Five hundred posters of stomach pumps went up on campus bulletin boards Nov. 4 as the first stage in the University's latest campaign to curb excessive drinking.
The eight-part ad series is sponsored by the Alcohol Coalition, which was started last semester by Vice President for Campus Life Janet Dickerson.
The group includes administrators, students and community members who "are interested in heightening awareness of the community to the campus climate issues that are connected to high-risk drinking," Dickerson said in an email.
The coalition will be chaired by Gina Baral, coordinator of health promotion services, and Elaine Barfield '04, a vice president for the Student Health Advisory Board, Dickerson said.
Despite still being in its organizational stages, the Alcohol Coalition already has coordinated several initiatives, including offering AlcoholEDU, designing Newman's Day posters last spring and developing a proposal to expand substance-free housing.
The posters are part of an ongoing effort by the University to promote responsible alcohol use on campus. According to the Core Institute Alcohol and Drug Survey released in 2001, 45.8 percent of Princeton students binge drink and 97 percent said the social atmosphere promotes alcohol use.
The University first introduced a poster campaign two years ago after similar campaigns at other schools seemed to be effective. Northern Illinois University credits such posters with cutting alcohol abuse by half over the past decade, and the University of Virginia has reported a 20-percent drop in just two years.
This year's posters were designed by Laurel Cantor, director of publications, who said she modified them according to students' and administrators' reactions.
USG President Nina Langsam '03 co-chairs the subcommittee of the Alcohol Coalition that worked on the posters. Langsam said that last spring, Baral approached the coalition for student input on the poster campaign.
"We came up with the idea of forming focus groups so that the people making posters in the communications office on campus would have an idea of what would work on students," Langsam said.
Baral declined to comment.
Students from all classes and with varying degrees of experience with alcohol served on the focus groups to offer input in the design of the posters.
"To target a college-age audience, they have to have more edge," Langsam said, adding that previous posters were ridiculed. The new posters are designed to "get people's attention," she said.
Cantor noted that the theme of the posters has shifted since last year, when the campaign highlighted the fact that most students do not drink excessively.
"This year, the messages will focus on high-risk drinking and its consequences on students' lives, health and academic success as well as the effect alcohol may or may not have on socializing and building relationships," Cantor said in an email. "This is what the students who attended our focus groups told us might prove more effective than last year's array of posters."
The second set of posters has been printed, and six more designs are in the works.
Read More
Students weigh in on changes to hours at Murray-Dodge Café
Eojin ParkMurray-Dodge’s hours have been cut nearly in half. Previously, Murray-Dodge was open from 3 p.m. to midnight every day. Amid other closures of campus cafes, its hours have been reduced to 4:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily.
Murray-Dodge’s hours have been cut nearly in half. Previously, Murray-Dodge was open from 3 p.m. to midnight every day. Amid other closures of campus cafes, its hours have been reduced to 4:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson reflects on path to the Supreme Court in campus lecture
Isaac Bernstein and Justus WilhoitAt Princeton’s Harlan Lecture, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson discussed her journey to the Supreme Court, the power of dissenting opinions, and the importance of inspiring future generations.
At Princeton’s Harlan Lecture, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson discussed her journey to the Supreme Court, the power of dissenting opinions, and the importance of inspiring future generations.
Student employment in flux as University navigates budget cuts
Kian PetlinThe future of student employment remains uncertain amid budget cuts, with impacts ranging from reduced hours to staffing shortages.
The future of student employment remains uncertain amid budget cuts, with impacts ranging from reduced hours to staffing shortages.