The Office of Student Advocacy and Prevention Awareness (OSAPA) in conjunction with the Student Counseling Center organized Alcohol Awareness Week, which was comprised of events and programs designed to raise awareness of the effects of alcohol and how to improve the safety of student life on campus.
Featured events included “Mario Kart with a Twist,” in which students were invited to play the video game with drunk goggles to simulate drunk driving in a more lighthearted and educational way.
“The focus of the Office of Student Advocacy and Prevention Awareness is to promote safety and prevention through education,” said Claudia Andrade, the director of Student Advocacy and Prevention Awareness. “Alcohol Awareness Week is an example of an event that provides students – who are of age and choose to drink alcohol – the tools they need to do so safely. During this week, we covered a variety of topics, including understanding the alcohol content in mixed drinks and jungle juice, the dangers of driving under the influence and keeping track of drinks responsibly. We were pleased with the engagement and participation.”
Tables set up by OSAPA and the Student Counseling Center provided students with various pamphlets and informational brochures about the designated topic of the day. Besides the booklets that focused on alcohol and college life, pamphlets from Student Counseling Services were additionally available.
On Monday, students were invited to learn about the contents of alcohol and the effects it has on the body in a program entitled “Welcome to the Jungle.” Wednesday’s events had facts on Red Solo cups while the last day of the Alcohol Awareness Week program focused on tips for curing hangovers.
Going forward, OSAPA hopes to continue collaborating with the Student Counseling Center in organizing future events like Alcohol Awareness Week.
“Our planning is collaborative between our office and the Student Counseling Center,” Andrade said. “Moving forward we will include Donna Willenbrock (recently hired) for our Student Health Center to ensure we have all aspects of our students’ health in our prevention efforts.”
Donna Willenbrock, the director of Student Health Services, is a practicing nurse affiliated with Winthrop-University Hospital and aims to provide aid in supporting a comprehensive prevention effort for the dangers of alcohol at Hofstra.
Student opinion on university programs regarding alcohol awareness varied.
Imani Hinson, a freshman history major, said, “I think the campus already does a lot when it comes to alcohol awareness, especially because of the extensive alcohol awareness training that they make freshmen go through during welcome week.”
Nick Osbahr, a freshman English major, said, “I think that there is not a greater need for alcohol but a greater need for something to give us a break from the human existence. Sometimes it gets hard and tiresome and we just need to do something to almost relieve ourselves from our own life, and for most people alcohol does that for them.”
On university support for students who drink alcohol, Andrade said, “We are always here for students who want more information and support.”