PACE, a campus project aiming to reduce the consequences of high-risk drinking, introduced a new program at Memorial Union Tuesday that will train students to help those who have consumed dangerous amounts of alcohol.

Sue Pastor, community health specialist and co-chair of the Campus Alcohol Task Force, outlined a new initiative called the Red Watchband program. The program provides students with cardiopulmonary resuscitation, automated external defibrillator training and alcohol education. When a student completes the program, they receive a red watchband and pledge to respond to dangerous consumption.

The Red Watchband program just received funding from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation through a program called the Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Institution Grant Program. University of Wisconsin groups Wischoices and Student Emergency Medical Services would be the two groups responsible for implementing the program.

“There is a need for a student-led effort to provide information and consciousness that can be used in everyday life regarding alcohol consumption and myths,” Pastor said.

Pastor said 20 to 30 students would be trained for a pilot program in spring and these initial students would focus on other students for SOAR and Welcome Week in the summer and fall.

Aaron Brower, PACE director and UW vice provost for teaching and learning, presented findings on the correlation of alcohol and campus crimes using geographic data.

The data used in the presentation was compiled for 2008 and put together using geographic information systems. The presentation showed how crime moves around the downtown area by the Capitol and also factors in the placement of bars and high-density student living areas.

Data collected for the presentation is organized into four categories based upon severity: liquor law violations, noise complaints, assaults and batteries and vandalism.

Brower said while crimes regarding noise complaints, assaults and batteries and vandalism were down since 2003, there seemed to be a spike in the number of liquor law violations for 2008.

“Our speculation for this spike is that cops are doing a better job of ticketing students early with liquor law violations, which prevents the other serious crimes from occurring,” Brower said.

Brower also said new policies that have been put into place, such as the bar density plan, more police downtown and stepped up oversight from the Alcohol License Review Committee, seem to be making a difference in the overall level of crimes, particularly in serious crimes.

However, Brower said the reason for this dramatic increase will not be completely known until the presentation is shown to both the UW Police Department and the Madison Police Department.

David Chastain, Madison College health and wellness program coordinator, presented the coalition with an update from the college. Chastain reported there have been no differences seen this fall in student contacts through Madison College Health Services, but there has been a slight increase in students with underage alcohol violations asking for help.