For 12 years now, the University of North Georgia has received a grant from the Governor's Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) to educate young adults on driver crashes, injuries and fatalities. UNG's Associate Director of Wellness and Health Promotion Meri-Leigh Smith says the money has made a big difference in how students view alcohol consumption, especially when it comes to drinking and driving.
"Each year we've expanded on the programs we're able to offer to students and the [GOHS] has been generous enough to allow us to explore those new options throughout the years," Smith said in a recent interview with AccessWDUN. "Since 2015, we've gone from just 43% of our students reporting abstaining from alcohol over the past year to in 2019 we had over 54% of our students through our AlcoholEdu for College program that reported abstaining from alcohol in the last year."
Smith said the trend shows students are making more informed decisions about alcohol use, especially when it comes to getting behind the wheel after having a drink.
"This grant has allowed us to provide education on campus that helps students to make more informed decisions that they can take out into the world because we can't be there to hold their hands and make those decisions for them," Smith said.
Smith acknowledged that students who leave home to attend college are often tempted to drink before it's legal for them to do so, but she said more students are making smart decisions about alcohol use. She said the most convincing argument is showing them the data that not everybody is consuming alcohol.
"Not everyone does drink - there are activities on campus, there are activities you can do with social groups that don't involve alcohol," Smith said, noting that her office and peer health advisors have a different message for students. "You don't have to conform, you don't have to drink to fit in. We do know that peer relationships influence their decision to drink most often."
At the same time, she said there are students on campus who can drink legally, as well as those who opt to drink when they shouldn't. Her office is working to help those students, as well.
"If they do choose to drink, we're really just trying to provide them with the tools to [be safe]," Smith said. "...this is what a serving of alcohol is, you should never set your drink down at a party, you should always be cognizant of what you are drinking and how much you're drinking."
Smith said Campus Wellness and Recreation officials will be using some of the tools they learned at a virtual conference in the fall - made possible by the GOHS grant money - for spring semester education on UNG's Gainesville and Dahlonega campuses.
Part of the $17,805 grant - which is $5,000 more than last year's grant - will allow UNG to bring a DUI simulator to both campuses prior to spring break.
"Students can get into a full-size functioning vehicle with a wheel, brake and gas pedal and through virtual reality go through the simulation of drunk driving," Smith said. "The simulator operator then completes a report of all of the laws they broke while behind the wheel. They can actually see how much danger they put themselves in behind the wheel."
She said the simulator, provided by a group called Arrive Alive, will be used this spring on both campuses ahead of the two-day spring break. The simulator will be set up on March 8 at the Dahlonega campus and March 9 at the Gainesville campus.
Smith said she hopes the UNG campuses will be able to use the grant from GOHS for years to come.
"I really hope to see the trends continue - that we're seeing more students abstain from alcohol or at least abstain from those risky behaviors that puts them in danger when they get behind the wheel, Smith said. "We want our students to have a fun college experience but at the same time make sure they're putting the safety of themselves and their peers first."
