Workshop organizers hope to reduce drinking among students

The workshop will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the West Faculty Lounge of the Purdue Memorial Union and is free for Purdue faculty, staff and community members. Funding for the workshop comes from a $300,000 grant that Purdue's Student Wellness Office received from the U.S. Department of Education. Pre-reserved attendance for the workshop is at capacity, and registration is closed.

"Through this grant, the Student Wellness Office hopes to involve parents, students and the community in its project called PEEPS, or Positive Educational Experiences for Purdue Students," said Tammy Loew, health advocacy coordinator in the Student Wellness Office, which is located in the Purdue Student Health Center. "Our main goal with the program is to reduce high-risk drinking among first-year students.

"Through partnerships with the campus and the community, we plan to create a healthy and positive environment for Purdue students."

The workshop will focus on the transition from high school to college, Purdue alcohol data and strategies to reduce high-risk drinking on campus.

Robert Chapman, an assistant clinical professor and associate director in the Behavioral and Addiction Counseling Science program at Drexel University in Philadelphia, will speak at the event.

As a consultant and trainer, Chapman specializes in issues related to high-risk and dangerous drinking and higher education. He is the Pennsylvania regional coordinator of The Network: Addressing Collegiate Alcohol and Other Drug Issues, an organization of campus-based leaders who address issues related to alcohol, drugs and violence.

Along with the workshop, the Department of Education grant will fund several additional components during the next two years. They include:

• Collaborating with faculty, teaching assistants and academic advisers to bring information into the classroom.

• Designing a media campaign about the dangers of high-risk drinking.

• Engaging parents through a Web site, brochures and surveys about alcohol issues.

• Increasing alcohol-free activities and related advertising through the Division of Recreational Sports, University Residences and Purdue Student Union Board.

• Working with University Residences and its intervention program for sanctioned students.

For information about the workshop and other Purdue programs, call (765) 494-9355.

Writer: Christy Jones, (765) 494-1089, christyjones@purdue.edu

Source: Tammy Loew, Student Wellness Office health advocacy coordinator, (765) 496-6780, tfloew@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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