Lincoln (Neb.) - Sept. 10, 1999 - The names of University of Nebraska President L. Dennis Smith and University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor James Moeser appear in a national advertising campaign set to run in dozens of major newspapers around the country today.
The campaign, aimed at raising public awareness of the dangers of high-risk drinking by young people, is being launched by the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges and the Kellogg Commission on the Future of State and Land-Grant Universities, along with 113 of its member institutions, including the University of Nebraska.
In addition to the advertisements, a Web site and a "best practices" brochure highlighting campus programs to combat binge drinking have been created to highlight high- risk drinking as a public health issue.
"Young people today are dying as a result of high-risk and binge drinking. Others' lives are in jeopardy. We hope that by drawing attention to the issue, the general public will join us in looking for ways to curb this horrible problem," said C. Peter Magrath, president of NASULGC.
"Our campuses are working hard, but we can't solve the problem alone. Too many students come to us as binge drinkers. Nearly one-third of college students start as binge drinkers in high school, and binge drinking has become a destructive way of life for too many college students."
UNL has been actively seeking ways to reduce the drinking problem locally through NU Directions, a campus- community coalition funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. James Griesen, vice chancellor for student affairs and co-chair of NU Directions, helped to involve the university in the national ad campaign as part of the coalition's efforts.
This fall, NU Directions has already hosted a "Back to
School Bash" for students which included midnight movies at
the Star Ship 9 cinema and a pancake breakfast from midnight
to 2 a.m. served by faculty and staff on the opening weekend
of school. The group also plans on launching a Web site
during homecoming weekend in October. The Web site will
feature a searchable database to help students choose from a
wide variety of local activities and responsible
establishments.
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(402) 472-8514, Fax: (402) 472-7825