kick off to the National Collegiate 
Alcohol Awareness Week in which administrators, faculty, students 
and community members join to build healthier and safer campuses.  
The Get Real coalition is a group of campus and community members 
that works to reduce the incidence of alcohol and drug problems in 
the neighborhood adjacent to and on the Columbus campus.

	“Our goal is to get more students, faculty and administrators 
involved in our coalition and raise awareness about the alcohol 
tragedies that have happened across the country.  Last year there 
were 50 alcohol-related fatalities on college campuses alone,” said 
Connie Boehm, acting director for the Student Wellness Center and 
chair of the Get Real coalition.  “We are proposing that things 
like that won’t happen here.  To do that we need to educate and get 
more people involved in what we are doing and to teach students 
low-risk choices with alcohol use.”
	


	Mary Daniels, assistant vice president for wellness and 
student development, will give remarks beginning at 2 p.m.  Student 
leaders and other faculty and administrators will also speak at the 
event.  Participants will be asked to sign a proclamation in 
support of the “Not Here” project and pledge their commitment to 
work to prevent alcohol-related deaths and tragedies in the campus 
community.

	“We have to continue to work aggressively to be sure that Ohio 
State does not have alcohol-related deaths or tragedies occur, and 
create awareness of what has occurred,” Daniels said. “We are 
fortunate that we have not had any deaths in recent years, but we 
can’t take that for granted.  Our focus must be on working actively 
with students in addressing responsible decisions with concerns to 
alcohol use.”

	Ohio State unveiled its comprehensive alcohol and other drug 
prevention plan last year.  The plan, funded last September with 
$80,000 as part of a 0.5 percent tuition set aside, addresses 
cultural issues surrounding student use of alcohol and other drugs 
and is committed to changing the campus culture and environment 
that contributes to student substance use.

	The plan does not advocate zero tolerance or abstinence, but 
rather provides a framework for a comprehensive prevention plan 
that includes low-risk alcohol use to change the campus culture and 
create a healthful climate with respect to alcohol and other drugs.

	The plan places emphasis on cultural issues that contribute to 
the campus environment rather than individual student drinking 
behaviors.  It focuses on several components, including: 
environmental monitoring, assessment and evaluation; hospitality 
services and alliances; social marketing; faculty and student 
involvement; and education.

	“The plan includes provisions that allow for faculty 
involvement in prevention wherever possible, from weaving awareness 
strategies into existing courses to taking five minutes at the 
beginning of class to discuss alcohol awareness,” Boehm said.  “We 
want to increase awareness from all angles to make a cultural 
change in alcohol knowledge and use.”

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Contact: Connie Boehm, acting director, Student Wellness Center, 
(614) 688-4458