Now that Florida Gulf Coast University is back in session this week, incoming freshmen have a new requirement this year: taking a drug, alcohol and sexual violence course.
Priya Thomas and her staff at FGCU’s Wellness and Prevention Center have been working to make the school’s online sex, drugs and alcohol course required for all incoming students. This year, she said all freshmen must complete the course before beginning their next semester.
Thomas said it gives students information about substance abuse and sexual violence—among others things. She said it is information she thinks all students need.
“It’s hard to connect with each and every kid that comes in on those topics,” Thomas explained. “This is a population level tool where we can have some meaningful interaction within-- you know the first six weeks for freshman are the highest risk of their college career. So, it’s great to have some kind of interaction with them during that period.”
Nicole Mamprejew, a freshman at FGCU, said she welcomes the new information.
“Even though it might not apply to some students with like taking drugs and alcohol, you can at least learn how to help other people who have a problem with it,” she said.
However, her classmate Christi Tosso said the course was full of information that was not new to her.
“I took a hope class which is health and P.E. in my ninth grade year and that covered drugs alcohol sex stuff like that and so I thought it was sort of ridiculous that I had to graduate with that and then coming into college and I had to take another class-- and all of the sections repeated themselves in every single course,” she said.
The same required course for FGCU freshman is currently required in other Florida schools, as well as Denison University in Ohio and the University of San Francisco.
The program was originally created with funding from the National Institute of Health.
