9/15/98
ATHENS, Ohio -- The Ohio Department of Public Safety has awarded a $70,000 grant to Ohio University to fund an education program, "Making/Breaking Habits," to curb underage drinking.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration provided funding for the program, the first of its kind in Ohio in what officials hope will become a pilot program for other universities, said Leo Skinner, a spokesman for the department, at a 10 a.m. news conference at the university's College Gate.
Officers from the Athens City Police Department and Ohio University Police Department and state liquor agents will work as a team to educate students in residence halls, fraternity and sorority houses on the penalties for underage drinking. Local taverns will be asked to display campaign materials and will be offered training in the areas of false identification recognition, applicable Ohio and city laws. Officers will also work undercover to stop the purchase of alcohol by underage people.
Following is the text of Ohio University President Robert Glidden's comments at the news conference:
I am very pleased to have the support of the Ohio Department of Public Safety through this grant. It will be money well spent. And very pleased to have the cooperation of the City of Athens in addressing a problem that is very real.
I have said many times in the recent past that the problem of binge drinking drinking to get drunk is the scourge of nearly every residential campus in America today.
While we do not fully understand this behavior, we certainly recognize that there is an unhealthy culture with regard to alcohol use among many young people today. We must address the problem collectively.
It is not something that a university can combat on its own, and it is certainly not a problem that law enforcement agencies can address on their own. We must work together, and we will need the help of parents as well, because it is apparent to us that most college students who have unhealthy attitudes about drinking do not learn that in college they bring it with them from high school when they come to campuses.
It would be my strong preference to address this problem by encouraging students to be responsible to accept that they must be personally accountable for their actions and that there are bad consequences to losing control of their minds and bodies through the use of alcohol. We know that some will listen to reason, but we also know that some will not. Where reasoning and good sense will not work, we must be more diligent in enforcing the law and in meting out appropriate penalties for inappropriate behavior.
Finally, let me be clear: this is not a problem for all students. And despite what some recent surveys have shown, I do not believe that it is a problem for the majority of students. But I also know that underage drinking and excessive drinking are problems for too many students, and I ask their help and cooperation in working with the City, the State Liquor Control Agency, and the university for the sake of their own health and safety.
I appreciate the leadership of Ted Jones, director of the Ohio University Police Department, in applying for and securing this grant, and once again, I appreciate the cooperation of the Ohio Department of Public Safety and the City of Athens in helping us address this vexing problem.
Finally I want to say that challenges like binge drinking affect the entire community. And it's a shared community. So facing this together is also unique learning opportunity. In addressing alcohol and other drug abuse, we have the chance to bring together representatives from the university, city and student governments, local and campus law enforcement, and Athens County. We can learn from each other as we address this social problem. So it is in that spirit that I applaud the grant from the Ohio Department of Public Safety.