Faced with the alcohol-related deaths of two students this spring, the University of Kansas has put new policies in place to mitigate the dangers of binge drinking. Emporia State University, while not following KU’s lead exactly, does have programming in place for its students that deals with the dangers of alcohol.
One new program at KU is the requirement for all students 21 and younger to complete a two-step class that emphasizes the dangers of alcohol abuse.
Although those classes are not a requirement for ESU students, President Michael Lane said the university does have alcohol awareness programs to make students aware of the potential consequences of alcohol abuse.
“We do it as part of orientation, and then we have ongoing seminars through our residential life staff as well,” Lane said.
Director of Residential Life Cass Coughlin pointed out the differences between KU’s and ESU’s alcohol-awareness programming, pointing out that although classes are not required, there are resources available for students.
“We don’t have a required educational course or program,” Coughlin said, “but we do have some different resources available to students where a drinking problem or concern comes to our attention, either through a conduct case or student self-reports.”
Perhaps one reason for the lack of required courses is the relative lack of alcohol-related student offenses on the smaller ESU campus.
“We don’t see too many offenses in the residence halls,” Coughlin said. “The programs we have are all within the context of making good decisions.”
One student organization deals specifically with alcohol and drugs as they relate to good decision-making skills.
Greeks Advocating the Mature Management of Alcohol is an organization for fraternity and sorority members who work to raise awareness of the consequences of alcohol and drug abuse. The group also works to raise awareness of how these relate to offenses such as sexual assault.
“One of the things (members) are doing this year is learning about how, as peer educators, to confront situations when they see them and intervene,” said co-advisor Jason Bosch, who works in the center for student involvement. “It could be anything from alcohol use to drugs to sexual assault to eating disorders. Any sort of unhealthy behaviors, they train to be able to confront those situations.”
GAMMA members this year will be teaming up to develop their own workshops on alcohol issues, Bosch said. In the spring the members will work on outreach.