Resident Assistant

I borrowed this idea from the old website but since it worked so well for me I wanted to make it available for others.

This is a board on teaching students how to plan ahead for a night of drinking and the consequences of neglecting to do so.

1) Find a bunch of alcohol ads from various sources.

- I was able to get a great variety from online and some music magazines.

2) Print off the names of people who have been killed or seriously injured in alcohol related accidents.

- MADD.ca was great for this and they had the stories of each of the victims attached as well, adding that personal touch to the whole board. I was also able to get a lot of useful statistics from this website.

3) Research your campus' security features.

- On our campus we have Safe Ride, a free Student Union run service, that will drive you anywhere on campus if you don't feel you can get there safely, Safe Walk, which is the same as Safe Drive only on foot, and Panic Boxes that will flashed bright blue lights and put you in direct contact with Security. I mentioned how to use all of these services as well as posted the Security Office's number.

4) Research practical ways to stay safe during a night of drinking.

- This includes planning ahead for a cab or DD, using the buddy system and not leaving your drink unattended. It's a lot of common sense, but sometimes people just need reminding.

5) On a bulletin board, post all the ads you found along with the words, "Just One More Drink, What's the Worst That Can Happen?"

- Just so that students understand that this is not a giant ad for binge drinking, add some of the names that you found to the board right away, covering bits of the ads.

6) Add more names as days go on.

- How many names you add per day depends on how long you want the program to last. I did mine over a five day period.

7) On the last day, add your facts and safety tips.

- This might mean that you have to take down some names and reposition them, but it has a fairly striking effect. Don't forget to post the websites that you used in case students want more information.