silverstar

I just spent the last 3 1/2 hours of my life taking a required online course for entering freshmen at the University of Iowa. It's called Alcohol EDU.

3 1/2 hours of information that I've been told again and again since 2nd grade. (In varying degrees of comprehension, of course. I mean, the D.A.R.E. program I went through as a 2nd grader was different than the one I went through in middle school because I was able to comprehend more as I got older.) I mean...seriously...it's a required course that's designed to make people be able to make 'informed and healthy decisions' about alcohol and drugs.

I'm of the camp that says a stupid online course isn't going to change people's minds about what they're going to do when they get to college. The party kids who are going to college solely to party and get drunk aren't going to suddenly come to a realization, because of the course, that what they're planning to do is a bad idea. They're going to take the class, probably pass it, and still go out and drink like it's going out of style. Inversely, the people who are going to college to actually learn something are going to take the course, probably pass it, and continue with their plan of action.

Sometimes knowledge doesn't equal power. The more one knows about alcohol doesn't necessarily mean they're going to use that knowledge.

ARGH. I think I just lost some braincells taking that thing.

And it's not over yet. In a month I have to take the last chapter.

*hits head on the wall*

Lara

cmcdougall

Im happy we dont have to take anything like that to get into the U of Arkansas, that sounds like it would suck.

davidjohnson

lara:

not all entering freshmen were raised as you were. it is quite possible they've never had any concept of making 'informed and healthy decisions' about alcohol and drugs.

will such an effort by the u/i help them? who knows? i doubt it will hurt.

dj

uatrmpt

You'll learn that academic types and college admin is frequetly out of touch with reality. IMO: The more degrees you have, the less common sense you have.

Manny Laureano

I'm with DJ... you are, unfortunately, unique in your attitude. A lot of young people go to college with the "Yeeeehaw! I'm free to do everything I didn't get to do in high school!" In Japan, there's a tremendous phenomenon of freshman craziness that's a result of very strict rules when before they get to college. I'm basing that impression on a news show I saw about ten years ago regarding the subject. if it's different today or if the American news show I saw exaggerated it (nah... could never happen), I apologize for spreading misinformation.

At any rate, they're trying to reach as many impressionable young minds as they can, Lara. If you "get it", good. As you develop relationships with new friends this year, stay with folks that have your morals and avoid getting sucked into the damaging stuff. It's harder than it sounds but if you develop a "support network" it's a litle easier.

Read my second tag line, Lara. Put it on your books and keep it in your sights when you go to class.

ML

Clarino

After staring at a computer screen for three and a half hours for such a completely pointless excersize in this weather, I think the first thing I'd do afterwards would be to have a nice cold beer in the garden.

mike ansberry

I can understand the administration's concern. Every year we hear about at least one college student that dies from alcohol comsumption.

tpter1

Lara- I think that to some degree you are probably correct. I also think that the college admin is doing that to show they are trying to do SOMETHING about college alcohol and drug abuse.

Unfortunately, for most, the lesson about the dark side of alcohol doesn't come until too late. Many people don't understand what they are doing to themselves when they're doing it.

Maybe they will get to someone. The camps are not all black and white. There is some middle ground...some group (small, no doubt, but some) that will be "on the fence". Maybe not the "I'm going to party" kids, but the ones who would go either way.

Solar Bell

tpter wrote:
You're right on Glenn.

And those are the kids that you end up reading about. Not the hard core drinkers or drug abusers, but the "good kids" that go to college and have all this away from home and parents freedom. The ones that never did anything in high school, but are now wanting to fit in with a certain crowd. They get in way over their heads and pay the ultimate price. EVeryone shakes their head, and says what a shame it is, and all the party people continue on next week as if nothing happened...and as far as they're concerned, nothing did.

-cw-

Manny Laureano

Guys,

You reminded me of something very sad, Chuck. When I first arrived here, in MN., we got to be good friends with our realtor and her family. We got to know her two boys and i got to watch them grow up until they moved to Michigan and then Florida. Well, the oldest went away to school and you can probably guess what i'm going to say.

I got a phone message one night from the Dad: "Manny and C--------, it's T----. I have some very, very sad news." His voice began breaking. "E--- was killed last night." I called him and he told me how his boy got high and went out of his mind and threw himself of a roof or at least that's the version he got. Whether it was a drug-induced suicide or a murder by drug dealers it boiled down to a beautiful life ended for no good reason. I can still see him as a little boy I used to play with and toss in the air. Nobody was there to catch this sweet, shy kid.

So, Lara, I'm not saying that a class would have helped, I'm not saying that at all. But you never know what an impression info like that can make.

ML