MEREDITH RODRIGUEZ
Assistant News Editor
AlcoholEdu is no longer reserved for the hapless delinquent caught violating Pepperdine’s alcohol policies. This week and last week, freshmen living on upper and lower Dorm Road who voluntarily take the online alcohol education course will receive a free movie ticket and increase their hall’s chance of winning a big-screen television.
The Counseling Center, under its new director Connie Horton, is spearheading the research study to see whether AlcoholEdu works in reducing alcohol abuse among college students, particularly at Pepperdine.
“As in numerous other areas, alcohol education is an important example of how Pepperdine strives for excellence, follows best national practices, and uses methods that have been demonstrated to be effective,” Horton wrote in an e-mail to advocate the research study.
Horton is working with head institutional research officer Mike Feltner, the Housing and Community Living office, Dean of Student Affairs Mark Davis and her staff at the Counseling Center to ensure the study’s success. Despite the months of work the Counseling Center has put in, however, as of the end of the first week, freshman participation has been disappointingly low, according to Horton.
AlcoholEdu is an interactive online survey that has proven to be effective in increasing misconceptions surrounding alcohol and in motivating students to change their drinking
patterns, according to Robert Scholz, coordinator of alcohol education at Pepperdine’s Counseling Center.
“What they’ve shown with AlcoholEdu is that when people take the course, it changes their behavior and perceptions,” Scholz said. “This program is not convincing people to stop, it is more convincing people to consider, ‘Here’s what you’re doing … here’s how it affects your body and your schoolwork. Is it worth it?’”
Scholz said he thinks that if students realistically consider alcohol and its effects, as they are forced to do when taking the AlcoholEdu survey, then their abuse of it would change.
“I think it’s like any other behavior. If you’re doing something harmful to yourself, you tend to ignore the negative part of it,” Scholz said. “At McDonalds, for example you’re not thinking about calories or fat grams. You are thinking about how good it’s gonna taste.”
Likewise, those abusing alcohol do not think about blood-alcohol levels and their consequences, Scholz said.
National trends help prove Scholz’ point.
The task force on college drinking, commissioned by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), reports that alcohol consumption is linked to at least 1,4000 student deaths and 500,000 unintentional injuries annually. Alcohol consumption by college students is associated with drinking and driving, diminished academic performance and medical and legal problems.
The study further shows that non-drinking students are also affected by alcohol. For example, each year, more than 60,000 students are assaulted by other students who have been drinking.
Pepperdine is below national averages. Pepperdine is also at a 10-year low from previous years’ surveys, according to Davis.
In 2001, Pepperdine exceeded the 43 percent national binge-drinking rate at 50 percent, based on a Harvard national alcohol survey.
The 50 percent in 2001 represents a sharp increase from 32 percent in 1999.
In 2004, however, Pepperdine dropped to about 31 percent.
Davis said the drop may either be attributed to inaccurate data or to Pepperdine’s successful comprehensive approach to alcohol abuse. The comprehensive approach includes prevention programs such as AlcoholEdu, policy enforcement through judicial hearings and confidential treatment for those seeking help, including counseling center services, according to Davis.
Davis insisted that better is not good enough, however.
“Although I am encouraged by the positive findings relative to past trends and national benchmarks, we must still be resolved to lower the levels of binge drinking,” Davis said. “We must work diligently together as a community to reduce the number of students engaging in excessive drinking or drinking and driving. Life is too precious to take these senseless risks.”
Davis said he is particularly concerned about drinking and driving, considering the roads in and around Malibu.
“We are below the national average but not nearly enough,” he said.
The Counseling Center’s AlcoholEdu study falls in line with Davis’ goals to continue to reduce irresponsible drinking rates at Pepperdine.
“A lot of energy has been spent to see if this is going to be effective,” Horton said.
Horton said she hopes to get as many freshmen involved as possible. All would be ideal, Horton said.
All freshman dorms are divided into two groups: a control group and an experimental group. Those in the control group will take the surveys while the experimental group will receive educational intervention.
Because the control group’s test will last longer than the experimental group, each group competes separately for a big-screen television. One television is reserved for the experimental group while one is reserved for the control group. Halls with more than 50 percent participation, double their chance of winning the big-screen television.
Horton and her staff have sent out e-mails, put flyers in dorms and told freshmen Residential Advisors to encourage residents to complete the forms.
The small participation rate could be attributed to the fact that the survey is about three hours long. Horton said she hopes that the time commitment will not stop students from contributing, however.
“It seems like a lot, but how many of us waste that during two weeks?” Horton said.
To make it easier, students may fill out the survey at their own convenience and may log in and out in increments. They may even test out of certain areas. The first phase of the experiment ends Monday.
Phase two will begin within 30 days.
During phase two, students will receive a reminder e-mail telling them to log on again and fill out the follow-up survey. The follow-up survey will indicate if student’s behavior changed after taking the first survey.
This is only a first step in future prevention programs, according to Horton.
“Because of programs like this, we know more about students’ behavior,” Horton said. “We can develop future prevention based on results. This is part of a bigger picture we have for alcohol education.”
09-22-2005