Citing positive results since its 2006 inception, Stanford administrators announced that they will be renewing their use of the AlcoholEdu program for four more years.

The University approved more funding for the program after finding it to be effective training for incoming freshmen. Ralph Castro, manager of the substance abuse prevention program in Health Promotion Services at Vaden Health Center, presented survey results from four classes of Stanford students.

The survey indicated that 71 percent found the program somewhat effective, 77 percent acknowledged they learned something and nearly 50 percent said the material better prepared them to deal with alcohol at Stanford. Results like this imply a reduction in alcohol use and abuse among college students because of AlcoholEdu, Castro said.

The University’s cost-analysis of the program’s annual cost of $18,000 evaluated factors such as emergency room trips for alcohol poisoning, police response to emergencies, Residence Deans’ involvement and the cost of missed classes.

— David Ballantine