CD teaches safe use of alcohol

Go ahead and drink 21 shots to celebrate that 21st birthday. Feeling sick? No problem -- just hit "start over." While some students might wish they had that option at parties or local bars, it's actually only possible on a computer, via a new CD-ROM called Alcohol 101 -- part of the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs' new member education program. The compact disc allows users to experiment with alcohol and its consequences from the safety of, among other cyber-scenarios, a virtual bar. OFSA distributed 700 CDs, which cost $2 each, to the Greek system's new member educators yesterday afternoon. According to OFSA, the InterFraternity Council and the Panhellenic Council, chapter members are "encouraged" to play the approximately 1 1/2-hour interactive cyber-game in pairs "with their big brothers or sisters." Some of the Greek national chapters also require that their new members complete an Alcohol 101 pre-test and post-test on the CD, OFSA Director Scott Reikofski said on Tuesday. Panhel President and College junior Becca Iverson said Panhel has mandated its pledge educators to "ensure" that all new members dedicate "at least 20 minutes" of their time to the game. And according to IFC President Mark Metzl, the IFC has made "suggestions" for monitoring Alcohol 101 participation but has not set specifics yet. The College junior praised the disk for its "real-life situation" movie clips and its "witty" host who is similar to the You Don't Know Jack trivia game CD-ROM announcer. Through the guidance of Norm -- the talking lava lamp which hosts the CD program -- new members make hypothetical choices about drinking or abstaining. The CD was developed by the University of Illinois in partnership with The Century Council, an organization funded by alcohol distillers to promote responsible decision-making about drinking and non-drinking. The Alcohol 101 CD follows several other OFSA initiatives aimed at educating new members about the dangers of alcohol abuse, including Greek Life 101, workshops given by Students Together Against Acquaintance Rape and the Drug and Alcohol Resource Team, the Training for Intervention Procedures program and Tuesday's "The Penn Drinking Project."

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.