Contact: Director of Health Education and Wellness Char Kopchick, 740-593-4742
ATHENS, Ohio (February 13, 2001) -- A group of Ohio University students received a competitive grant from Ohio Parents for Drug Free Youth to produce a video series promoting the importance of college students relying on their own sound judgment in making decisions concerning social behavior.
"The series will promote our BYOJ (Bring Your Own Judgment) program at Ohio University, which emphasizes the importance of everyone using his or her own judgment when making choices," project leader Melisa Bushong, a communication major from Marysville, said. "These will be professional pieces that hit home for students and capture the reality of a college campus as a place to learn and grow and not the party atmosphere some see it as."
The series will include three short vignettes, 30 to 60 seconds long that will focus on areas such as activities on campus outside of the bar scene, the importance of students making their own decisions and social programming options on campus.
"These will be some of the first images the new students see," said Director of Health Education and Wellness Char Kopchick.
"We want to make students aware of the diverse options available to them on campus," Bushong explained.
The videos will be broadcast on CATvision, which is available in residence halls and the Baker University Center, during precollege events for incoming students this summer.
Other student members of the group that received the grant are undergraduate students Alison Bonnema of Madison, Carly Corbitt of Coshocton, Sarah Ostrozny of Cincinnati, Amy Repuzynsky of Brunswick and graduate assistant Jason Bowser of Powell.
The students' efforts are part of the POWER (Promoting Ohio University Wellness, Education and Responsibility) program, which encourages students to practice the virtues of personal responsibility. The organization, which utilizes student health educators who present programming to their peers on issues facing today's college students, has been recognized for its excellence in the "The Templeton Guide: Colleges that Encourage Character Development."
