Alcohol coalition seeks information at workshops
By Ruth Stevens
Princeton NJ — A series of workshops to gather information from students, faculty, staff, alumni and community partners on high-risk alcohol use among students is scheduled for three Fridays in February.
The workshops are being organized by the Princeton Alcohol Coalition that was formed in November by the Healthier Princeton Advisory Board.
The dates and themes for the workshops are:
• Feb. 15 — “Reasons and Ways to Address High-Risk Drinking.”
• Feb. 22 — “Structures That Affect High-Risk Drinking.”
• Feb. 29 — “Responsibilities Regarding High-Risk Drinking.”
The workshops will run from 1 to 5 p.m. and will be followed by receptions. The first workshop will take place in the Frist Campus Center Multipurpose Room, and the others will be held in the Wu Dining Hall at Butler College. Snacks will be provided.
Each workshop will feature a speaker to address the specific theme, and then include two break-out sessions to encourage small-group discussion. Groups will write their best two ideas on posters for further comment and discussion during the receptions, which are intended to continue the conversation and promote feedback. Reports will be written summarizing each workshop.
Students are strongly urged to attend, lending their voices to the conversations and to the outcomes of the strategic planning process.
“This is really an amazing opportunity for us to have a say on an issue that affects us directly,” said junior Agatha Offorjebe, who co-chairs the coalition with Sanjeev Kulkarni, professor of electrical engineering and master of Butler College. “It is important that students are active participants in these series of conversations, as what comes out of these workshops will impact how this campus addresses issues of high-risk alcohol use.”
Those interested in attending should RSVP with their name, class year or affiliation, and choice of workshop(s) to acc@princeton.edu or 258-5980. Undergraduates will be given seating priority, although the coalition will try to accommodate all, according to space limitations.
Made up mostly of students but also including faculty and staff, the coalition has been charged by the Healthier Princeton Advisory Board with taking a comprehensive look at issues related to high-risk alcohol use by undergraduates. The group will gather information from a variety of sources over the next few months and present a draft strategic plan at the board’s May 9 meeting.
In addition to the workshops, the group has determined that the strategic plan will be informed by the work of a planning group that took place last fall; data collected about Princeton; best practices at other colleges and universities; and stakeholder meetings with campus and community partners that are taking place this spring.
More information is available on the coalition’s website at www.princeton.edu/acc.
