Virginia Tech's Office Of Judicial Affairs Receives Virginia Department Of Alcoholic Beverage Control Grant

The Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control has awarded a grant to Virginia Tech for an educational and awareness campaign to help reduce the underage alcohol use on campus and in the local community. The grant will be administered jointly by Office of Judicial Affairs, the College Alcohol Abuse Prevention Center and the Virginia Tech and Blacksburg police departments.

The number of judicial referrals for off-campus students in the fall 2002 semester demonstrates the scope of the problem--there were 184 referrals and of those, 164 referrals were alcohol-related. The program also is aimed at reducing noise violations, vandalism, and litter.

The Virginia Tech and Blacksburg police departments will carry out joint enforcement operations. The increase in police presence and arrests in the community are expected to deter and decrease alcohol and alcohol-related violations over the next three semesters.

The College Alcohol Abuse Prevention Center will be in charge of collecting and analyzing data regarding these problems and determining the effectiveness of the program. The grant will provide training for the staff of the organizations involved in the program.

Fliers, table tents, advertisements in the Collegiate Times and bus signs will be posted to increase public awareness of the program. Roanoke Street, Patrick Henry Drive, North Main Street and Foxridge will be primary targets of the campaign, which will take place during the next three semesters.

"This grant will allow the university to strengthen existing internal relationships among various departments as well as our relationship with the Blacksburg community," said Frances Keene, victim services adjudication coordinator for the Office of Judicial Affairs. "We want to provide students with information about the potential negative outcomes that can be associated with underage possession of alcohol from both the university and the local police. Collaborative enforcement efforts will be key in reducing violations and improving the community as a whole."

For more information, contact Steve Clarke, director of the College Alcohol Abuse Prevention Center, at sclarke@vt.edu or (540) 231-2233; or Keene at fbabb@vt.edu or (540) 231-3790.