In a continued effort to encourage responsible alcohol use by students, those who submit a party petition are now being required to participate in Social Host Training. This seminar is designed to help students understand the risks of irresponsible alcohol use and the legal issues that come with hosting a party.The project is being funded by a grant from the North Carolina Governor’s institute to prevent high-risk campus drinking. According to Leslie Moss, Director of Student Activities, “Social Host Training was formulated as part of the Take a Stand for Safety Campaign. It is also supported by the student judicial committee, the same group that proposed the elimination of pony kegs on campus.

“We wanted to help students have better party management skills and to reevaluate the whole party petition process,” said Moss.

The entire program consists of a one-hour session that is led by a representative from Guilford County alcohol and drug services. When possible, an officer from the Guilford County Alcohol Enforcement Unit will also be in attendance.

Two more training sessions will be held this semester, one Oct. 1 and another Nov. 4.

Eleven students attended the first training session; several of them reacted negatively to the experience.

Senior Josh Brown felt that the session was more targeted toward students under the legal legal drinking age. “It had a very biased view toward anti-alcohol use and it wasn’t terribly realistic. All they seemed to say was that people who are underage shouldn’t drink,” Brown said.

“The bottom line is that it didn’t fit what really happens at Guilford,” he said.

Senior Sarah Humpal attended the training in order to host the Hildebrant party last weekend.

She had a mixed reaction. “It was ok. They discussed a lot of things people already knew. It was helpful to learn about our responsibilities within the law.”