This year, McDaniel College joins countless other colleges and universities in requiring freshmen students to take an online alcohol education course prior to beginning classes.
This 90-minute course measures include sections about perceptions of drinking, individual behaviors when drinking, and the dangers of drinking too much alcohol. It is offered by Millenium Classrooms.
“Because we were already working with the company, it was easy to implement,” explained Dean Elizabeth Towle, Associate Dean of Student Affairs.
She worked with the First Year Team to coordinate the implementation of the program, which she says is intended to raise students’ awareness about college policy and how choosing to drink alcohol can have both short-term and long-term effects.
“When a student makes the adult choice to consume alcohol, they need to be willing to accept the adult consequences of that choice,” said Dean Towle.
The course includes information customized to McDaniel College, including resource information about the Wellness Center and Campus Safety.
The course measures changes in perceptions about alcohol and also about alcohol use, but results will not be available for a few weeks.
Student response to the program has been great so far, according to Dean Towle. However, some students think that the information presented was superfluous.
“It was very boring and it was full of information I’d already learned,” said freshman Wykeema Stanley, who then cited at least three alcohol education experiences before becoming an undergraduate student.
Sophomore Olivia Gardner, who echoed this sentiment, said, “Probably the people who need it most are those who are less likely to take it seriously.”
Information about the results of the program will be available in the December print issue of the McDaniel Free Press.
