Janelle Patterson
jp004@marietta.edu
When students returned to campus for a cold start to the second semester, some found an email requiring attendance to the Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS) program. The student groups required to attend were those in with the Greek community and athletes.
The events were held over several weekends in February.
“This was an initiative that was started last academic year,” said counselor and Coordinator of Substance Abuse Services Alicia L. Stanley. “[Then], the focus was on our athletic population because it is an NCAA requirement that athletes attend substance abuse education programs… This year we have been doing the programs for the freshmen athletes who weren’t here last year to attend them.”
However, athletes of all classes were required to attend the event. Many students criticized the way the training was conducted and some reported leaving feeling judged.
Junior Katie Transue compared the program to Maximize Your Buzz, an alcohol-awareness seminar put on by the Pioneer Activities Council last year. Transue, who attended BASICS last semester with the women’s crew team, said BASICS didn’t do anything for her.
“There wasn’t any conclusion or discussion about best tactics to combat peer pressure,” she said. “Whereas with the other program with PAC they focused more on responsibly drinking rather than judging you for making that choice.”
The training was conducted over two days in two one-hour segments. The first day, BASICS instructors showed a hypothetical scenario of a peer trying to pressure their friend into drinking alcohol or doing illegal drugs. Then, students were asked to identify their drinking habits and whether those habits affected grades or personal health. At the conclusion of the first day, students were asked to to keep track of their alcohol consumption to report back in the following meeting.
The next day’s segment began with a written survey about drinking habits. Questions included: “How often during the last year have you found that you were unable to stop drinking once you had started?” and “Have you or someone else been injured because of your drinking?”
Senior Amanda Lusky, a member of Alpha Xi Delta, said she left the activity feeling judged for participating.
“Everything discussed I have heard countless times,” she said. “I understand why they feel it’s necessary to educate us [but] I took away no new knowledge.”
However, freshman football player Chase Randolph said it was the most productive version of alcohol awareness training he has taken.
“It was useful because they didn’t treat us like children and say not to drink; they just wanted us to do it safely,” he said.
However, senior Karl Grant said freshmen is the only demographic the program is suitable for.
“I don’t see the necessity in having college seniors who are almost done with their time at school having to sit through alcohol awareness,” he said.
Senior Brandon Stewart felt the program should have been extended to all students.
“I didn’t go because it was specific to Greek life [and athletics] and not the campus as a whole,” he said. “I think it should be subject to everyone on campus; not just one particular stereotype.”
In response to the concern of targeting the Greek community, Coordinator of Campus Involvement Laura Jacob Knobel said that it was the Health and Wellness Center who approached her about reaching the Greek community. However, she said the goal of the Center is to eventually have all students attend the program.
“It’s easy because we have the pre-made populations with Greeks and athletics, to start with them,” Knoebel said. “But then as we get new students, slowly that program will be implemented into their orientation.”
Stanley said that she next plans to hold the BASICS program for the international students participating in the First Year Experience (FYE) program, then plans to expand the meetings to the other FYE programs.
“I think that it’s kind of lofty to be able to reach the entire student population, but its very easy to reach out to them in groups, whether its the athletic teams, the Greek organizations, or any other programs that they’re involved in,” she said.
