ECU Requires Alcohol Awareness Course

By Erica Plouffe Lazure

As part of a campus-wide effort to reduce underage drinking and the problems that can stem from it, entering ECU freshmen will undergo awareness training starting in July.

Every member of the entering class under the age of 21 will have to complete College Alc, ECU’s new online alcohol awareness training program.

“The misuse of alcohol is the number one health and safety issue on all college campuses,” said Robert Morphet, assistant director of ECU’s Center for Counseling and Student Development. “College Alc will allow students to explore safe and responsible choices about alcohol.”

The program is an initiative of ECU’s Alcohol, Tobacco and other Drug Taskforce, and made possible through a $10,000 grant from the Pitt County Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission and ECU’s Office of the Dean of Students.

Its goal, Morphet said, is to reduce underage drinking and to ensure that all new students will be exposed to the laws and consequences that pertain to it. Additionally, the students will learn about low-risk and high-risk drinking, and the behaviors associated with each.

The program was made available to all incoming students the week of July 28. Students must complete the program by Oct. 10 or their university account will be tagged, which will make them unable to register for spring 2009 classes. The online course takes approximately 75 minutes to complete.

The Counseling Center is located at 316 Wright Building and provides a full array of free and confidential counseling services to currently enrolled ECU students. The center’s number is 328-6661, for more information.