The College of New Jersey provides Alcohol-Wise as its on-line alcohol education program for incoming freshmen. Alcohol-Wise is a web-based alcohol education program designed to assist students in making healthy decisions regarding alcohol use in college - all incoming freshmen are expected to take the course prior to arriving on campus. The program takes about an hour and 15 minutes to complete and includes information on:

• How expectations influence behavior
• Alcohol’s effect on learning and memory
• Recognizing and responding to an alcohol-related emergency
• Blood alcohol concentration and low-risk choices

Based on students’ responses to a confidential questionnaire at the beginning of the program, Alcohol-Wise provides personalized information based on gender and drinking behavior. Alcohol-Wise is relevant to students who drink and those who abstain from alcohol.

Here are answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about Alcohol-Wise.

Q. What is the deadline for completing the course?
A. There is an exam at the end of the course which you must pass with a 70% or higher.

Please Note: The deadline for completing the course is August 25th, 2009.

You will receive an email in 30 days reminding you to complete the 15-minute follow-up course. Technical support is available by email at info@3rdmilclassrooms.com and toll-free, 24-hours a day at (888) 810-7990.

Q. What if a student’s home computer freezes or crashes while trying to run the program?
A. First, contact Alcohol-Wise’s 24 hour technical support at 888-810-7990 to see if something can be done to optimize the performance of your computer. If that does not solve the problem, please email adep@tcnj.edu or call Joe Hadge at 609-771-2572 for an extension in order to take the course on a TCNJ computer early in the fall semester.

Q. Why is The College of New Jersey implementing Alcohol-Wise?
A. The College of New Jersey is using Alcohol-Wise as a prevention program to educate our students about the choices they make regarding alcohol. Alcohol-Wise is a course designed specifically for college campuses, and when used effectively, can change campus culture by educating students about the harmful effects of alcohol, raising retention rates, and acting as a prevention tool for future alcohol-related violations. Online alcohol education is a new strategy available for addressing the college’s ongoing goal of reducing high-risk drinking and related harm.

Q. What does research say about Alcohol-Wise?
A. Preliminary research on Alcohol-Wise is promising. Research conducted with Alcohol-Wise and on one of the program’s components, e-CHUG, have shown encouraging results for college retention rates, GPA’s, and decreased weekly alcohol consumption (go to Alcohol-Wise for links to research articles). e-CHUG can be accessed from the ADEP webpage at any time.

Q. How do I access TCNJ’s Alcohol Policy?
A. Go to http://www.tcnj.edu/~sa/handbook/policies/alcohol.html

For more information: Joe Hadge
phone: 609-771-2572
email: hadgej@tcnj.edu