AlcoholEdu is the mandatory alcohol and college life course. Incoming freshman and transfer students know this pain better than anyone. The U of M works with EverFi to provide three different, relevant, and required courses to help inform anyone who may be new to campus about alcohol consumption, sexual assault, and financial wellness. To the school it sounds like a good way to help ensure their liabilities, errr… I mean student’s safety.
The courses are set with three different categories and two parts per category each of which is estimated to take a minimum of forty five minutes to read through, not including the quizzes or surveys sprinkled throughout them. The large majority of people who were forced to take these courses skimmed through the information and lied on the surveys just to get it done. Some ask and argue that if students aren’t even reading the material, then what’s the point? Is this course actually applicable to your everyday life? College Life says “yes it is.”
Here are the 5 things that you skimmed over from the AlcoholEdu course that actually have relevance in your life. (Now I know you guys are just so gung-ho about being safe, but please remember that the consumption of alcohol is illegal for anyone under the age of 21.)
1) Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC): This is the part where you found out that weight, sex, drinks per hour, and type of drink do actually play apart in how shwasted you can get. This was also the section that you learned that going over a certain blood alcohol concentration level could actually make you lose the high you originally wanted to get.
2) Standard Drink Size: This actually has some relevance because it helps you figure out how to get the perfect amount of alcohol in your system that will ensure the best possible high. (For those of you who have forgotten the standard drink sizes are: 1.5 fl oz of a shot of hard liquor, 5 fl oz of table wine, 8-9 fl oz of malt liquor/house brew, and 12 fl oz of regular beer.)
3) Sexual Assault: This is the section where you learned that alcohol is a form of date rape drug and that unless you have a clear, concrete and willing “yes” from your partner then it is considered sexual assault. You also learned that, that “yes” can be taken back at any point in time regardless of how “far” you’ve gotten.
4) Keeping Each Other Safe/Stepping In: Whether your friend just had too much to drink or it’s a rando that you see getting uncomfortable flirtations from a shady person, this section taught you how to confront and protect others front dangerous or stupid situations. The section that taught you that it’s okay to “fake a seizure” if necessary to get out of an uncomfortable situation. In case you’re stuck in a room with someone who makes you uncomfortable just remember, “When it doubt flail about.”
5) Empathy and Compassion: In this section we learned that when it comes to sexual assault, it is never okay to blame to victim for the actions taken against them. It’s best to listen to them, point them to the Aurora Center for counseling and treatment, and to encourage them to file a police report. Be respectful of the person’s decisions and just remind them that you are there as a confidant and friend.
The U of M has many reasons for requiring transfer and incoming students to take this course, but the most important reason has to be safety. If you can’t take care of yourself, how are you supposed to take care of someone else? At the end of the day, though many refuse to admit it, this course has provided us with information that will follow us beyond our years here at the U and I think that is something extremely worthwhile.
