Lincoln (Neb.) - Nov. 27, 2000 - Policymakers, community leaders, university officials, law enforcement officers, business owners and alcohol prevention specialists will reconvene Nov. 28 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to complete discussions begun in July to reduce high-risk drinking in Nebraska.
The event, "Creating a Low Risk Drinking Environment in Nebraska: Mobilizing Support for Policy and Practice Solutions" is the second of two symposiums sponsored by NU Directions, the campus-community coalition to reduce high-risk drinking at the university. It is free and open to the public and will be conducted at the Nebraska Union Auditorium, 1400 R St., beginning with registration at 8:30 a.m.
Participants will hear from a variety of groups who have policy or practice recommendations, including the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Liquor Control Commission, NU Directions, and others. The recommendations were chosen to reflect a list of priorities created from the participant discussion at the first symposium in July.
"The discussions from our first meeting in July centered around seven policy and practice areas. Our job since then has been to collect the initiatives that come closest to addressing that list," said Linda Major, project director of NU Directions. "This is really a historic event. I can't remember a time where different groups have gathered in one place to offer feedback and support for a wide variety of solutions."
One of the priorities that participants identified at the first symposium was false identification. Research by NU Directions found that the Department of Motor Vehicles had already begun work on developing a new drivers' license, which could significantly lower the number of false ID's used by minors attempting to purchase alcohol.
"For us, it's a perfect opportunity to understand the views of all the citizens affected by the Nebraska drivers' license. Being at the symposium allows us to generate collaboration from a variety of groups when writing legislation to change our licensing technology," said Beverly Neth, director of the DMV and a presenter at Tuesday's event.
Neth will join four other presenters in discussing initiatives ranging from the Nebraska drivers' license to web-based server training, with time allowed for questions and discussion for each initiative. The meeting will end with a lunch where participants learn of the "next steps" for each initiative and offer their collaborative support.
The two symposiums were funded through a grant from the Woods
Charitable Foundation. NU Directions is funded through a grant from the
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
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