Is drinking alcohol at a party going to hinder my academic success? Not anymore. Is this required program where students learn about alcohol, drugs and sexual assault really being seen as a learning tool?
Not anymore.
The Not Anymore online program has been a staple for incoming freshmen as a way to reach out to them about the harms of alcohol, drugs and sexual assault before entering the exciting world of freedom we like to call college. However, what once was viewed as an informational video has now become ‘this video we have to watch’ at the conclusion of summer.
Coming in to Winthrop freshman year, these 30 minute videos were not something I necessarily wanted to do, but that didn’t stop me from learning.
As freshman, we come in with confusing, intimidating thoughts running around in our heads of what college life is like. Most of the time, the word ‘college’ is associated with drinking, and in this new age of the “Me Too” movement, is has also become associated with sexual assault.
As a freshman, I learned that my actions could have consequences on not only myself, but also on those I surround myself with.
But that was then, and this is now.
I am a senior, and having watched the Not Anymore videos for a fourth time, they have lost their effect on me. I no longer pay attention to the real life stories, the statistics… really anything the video has to offer, other than the answers to the pre-test questions.
Why should seniors, and I’ll even go so far as to say juniors, be subject to the same videos of freshman year? We have become acclimated to college life and new societal troubles have presented themselves. We are not just thinking about parties and alcohol and freedom.
We are thinking about internships and clubs and graduating. While I do understand the importance of alcohol and drug prevention, along with sexual assault, the Not Anymore program offers so much more that we fail to utilize as a university.
On the Not Anymore website, they have multiple programs designed for different students. Undergraduate, graduate, returning students and greek life are just some of the programs offered, yet we only strongly utilize one: alcohol and other drugs.
There was one video about dating violence and another about consent. However, that is only two out of the five I have had to watch in the four years I have been a part of this university.
Where is my refresher on dating violence? How about unhealthy relationships?
Not Anymore is not just about alcohol and drugs. College, itself, is more than alcohol and drugs. Men and women on this campus face domestic violence both mentally and physically, sexual assault, issues with consent and so much more.
Alcohol and drugs is a small piece of a very large and intricate puzzle. So Winthrop students, faculty and anyone else who may be reading, I turn the question to you.
Should alcohol and drugs be the main focus, the only focus, on our campus?
Not Anymore.