Raise your voice! You can save a life! is campaign theme

During the week of Oct. 16, students at California State University, Monterey Bay will join with their peers on more than 800 campuses across the country to promote National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week (NCAAW).

During the week, students will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of events, all designed to reinforce personal responsibility and respect for state laws and campus policies when it comes to the consumption of alcohol.

This year's activities include:

• "Health Fest,” sponsored by the POWER Peer Education Program, highlighting campus and community organizations dedicated to helping students make safe and responsible choices, noon, Oct. 17, in Main Quad

• A panel featuring CSUMB students with different perspectives on and experiences with alcohol speaking in a discussion format, 8 p.m., Oct. 17, library, Room 1180

• Gatorade Pong tournament, sponsored by the Student Athlete Advisory Council, 9 p.m., Oct. 18, Black Box Cabaret

• Fireside chat, sponsored by the Residential Housing Association, with information provided by representatives from community organizations, 7 p.m., Oct. 19, in Main Quad

• CSUMB's fourth annual Jell-O wrestling tournament, 10 p.m., Oct. 20, in North Quad • Concert featuring “The Dangerous Summer,” sponsored by the Otter Student Union, 9 p.m., Oct. 21, Black Box Cabaret

NCAAW has grown to become the largest single event in all of academia because students take ownership in designing and implementing the observance for their campus communities. The 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. "NCAAW is a focused event for campuses to address alcohol abuse and impaired driving prevention efforts," said Janet Cox, head of the BACCHUS Network, a national nonprofit organization that supports student health and safety through peer education.

"Ultimately, campuses need to educate students about excessive drinking and consequences that can occur on personal, academic and campus levels. All college and university offices need to empower students to take responsibility for their own decisions and the campus environment when it comes to alcohol,” she said.

“Participation in NCAAW helps students and college administrators work together to increase awareness and strengthen year-round prevention efforts. We have to engage and empower students in efforts to take care of themselves and each other," Cox said.

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 with CSUMB’s Health & Wellness Services.

The 2011 NCAAW “Raise Your Voice! You Can Save a Life!” campaign theme, developed by the BACCHUS Network, contains a message of student empowerment through decision-making that is safe and healthy. It encourages students to take care of friends, to call for help if concerned about alcohol poisoning, and to take proactive steps to stay safe in social situations where alcohol may be present.

The messages support personal responsibility and practical safety tips about avoiding excessive drinking, not driving after drinking, and not riding with a driver who has been drinking.

“These are great messages for students because they focus on providing them with education and skill development. They allow students to make their own informed choices,” Rodriguez said.

NCAAW at CSUMB is a collaborative effort of the Personal Growth & Counseling Center, 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, the Campus Health Center, Academic & Centralized Scheduling, Sigma Theta Psi Sorority, the Multicultural Greek Council, Otter Student Union, Sun Street Recovery Centers and the California Highway Patrol.

NCAAW isn’t the only way CSUMB works to educate students about drinking.

For the last two years, a program called AlcoholEdu has been required for all freshmen. During the summer before they start classes at CSUMB, freshmen must complete a web-based course that deals with a variety of alcohol-related topics. The goal is to ensure that students have a base of information before they arrive on campus – when they are exposed to alcohol and behavior patterns get formed.

Indications are it has been successful at CSUMB. To learn more about AlcoholEdu.

Learn more about health and wellness services CSUMB.