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Five College students organizing conference to discuss national issue: drinking on campuses The Five College Student Coordinating Board is organizing an April 24th conference tackling the academic, political and social challenges of alcohol policy and student drinking. A Five College Web site has been created to promote the event. Students, as well as staff, faculty, and administrators, from Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke and Smith Colleges and the University of Massachusetts Amherst will gather at Hampshire College in Franklin Patterson Hall for what is expected to be the first of many conferences, both in the area and nationwide, to discuss the issues surrounding drinking on college campuses. Even though the number of young people in this country who drink has been on a slight decline for many years, the number engaging in dangerous and high risk drinking practices is on a steady rise, says a study from Harvard University that appeared in the Journal of American College Health. Young people are starting to drink at an earlier age and report that alcohol is very easy to acquire. Police chiefs report not being able to effectively enforce the drinking age and college campuses across the country are struggling to provide a safe environment for their students. “Providing robust, accurate and objective information on the realities of alcohol, and educating on the differences between responsible and irresponsible drinking practices is a critical piece for combating the rise of dangerous drinking practices that we currently see not just on our college campuses but in younger and younger Americans across the country” says Alex Torpey, chair of the Five College Student Coordinating Board and a fourth-year student at Hampshire College, whose senior thesis at Hampshire is also about drinking culture and rethinking alcohol policy in the United States. Barrett Seaman, former Time Magazine editor, will speak at 2:30 p.m. He is the author of Binge: Campus Life in an Age of Disconnection and Excess. Seaman will give a breakdown of the arguments for and against our current drinking age, with the goal of stimulating critical thought so that people arrive at their own conclusions regarding effective alcohol policy. Student leaders will also speak, and President Ralph Hexter will welcome participants to Hampshire College. After the keynote ceremony, participants will be given the option of attending one of various small group sessions. In addition to local staff and faculty who will host workshops, professor emeritus of sociology at the State University of New York at Potsdam David J. Hanson will conduct a workshop called “Reducing Alcohol Abuse Among Young People: Thinking Outside the Box.” Professor Hanson has published two books in the field of alcohol education as well as many papers and articles on effective ways to educate young people about responsible use alcohol and the dangers of abuse. Various health services staff will be available at the conference to provide information for participants on alcohol and health, as well as resources for identifying possible substance abuse issues. The conference is open to the public, free of charge and accessible. Press welcome. Media contact (conference organizer): Alex Torpey, amt05@hampshire.edu or 201-953-0493. Page originally created 4/6/09 Home
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