Deadline approaches for alcohol course

By Brandon Sayers

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

More than 1,500 students still need to complete the first part of the newly required online alcohol education course. They have until Thursday to do so or they risk having a hold placed on their enrollment for future semesters.

According to Carol Seager, director of Student Health Services, only 63 percent of the roughly 5,000 students with the requirement have completed part one of the course as of Tuesday.

In August, the University notified all new students aged 21 or younger that they were required to complete an online alcohol education course. The students were e-mailed links to the course on Aug. 31 and were notified that they had until Sept. 24 to complete the first part.

Students who fail to complete the course will have holds placed on their accounts and will be unable to enroll for the spring semester.

The Web-based course, provided by AlcoholEdu for College, is based on scientific evidence and includes a survey, video and other interactive components as well as an assessment. All information from the course will be kept confidential and the University will only see general population data, not individual student answers.

An Aug. 17 a University press release announcing the course said the first portion would take students less than 2 hours to complete, with the second portion of the course taking an additional 15 minutes.

“By providing detailed information on the effects of alcohol in an easily accessible, interactive format, we hope to help students make wise choices while in school and throughout their lifetimes,” Marlesa Roney, vice provost for student success, said in the release.

Students who have not taken the course said they have found numerous reasons for putting it off.

Paul Brown, Overland Park freshman, said he had already been reprimanded for drinking on campus and hoped the course would teach him the penalties for violating alcohol policies on campus. He said he had not yet completed the course because he had been busy with class work.

“I just haven’t had time between class and other things to do it,” Brown said. “I’m hoping to get to it soon.”

Marc Nunes, Chicago freshman, said most students he knew had not taken the course yet because they had heard the course was long and contained mostly common knowledge.

“We are already aware of this type of information, but we choose to keep drinking anyway,” Nunes said.

Angela Meyer, Kansas City, Mo., freshman, said she had already completed the first part of the course but said she didn’t learn anything significant. Meyer said she didn’t expect the University to learn much from the feedback they would receive from the course, either.

“I know they aren’t going to get anything out of the survey because everyone I know has just went down and clicked answers without even reading the questions because it was just so long,” Meyer said.

Students will be able to begin the second portion of the course 30 days after they complete the first part. All students are required to complete the second portion of the course by Nov. 2.

Students not required to take the course can still participate voluntarily by going to alcohol.ku.edu.

University officials have been stepping up efforts to curb student alcohol abuse after two alcohol-related student deaths on campus during the spring semester.

In May, the University announced a new policy that would notify parents of any alcohol or drug violations by students under the age of 21. Administrators also created an amnesty program to encourage students to report alcohol-related emergencies by ensuring that they wouldn’t be penalized for violating alcohol policies.

More information on alcohol-related programs, policies and education opportunities can be found at alcohol.ku.edu.

— — Edited by Samantha Foster

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