College life without alcohol
Aug. 20, 2000
KALAMAZOO -- A new mentoring program for the quiet majority of incoming students who don't plan to make alcohol the mainstay of their social life while in college is entering its second year at Western Michigan University.
Students Socializing Sober or S-3 is funded through a grant from the Michigan Department of Community Health with support from the Prevention Network, a nationwide nonprofit agency. The program features student-led activities and provides a network of supportive peers for first-year college students who want to socialize without the use of alcohol-a group that is getting increasingly militant about public misperception of the level of campus drinking.
Part of a unique statewide initiative, it matches incoming students with upper-class peers who mentor them in their first month of school. The mentors assist the new students in their transition to college living, introduce them to social activities that don't involve drinking and help them meet new people. S-3 targets freshmen who aren't into the drinking scene, catching them at a critical time in their college careers and helping to orient them toward an alcohol-free college career.
The University has been working with school counselors throughout the state to encourage high school graduates coming to WMU to participate. First-year students and their parents received S-3 materials at summer orientation. In addition, all incoming freshmen received a program description and registration form in the mail.
For more information, contact Victor Manzon or Emalee Fields in the Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention at (616) 387-2160.
Media contact: Jeanne Baron, 616 387-8400, jeanne.baron@wmich.edu