The BE Wise campaign, within the Division of Student Affairs, is recruiting new peer educators for the 2015-2016 academic year. Peer educators are dedicated students who work with staff from the Counseling Center and Office of Health Promotion to provide educational presentations and outreach to increase awareness about alcohol use and alcohol poisoning.
BE Wise Peer Educators
“I wanted to become a part of BE Wise because during my first year at Syracuse, I was able to see the huge role that alcohol played in the social scene on campus, and sometimes the very unhealthy relationship students have with alcohol,” says Ayanna Williams, a peer educator and senior studying public health in Falk College. “BE Wise gave me the opportunity to talk with students about alcohol safety, but from a peer perspective.”
Reflecting on her time as a BE Wise peer educator, Julie McCullough, a junior studying television, radio and film in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications says, “BE Wise is an amazing program that is making a real difference on this campus. It is a judgment-free campaign that openly communicates to Syracuse students about alcohol consumption in an effective, meaningful way.”
The benefits students gain by becoming a part of the peer educator program, include:
“I’ve always had good leadership and presentation skills, but joining BE Wise has only made those skills stronger,” says McCullough. “In addition, BE Wise is a fun, tightly knit group that really gives a sense of community on campus. Joining the club has been one of the best decisions of my college career.”
There are three central pillars to the BE Wise campaign: BE Real and know your limits; BE There and make the call when someone is in need of help; and BE Aware by knowing the signs of alcohol poisoning. The campaign uses the acronym C.U.P.S to remind students of the signs: cold skin, unresponsiveness, puking and slow breathing. Peer educators believe in educating and empowering other students to make healthy choices and decisions regarding the use of alcohol. They are committed to making a difference on the Syracuse University campus through nonjudgmental connections with their peers about alcohol.
Becoming a peer educator requires students to commit for the 2015-16 academic year, attend biweekly meetings with group facilitators and provide, and attend, presentations throughout the year. If you would like to become a peer educator, fill out the BE Wise application. Faculty and staff are encouraged to share this application with students that would be great for this opportunity.
For more information, check out the BE Wise campaign website, Facebook page or Twitter.
If offices, faculty or student groups are also interested in a presentation they can email subewise@syr.edu.
