All incoming UW freshman are required to complete an alcohol education program that spans several hours, however transfer students are exempt from the program.
While many Wyoming community colleges offer similar alcohol educations programs, students are not required to take them. Northwest College in Powell does not require any alcohol education program for incoming freshman.
Nearly half of all incoming students are transfers from other institutions, according to the UW Office of Institutional Analysis. Transfers from Northwest College and Western Wyoming Community College in Rock Springs make up 22 percent of all transfers, and are not required to receive any alcohol education.
“I’m not sure if Gillette College has an alcohol education program,” Kelsey Krei, an incoming UW transfer student from Gillette College, said.
Krei also said she was unaware of any alcohol education program offered by UW.
“Transfer students are not required to complete any alcohol education program, but are strongly encouraged,” Monica Keele, the UW AWARE Program coordinator, said.
However, UW transfer student Jasmine Clark said she received no information about an alcohol education program when she transferred.
“I didn’t even know it existed,” she said.
At Western Wyoming Community College, 2015 is the first year any alcohol education program has existed. Although there was one available for students, this change is in accordance with Title IX, which requires colleges and universities provide some form of alcohol and sexual assault education.
However they are not required to make it mandatory, Bret Zerger, a counselor at Western Wyoming Community College, said.
Cynthia Garhart, a student success program manager at Northwest College in Powell said she does not think making these programs mandatory would do much good.
“I don’t know if it would help. I know the programs are expensive,” Garhart said.
Keele said she disagrees with Garhart, and the alcohol education program is helpful in preventing dangerous drug and alcohol related behaviors.
Many UW students said the UW alcohol education program wastes time and they did not get much out of it.
“I learned a little bit but it was time consuming and annoying that it was a requirement. Because of it being time consuming I didn’t really care,” UW student Emilie O’Lexey said.
Despite this belief among the student body, UW’s official policies continue to enforce the alcohol education program, though not for transfer students, which make up nearly half of all incoming students.
