As the academic year begins, University of Wisconsin students are preparing for projects, papers and exams.

But this fall, University Health Services will be asking students to take, and hopefully ace, yet another test.

Starting this week, UHS will launch a series of efforts to reduce and prevent high-risk alcohol consumption among college students. The campaign will include lectures, pocket-size informational charts on blood alcohol percentage and posters with the slogan "Can you pass the party test?"

Last year alone, the UW Police Department cited more than 1,500 students for alcohol-related problems, a 72-percent increase compared to the 881 ticketed just two years ago.

Of these 1,500 cases, 112 were transported to a detoxification center due to high blood alcohol contents.

"The focus of our efforts is to reaffirm the sense of personal responsibility and give [students] the information that the decisions they make about alcohol do go a long way," new Associate Dean of Students Kevin Helmkamp said.

UHS Director of Prevention Services Susan Crowley said the new posters bring a series of questions warning students about the seriousness of alcohol incapacitation, while also informing students of the best courses of action when dealing with an intoxicated person.

The pocket-sized charts also have details on how much a person would be able to drink before having their driving skills significantly impaired or before hitting an incapacitation limit.

"We are also trying to help students understand how body weight and gender has an impact on how much you can drink," Crowley said. "Females are drinking at a higher rate than males, and that's a fairly recent phenomenon."

According to the chart, it would take a 160-pound man four 12-ounce beers in one hour before being considered legally intoxicated, while it would take a female of the same weight only three.
UHS has partnered with the Offices of the Dean of Students, UW Housing and UWPD to promote this initiative.

UWPD Administrative Police Officer Jeff Ellis said the department currently gives several presentations to students living in the residence halls and will continue to use this method to raise awareness among incoming freshmen.

"The best role we can play is doing education," Ellis said.

The department also currently allocates liaisons for each residence hall, and those officers are responsible for patrolling the hallways and enforcing safety in the residence halls.

According to UW Housing Director Paul Evans, 793 alcohol policy violations were distributed last academic year, and students written up were warned and some even dismissed from the residence halls.

The new campaign will also target off-campus students to raise alcohol safety awareness among residents in the downtown area. UHS will promote a bridge between landlords and tenants to diminish over-consumption and underage drinking.

"Bringing landlords to the discussion has been very effective because they want to protect their property and make sure tenants are respecting the property as well," Crowley said.

The posters and blood alcohol percentage charts will be available by the end of this week, and the main area of distribution will be the residence halls.