Ohio
Colleges Require Freshmen Alcohol Prevention Program
Two Ohio public colleges, Miami University and Ohio University,
are requiring freshmen to complete an online alcohol-prevention
program before they begin classes, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported
Aug. 6.
"What we're trying to do is to get everybody on a level playing
field. College students come in with varying degrees of knowledge
about alcohol," said Leslie Haxby-McNeill, Miami University's
prevention coordinator.
Although Miami University doesn't impose any penalties on freshmen
who don't complete the course, Ohio University freshmen who fail
to finish the program by midway through the school's first quarter
are not allowed to register for the following semester.
The AlcoholEdu program, which is two to three hours in length,
provides students with individualized feedback based on their drinking
history. "The course isn't just about facts. It's about taking
that and applying it to your individual decision making," said
Brandon Busteed, founder and chief executive of Outside the Classroom,
the Newton, Mass.-based group that produces AlcoholEdu.
Currently, 300 colleges and universities countrywide use the program
for part of their student bodies, with 100 institutions using it
for their entire freshman class.
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