The editorial board of The Miami Student recognizes Miami University's achievement for winning the Prevention Excellence Award for the 2008-09 school year, influenced by the university's use of the program AlcoholEdu. Although AlcoholEdu has won an award, the university should care about the impact of the program, rather than the awards it wins. Real students are not finding this program effective. Seventy-eight percent of students polled by a recent student survey distributed in King Cafe said they were doing other things while the videos were playing in their computers. They are watching television, reading, playing video games and one even said she was doing laundry.
Decisions on the effectiveness of a program should be made based on those who take the program, not an outside organization that does not know students.
By re-evaluating its alcohol program, Miami can show it truly cares about the problem of binge drinking, not just the good press received by winning an award. Miami must seriously consider the results of these surveys and develop a plan to tackle the ineffectiveness of AlcoholEdu.
Members of this board have had positive alcohol prevention experiences when a speaker addressed them in a realistic manner and didn't tiptoe around the fact that many college students choose to drink. AlcoholEdu tells you numbers and statistics, but it has no human interest or real feeling behind it. A speaker who initially recognizes that many of the people he or she is addressing probably drink would be much better received by students than a computer program. The speaker could help students see the danger of crossing the line into the zone where drinking becomes dangerous, and at times deadly, through stories about real people or personal situations.
This speaker could address residence halls by quad, with the RAs helping to enforce attendance. Following the lecture students could be given a quiz that must be completed for them to register for spring semester classes.
This board realizes some students will still not pay attention and just get the answers from a roommate or friend, but at least there would be discussion about the speaker's stories, not just clicking the next button on the screen.
Students pay attention better in class with an engaging lecturer rather than a Power Point presentation, and this same concept can transfer to alcohol prevention education. If first-years are actively listening to a speaker, they may remember the story the next time they want to reach for one more beer at a party.
