The Rocket

Issue date: 2/3/06 Section: News

Gregg Hess, H.O.P.E. program volunteer

During the four to five years most students spend in college, much time is spent experimenting with drugs, sex and alcohol.

It's the combination of these things, mixed with the everyday pressures of college life, that sparked the creation of the Healthy Outreach through Peer Education (H.O.P.E.) program nine years ago.

Slippery Rock University Coordinator for Health Promotions Jodi Solito was the developer of the program.

One feature that H.O.P.E. offers students is "Beers, Cheers and Fears," an informative lecture that describes the effects of alcohol on the body and introduces students to the dangers of high-risk drinking. Students who attend the lecture are provided with referral sources for alcohol-related situations.

"In the program 'Beers, Cheers and Fears,' students are made aware of the risks of alcohol poisoning," Solito said. "The program teaches students what to do if they come across someone with alcohol poisoning."

Solito said there are 10 programs in all.

The programs that H.O.P.E. offers are designed and carried out mostly by the trained student personelle.

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