Grant Awarded During National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week

VALDOSTA -- News of a grant awarded to the Office of Alcohol & Other Drug (AODE) Education for the seventh consecutive year comes during the 2010 National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week, Oct. 17-23. The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety’s (GOHS) Young Adult Grant provides the office with nearly $9,000 to enhance alcohol-prevention programs and bring nationally recognized speakers to campus.

AODE Coordinator, Mark Williams, said the grant has enabled the office, in conjunction with Health Promotions and Housing, to invite Brett Sokolow, president of the National Center for Higher Education Risk Management, to speak about "Drunk Sex or Date Rape" at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 21, in the Student Union Ball Room.

Beyond motivational speakers, Williams said the office also plans to use GOHS funds to expose students to DUI simulators, purchase promotional and educational items, and finance the trips of Peer Educators to educational conferences.

“The most basic goal of AOD is to let students know we are a resource available to them, and this grant helps us reach that goal,” said Williams, who previously served for 11 years as a U.S. Air Force substance abuse counselor. “Students do not have to struggle alone; together we can sort through the compelling issues they face and identify options they can make as they decide what, if any, role substance use will play in their college experience.”

Williams, who has worked at VSU for 11 years, said substance abuse is perhaps the greatest threat to students’ academic pursuits. According to BACCHUS global education network, “A” students average 4 or fewer drinks per week, “C” students average about 7 drinks per week; while “D” and “F” students average 9.97 drinks per week. The network’s website, http://www.bacchusgamma.org/ncaaw.asp, has a variety of informational resources about college drinking and its related consequences.

For more information about the AOD’s preventions efforts, informational presentations and the student organization, Natural High, go to https://webstats.valdosta.edu/aode/ or call the office at 229-259-5111.