For more information, contact Cindy Young, (937) 775-3232.

October 15, 1997

WRIGHT STATE STUDENTS HAVE A
C.H.O.I.C.E. IN LIVING ARRANGEMENTS

The statistics are disturbing, the incidents shocking. As activities are planned for National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week October 19-25, recent fatal accidents on college campuses across the nation have focused new attention on the problem of binge drinking among college students.

Binge drinking is defined as five or more drinks at a time for men, and four or more drinks for women, according to a 1993 study completed by the Harvard School of Public Health. That survey reported that 44 percent of all college students engaged in binge drinking. It reported that non-binge drinkers suffered effects from binge drinking that included interrupted study and sleep, destruction of property, assault and unwanted sexual advances.

While alcohol abuse remains an issue on many campuses, more students are making healthy choices. At Wright State University, a residence hall living option known as Celebrating Healthy Options in a College Environment, or C.H.O.I.C.E., allows students the option of living in an environment free of alcohol, tobacco and drugs.

The program began during the 1992-93 school year with about 15 students. This year nearly 300 Wright State students out of a total of 2,200 who live in the residence halls are participating in the C.H.O.I.C.E. program. About 160 more applied for the program after the two residence halls being used for the C.H.O.I.C.E. program--Cedar Hall and Oak Hall--were filled.

A growing number of Wright State students are choosing to live drug-free and tobacco-free. Concern about secondhand tobacco smoke is one reason, but Wright State has other smoke-free residence options that aren't part of the C.H.O.I.C.E. program.

"People have a lot of different reasons for living there," said Melissa Giles-Markland, community director for residence services at Wright State. "I think the majority of students who live there have been substance-free through high school and they feel very comfortable being that way, but want some additional support to remain that way in college. In our residential housing it's becoming more and more of an OK thing not to use drugs and alcohol."

Michael Greist, a Wright State senior from Terre Haute, Ohio, majoring in rehabilitation services, has lived in the C.H.O.I.C.E. program for three years. For the past two years he's been a community advisor in the program.

Greist says though he had a good time his freshman year in another residence hall, "It was difficult to make friends on the floor based on my decision not to use alcohol and drugs. I wanted an environment where I was sure no matter whom I met, they were going to have the same attitudes as me."

Students living in the C.H.O.I.C.E. program must sign an agreement pledging that no alcohol or drugs will be brought into the substance-free community by students or their guests. This includes all forms of tobacco and some prescription drugs.

C.H.O.I.C.E. students also agree not to be involved in any alcohol or drug-related incident in the residence community, or to enter the residence community in an intoxicated or drug-impaired state. If the contract is violated, students can be relocated to another building and go through the university's regular conduct process.

"We have very few violations of the C.H.O.I.C.E. contract," Greist says. "I think the name C.H.O.I.C.E. is really appropriate because it is really a choice, a commitment. They sign a contract."

Though such policies may seem strict to some, Giles-Markland says of the students, "Most of them are very committed to living there and keeping it that way. We find that students who live there are much more apt to come forward when one of their peers has violated the contract.

"It's all in the spirit of kindness and education," Giles-Markland says, adding that some students in the program "have struggled with drugs and alcohol in the past and are now recovering addicts or alcoholics, and they choose to live in that environment so they don't have to experience the pressure of being around those things."

The growth of the C.H.O.I.C.E. program means it can offer more housing options to students who want to participate. Single rooms are now being offered, so the program can attract more juniors and seniors.

"As you progress through the program, you have all the housing options that other students have at Wright State," Greist explains. "Next year we want to have some C.H.O.I.C.E. apartment buildings."

The Harvard study paints a bleak picture of student binge drinking, but an alcohol and drug survey conducted by the Core Institute at Southern Illinois University revealed more heartening statistics. That study revealed that 70 percent of college students have not gotten into a fight or argument while drinking; 72 percent have not missed a class due to drinking; 67 percent have not driven under the influence of alcohol, and 82 percent of college students prefer not to have illicit drugs present at social events.

Such statistics form the basis for the "Majority Rules!" educational campaign being conducted during the month of October. Wright State is one of 19 Ohio colleges and universities that have formed the Ohio 19, an initiative that seeks to reduce binge drinking and other alcohol abuses on campuses by changing the campus culture. Many students are not directly pressured to drink or use drugs, but believe that's what college students are supposed to do. They may not realize that many students do not abuse drugs and alcohol.

An environmental approach to alcohol and drug education involves "forming alternatives to events," according to Amy Sues, assistant director of student life at Wright State. The university's Alcohol Task Force has planned several events in October and throughout the year. These include billboard displays, a demonstration on how to make "mocktails," and weekend community service projects that attempt to take the focus away from excessive partying.

"We want to make it fun," said Sues. "We're into looking at alternatives and helping people make responsible decisions. The bottom line is making responsible choices."