By VALERIE METREJEAN

Staff Writer

Although October is Alcohol Awareness Month, Counseling Services, the Interfraternity Council and the Campus Community Coalition have taken this month as a kick-off for alcohol education that will continue throughout the year.

"We do not want to focus on just the month because that will only help for a short time," Calvin Williams, coordinator of the alcohol/other drug education office, said.

"We think programs over the whole span of the year will be more effective."

Williams, also a licensed professional counselor, said the reason for focusing efforts on educating students about alcohol is Tech ranks 9 percent higher than national statistics for students admitting to drinking and driving.

"The Counseling Center wants to be more proactive to educate students and work as a group," Dr. Dee Dee Anderson, dean of student development, said.

Williams said four programs geared toward alcohol awareness are in the works, including: Parents' Campaign, Social Norms Media Campaign, Campus Community Coalition and Alcohol Challenge Quiz.

"We have gotten a good response already from the parents of freshman students," Williams said.

Last Saturday, before the game, the parents of freshman students were invited to a Parents' Reception in the Thomas Assembly Center.

There, they were educated about statistics of freshman students and encouraged to be involved in student's decisions.

Julie Hadzic, Lady Techster soccer player and a senior biology major, said she feels the answer is not necessarily prevention.

"The message is not so unrealistic to say 'don't drink' but instead tells ways to be safe if you do drink," Hadzic said.

Hadzic will be one of four Tech athletes featured on posters and local commercials that will promote alcohol awareness.

Those should be out next quarter. The Social Norms Media Campaign plans to have the posters all around the Ruston community.

The Campus Community Coalition is represented by administrators, business owners, the chief of police and a few students from Ruston who plan to decide what is better for Tech and Ruston.

"The main focus is to teach new fraternity members and non-members about problems with alcohol and teach them to make good decisions." Brandon Zeringue, Delta Chi president, a member of the Campus Community Coalition and a senior biology major, said.

"We want to make social life (which a lot of times includes drinking) safer for students," Zeringue said.

Reality is different than what most anti-alcohol ads preach.

"We want to show what the real norms are and that not 'everyone' is drinking," Williams said.

An online quiz and education Web site will soon be accessible through the Counseling Services section on the Tech Web site.

Williams said these programs are all to help protect the students from what he calls "preventable problems."

Williams said, "I'm in the business of helping people make wise decisions, not in shutting bars down."