UI community to focus on alcohol harm reduction
Most University of Idaho students have never thought about attending a house party in the President’s executive residence on Nez Perce Drive — until now. According to Brian Dulin, UI Alcohol and Other Drugs coordinator, students are invited to House Party, an event hosted by many university partners
Emily Tuschhoff
focused on alcohol harm reduction. Dulin said the event will reflect the authentic look and feel of a house party.
“We recognize that alcohol is a part of many students lives on our campus,” Dulin said. “We just want them to be safe and not let alcohol interfere with their goals and careers.”
Participating students will move through four 15-minute sections and explore motivations for drinking and set their own safer drinking strategies with the support of UI’s Alcohol and Other Drugs program,
Vandal Health Education, Office of the President, Dean of Student’s Office, Counseling and Testing Center and the Moscow Police Department. The event has also been coordinated with the help of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity and Kappa Delta Sorority.
Vandal Health Education Coordinator Emily Tuschhoff said the idea of throwing a “house party” stemmed from looking at similar programs at other universities, and adapting it to fit UI.
“Some campuses don’t have the program in an actual house” Tuschhoff said. “We knew we wanted the real house aspect to get a better situational feel.”
Dulin said in the first section, students would encounter safer drinking strategies including pouring demonstrations, calculating blood alcohol content, learning sobering strategies and focusing on the positive and negative impacts of drinking.
Tuschhoff said the second station would inform students on how to be an active bystander in a situation where someone has severe alcohol poisoning.
Peer Health Educator Sam Berg said the second section would discuss the bystander effect and how it produces safer drinking habits when students are faced with a drinking dilemma on or off campus.
“We know that students face these problems,” Tuschhoff said. “So let’s talk about it before the party and look at that situation to help students make their own decisions.”
Dulin said the third section would focus more on the judicial consequences side of drinking alcohol and be led mostly by the Moscow Police Department.
Lt. Dave Lehmitz said the participating officers would inform students of the consequences of drinking while underage, how minor in possession charges arise and the diversion program offered for first-time offenders.
The final section will bring attention to drinking patterns and include feedback from the students participating in the program. Pizza will also be provided for students who participate.
Although UI President Chuck Staben and the Office of the President wasn’t involved in the planning process for House Party, Staben said he strongly supports the alcohol and drug education programs for students because the ongoing campaigns bring awareness to over-consumption and establish informed choices.
Dulin said the party targets freshman specifically, but has reached out to all living groups. He said he has contacted all fraternities and sororities and has done presentations to promote the event in the Living Learning Center and other dormitories.
Dulin said he recognizes one out of four students on the UI campus chooses not to use alcohol, and he acknowledges it as the safest strategy.
Patrick Hanlon can be reached at [email protected]