AlcoholEdu, an online course many students are already familiar with, is now a mandatory prerequisite for incoming freshmen beginning this fall semester.
“In the past we’ve had an implied consent expectation with the program and there was no penalty for not taking it,” Chris Austin, assistant director of health promotion and substance abuse prevention, said.
Now if students fail to take the course, which continues until October, they cannot register for the spring semester classes, Austin said.
“It’s great,” Sean Barnett, a sophomore in computer science, said. “I didn’t take it because I didn’t really know about it.”
The course is approximately three-hours long and is taught completely over the Internet. It consists of a survey, or pre-test, to assess students’ current drinking habits, an informative lecture on the science, social aspects of alcohol and possible consequences related to alcohol, and a post-test at the conclusion of the course to evaluate the students’ comprehension of the subject matter.
The program is showing success in increasing students’ knowledge about alcohol. Pre-test scores run an average of a D while post-test scores are resulting in an A average, according to Austin.
“Everyone knows the consequences of drinking — they know it’s not good for you,” Jenny Hodges, a senior in mathematics, said. “Truthfully they start drinking in high school. You don’t need a three-hour course to teach them what they already know.”
The change to a mandatory prerequisite came because the University’s policy makers thought it would be a good thing to do. But according to Austin, alcohol use is not a growing problem.
“Alcohol is usually a major problem with most college students,” Austin said. “Most students try drinking at least once when they come to college and if they are underage then this is illegal. It isn’t that alcohol is a growing problem at N.C. State, we just want students to be more informed.”
“You learn a lot,” said Mary Smith, a senior in animal science who had to take the course when she transferred into NCSU, “It can tell you useful things like how to take care of a friend who has been drinking.”
Another factor in the transition from optional to mandatory is that the Wake County Alcoholic Beverage Commission is offering to put forth the funds to make the program mandatory, an amount which comes to approximately $28,000, according to Austin.
Wake County ABC has contributed funding for other events over the years. Such funding includes the Big Event held in the RBC Center each year to broadcast the NCSU vs. North Carolina basketball game, an affair which runs between $9,000 and $10,000, according to Austin.
“When freshmen come in all they think about is drinking,” Shruti Jamindar, a senior in elementary education, said. “The first couple weekends are all about partying and many freshmen have traumatic experiences when they first come to college. Maybe a wake-up call is needed to warn them about alcohol.”
Austin said his group has received generally favorable comments about the program.
“Most students aren’t jumping up and down with excitement about taking this program, but about 74 percent of students after taking it recommend it for their friends,” he said.
