As part of National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week (NCAAW) Oct. 20–25, CSU Monterey Bay is offering panel discussions, games, displays and other activities to help students understand the ramifications of alcohol and its effect. The activities are designed to reinforce personal responsibility and respect for state laws and campus policies when it comes to the consumption of alcohol. Highlights of this year’s activities include:

• Oct. 20, 8 p.m., Student Center: “You Otter Think Before You Drink,” sponsored by the Multicultural Greek Council, featuring a panel of speakers with different experiences and perspectives followed by an open mic discussion.

• Oct. 21-23, Main Quad: A crashed car display, sponsored by the University Police Department and Monterey Garage, demonstrating the very real consequences of drinking and driving.

• Oct. 22, 8 p.m., University Center ballroom: “Survey Says,” a family-feud style game show with an alcohol awareness theme, sponsored by the Otter Student Union.

• Oct. 23, noon, Main Quad: “Paint to Pledge,” sponsored by Sigma Theta Psi Sorority.

• Oct. 23, 8 p.m., Divarty Quad: Fireside chat, sponsored by the Residential Housing Association, information on being an empowered bystander.

•** Oct. 25, 10 a.m.**: “Make a Difference Day” park clean-up at Natividad Creek Park in Salinas, sponsored by Student Activities and Leadership

• Oct. 30, 7 p.m., Sports Center: “Dodge the Pumpkin” dodgeball tournament, sponsored by the Student Athlete Advisory Council.

NCAAW is the largest single event in all of academia because students take ownership in designing and implementing this observance for their campus communities. This week also provides campuses the opportunity to showcase healthy lifestyles free from the abuse or illegal use of alcohol and to combat negative stereotypes associated with college drinking behavior.

University faculty and staff also play a vital role in working with students to educate them about alcohol.

“NCAAW allows us to show our students here at CSUMB – particularly new students – that most of their peers are not abusing alcohol and most are making healthy and safe decisions,” said Gary Rodriguez, health promotion and prevention specialist for the Campus Health Center.

NCAAW 2014 also highlights the “Aware, Awake, Alive!” program, implemented at CSUMB and all other CSU campuses. The program, which equips students with the tools and knowledge to prevent alcohol-related deaths, was created by Scott and Julia Starkey after they lost their son, Carson, to alcohol poisoning while he was a freshman at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

“This program is ideal for college students because it educates them on the symptoms of alcohol poisoning, creates awareness on the conditions that enable it, and encourages responsibility for one another in situations where alcohol is consumed,” Rodriguez said.

NCAAW at CSUMB is a collaborative effort of Health & Wellness Services, the POWER Peer Education Program, Student Housing & Residential Life, the Residential Housing Association, Athletics, the Student Athlete Advisory Council, Student Activities & Leadership Development, the Office of Judicial Affairs & Community Standards, University Police Department, Conference & Event Services, Sigma Theta Psi Sorority, the Multicultural Greek Council, Associated Students, Otter Student Union, Sun Street Recovery Centers, the Monterey County Rape Crisis Center, Monterey Garage and the California Highway Patrol.