Online alcohol program should engage offline with peer advisers, speakers

The Office of First-Year and Transfer Programs changed its online alcohol education course for freshmen from the considerably outdated Ever-Fi Alcohol Education to Think About It, which includes a Title IX sexual assault component.

This is one step toward further educating incoming students about the dangers of substance abuse. But alcohol education for incoming freshmen does not end with an online course. It should be a more personal experience.

The Office of First-Year and Transfer Programs must revamp the alcohol education process for next year’s orientation to better prepare incoming students for the social setting of the university. This is even more pertinent given the Princeton Review’s ranking of Syracuse University as a top 5 party school.

Education on substance abuse should become an inherent part of the on-campus orientation week. University officials should implement a more personal educational experience between freshmen and upperclassman peer advisers. Freshmen should also be required to attend mandatory speaker events during which their peers tell personal stories about how they have been affected by alcohol while at SU.

Specifically, the university could take advantage of the peer adviser program provided to freshmen by their home colleges. These peer advisers currently only offer academic advice. However, with expanded training featuring alcohol education, they could offer freshmen a small-discussion environment to talk about substance abuse.

Freshmen would feel more comfortable opening up about the gritty details of the university’s social scene to these peer advisers than they would a resident adviser.

Peer advisers could further educate the freshmen on SU specifics, like who to contact if they or their peers encounter alcohol poisoning, as well as the university’s disciplinary policies regarding substance abuse.

Another way to bring alcohol education to campus is to implement a mandatory student speaker event during orientation week.

This speaker would tell freshmen that the horror stories of alcohol poisoning could be realities for SU students. They would serve as cautionary tales, and would be compelling when told by an upperclassman or recent graduate who overcame substance abuse.

Ultimately, it is a reality that students drink on this campus. Students will not completely abstain from drinking, but they can be provided with a more personal education on the topic.

The Office of First-Year and Transfer Programs should take advantage of upperclassmen and their experiences on campus. Students can lead by example on both the academic and social scene of the university and promote alcohol awareness along the way.