PULLMAN, Wash. — More than 100 colleges and universities in 35 states have registered to receive the Washington State University teleconference on the links between campus violence and alcohol abuse set for Friday, Nov. 13.
The program will feature several national authorities discussing the profiles of campuses that make them likely for violent incidents and strategies for reducing alcohol abuse and preventing violent outbreaks.
Video transmission of the presentations will originate from WSU and the University of Wisconsin beginning at 10 a.m. Panelists will take questions from audiences at the receiving sites by phone and fax.
The program will be telecast from Room T101 of the Food Science and Human Nutrition Building. A section of the classroom is being reserved for university and community leaders and others who will participate as members of the audience.
A relatively large crowd is expected, and the Compton Union Building Auditorium has been reserved for individuals and groups interested in viewing the telecast, according to John Thielbahr, teleconference organizer and director of WSU’s Conferences and Institutes office.
Among the featured presenters will be Richard Keeling, health services director at the University of Wisconsin, and Alan Lizotte, executive director of the Consortium for Higher Education Campus Crime Research at the State University of New York at Albany. Both are widely respected for their research into the causes and effects of alcohol abuse and crime, Thielbahr said.
Other participants include Joseph Pelle, commander of the detective division and SWAT team, Boulder, Colo.; Ron Stump, dean of students at the University of Colorado; and Karen Pennington, Montclair State University and liaison to the National Criminal Justice Association for the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. NASPA is co-sponsoring the teleconference with WSU.
Thielbahr encourages participation by community members in the teleconference, which is open free to the public. “Alcohol abuse among young people is a serious national issue. Recent studies show that binge drinking is on the rise among sixth through eighth grade students. To bring about a real change in culture, we must focus our attention at even younger students,” he remarked.
ar376-98
Editors and reporters: A news availability has been set for 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, in Room 405 Lighty Student Services Building with Alan Lizotte and Joseph Pelle, Ron Stump and Gus Kravas, WSU vice provost for student affairs.
