Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

BeWell Campaign Seeks to Redefine Alcohol Norms

Georgetown’s first-ever Social Norms Campaign, which aims to promote responsible drinking on campus, will begin this Monday.

Health Education Services is launching the campaign as part of its annual BeWell Week, which now lasts 14 days.

Similar to last year’s event, which was held the week of Sept. 26, BeWell Week aims to promote a happier and more health-conscious environment at Georgetown.  The Hoya Health Hut, where Health Services staff and student volunteers will offer advice and provide healthy food, will rotate locations between O’Donovan Hall, Copley Lawn, Red Square, Leavey Center and Village C.  Additionally, Yates Field House will offer free fitness classes to encourage the community to stay active.

“We’re trying to encourage laughing, relaxing, exercising and other components of a healthy lifestyle,” said Catherine Merwin (NHS ’15), a BeWell Week student organizer.

But the primary focus of the program is the Social Norms Campaign, which will highlight the dangers of binge drinking and alcohol abuse.  Planning for this campaign began nine years ago and will culminate this year on Sept. 26 in a day devoted to alcohol education.

According to Social Norms Coordinator and Health Promotion Counselor Tessa Telly, the campaign aims to encourage responsible drinking rather than to lecture students about the consequences of alcohol consumption.

“The theme this year is ‘work hard, play hard.’ We hear this slogan all the time, so we thought it was a better way to connect with students, as it is definitely relevant to college students,” Telly said. “We hope students will make smarter choices.”

BeWell Week Student Coordinator Jessica Kohan (NHS ’14) emphasized that the campaign aims to address the pressure that some students may feel to drink heavily.

“Being a college student, I know that one of the assumptions that comes along with college life is binge drinking. We understand that Georgetown students are very ambitious and hard working, and to contrast that constant work, students often feel they need to ‘play’ just as hard as they work,” Kohan said. “We want this campaign to show students that having fun and partying does not have to mean getting black-out drunk.”

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