News & Events

• Register Now! Wheaton Life Watch: Bystander Intervention Training 11/9 October 12, 2010 Cynthia Maricle

  The Yellow Wood Commission is sponsoring Wheaton Life Watch, a bystander-intervention training program on November 9th from 6 – 8 PM in the Holman Room. Register now at http://bit.ly/LifeWatchRegistration.

  Wheaton Life Watch: The New Sign of Leadership and Community  

  In response to alcohol-related incidents on campus, the Yellow Wood Commission is continuing Wheaton Life Watch, a bystander-intervention training program. Wheaton Life Watch combines strategies for safe alcohol use and tips on recognizing alcohol poisoning. Additionally, Wheaton Life Watch will strive to take the next step in promoting a safer alcohol culture by teaching students how to intervene in situations that have the potential to become dangerous. After the training, attendees will receive a Wheaton Life Watch blue wristband to wear in situations when alcohol is present as proof of their training and commitment to creating a more safe and responsible alcohol culture, thus raising awareness about the seriousness of alcohol abuse.

  Last fall, 107 students were trained in Wheaton Life Watch. This year, we'd like to invite you to be part of the second cohort of Wheaton Life Watch graduates to demonstrate the importance of alcohol education on campus. Additionally, Resident Assistants, Preceptors, student athletes, and other campus leaders will be invited. The first 100 students to register will be guaranteed a spot at the training. We hope that you'll join us in this opportunity to make Wheaton a safer place.

  To register, please fill out the Life Watch registration form at:  http://bit.ly/LifeWatchRegistration by November 4th.

  Or go to www.wheatoncollege.edu/yellowwood, click on "Wheaton Life Watch" in the news feed, and fill out the form.

  Wheaton Life Watch
  When: Wednesday, November 9th, from 6pm-8pm
  Where: Holman Room
  Registration Deadline: November 4^th

  Questions, please email yellowwood@wheatoncollege.edu.

  Join Life Watch today and help make Wheaton a safer campus community.

• Yellow Wood Commission Now Accepting Applications January 20, 2013 Cynthia Maricle

  Apply now to become a member of the Yellow Wood Commission. Email your completed application to Andrea Holden at holden_andrea@wheatoncollege.edu or deliver to the SAIL/Residential Life Office in Balfour by Wednesday, January 30, at 8 AM.

  We Invite You to Help Lead Wheaton on a New Path...
   Apply by January 30, 2013, to become a member of the
  Yellow Wood Commission

  As charged the Yellow Wood Commission will look at the role alcohol plays at Wheaton College. This is a complex issue involving health and wellness, the social and academic environments, and the relationship of the college to the broader community. Thus, this Commission will engage in a review with multiple dimensions. As a result, the Commission will propose strategies for the Wheaton community to fundamentally change the way we live, learn, and work together. High-risk alcohol use is often a symptom of a community in need of better social opportunities, a higher degree of personal accountability, and deeper respect for ourselves and one another.
  

  APPLY NOW!  Yellow Wood Commission 2013 application

  Applications Due:  Wednesday, January 30, at 8 AM

  Please email your completed application to:
  Andrea Holden at holden_andrea@wheatoncollege.edu or
  deliver to the SAIL/Residential Life Office in Balfour-Hood.

   

• YWC Recommendation Report August 16, 2011 Cynthia Maricle

  The Alcohol Response: Institutional Recommendation Report presents an overview of findings and recommendations for positive change.

  The Alcohol Response: Institutional Recommendation Report presents an overview of findings and recommendations for positive change.

• Life Watch Video April 28, 2011 Bill Dennen

  The Life Watch program combines CPR training, strategies for safe alcohol use, and tips on recognizing alcohol poisoning.

  
  
  
  The Life Watch program combines CPR training, strategies for safe alcohol use, and tips on recognizing alcohol poisoning. Additionally, Wheaton Life Watch strives to take the next step in promoting a safer alcohol culture by teaching students how to intervene in situations that have the potential to become dangerous. After the training, attendees will receive a Wheaton Life Watch blue wristband to wear as proof of their training and commitment to creating a more safe and responsible alcohol culture.

• Letter from Dean Williams January 14, 2011 Cynthia Maricle

  This past weekend, two of your classmates were transported to the hospital due to extreme intoxication.

  Dear Wheaton Students,

  This past weekend, two of your classmates were transported to the hospital due to extreme intoxication. One of these students had such a severe case of alcohol poisoning that without medical attention, it could have proved fatal. I'm writing to make clear a few things I believe you need to know.

  First, in both of these situations, other students summoned help. They put their friends' safety ahead of their own concerns about getting in trouble with the college. They made the right decision. As your dean, I am assuring you that if you call for assistance to help a friend, that act will supersede any desire on the part of the college to sanction you for your own drinking. We may have a conversation with you about your actions later. We may even refer you for further discussion about your own alcohol use. But your willingness to put yourself in a difficult position will be the most significant factor in our response to you. Please, please: Do not let your fear of getting in trouble keep you from helping, or saving the life of, a friend.

  Second, I want you to just keep this in mind: Both of these students, and several students transported last semester, drank excessive amounts of hard liquor. Doing shots may seem fun and a fast way to get drunk, but between the time you drink the alcohol and the time your body responds, there is enough time for your fellow partyers to leave you behind and go somewhere else. You may find yourself dangerously intoxicated and alone, and that may result in your death.

  Third, please know the signs and symptoms of alcohol poisoning, and call 911 if you see anyone exhibiting these:  unconsciousness, repeated vomiting, irregular breathing, slow breathing, blue-tinged skin or pale skin, low body temperature, or seizures. If a person is unconscious, breathing less than 8 times a minute, and/or has repeated, uncontrolled vomiting, call 911 immediately. Keep in mind that even when a person is unconscious or has stopped drinking, the alcohol they've consumed continues to be released into the bloodstream and the level of alcohol in the body continues to rise. Never assume that a person will "sleep off" alcohol poisoning. They are more likely to vomit (the body's response to being poisoned), which may result in choking and death.

  An estimated 1400 college students die from alcohol poisoning and related accidents each year. Their deaths were devastating to their families, friends and campuses. Please do your part to keep your friends and classmates safe.

  Thanks.
  Dean Williams

• WATCH THIS VIDEO: Please drive safely, for everyone's sake. November 8, 2010 Craig Andrade

  This drunk driving prevention video, produced by Australia’s Transport Accident Commission, is extremely powerful. Warning: You may find some parts disturbing.
• Four Loko Warning November 2, 2010 Cynthia Maricle

  WARNING: The new canned drink, Four Loko, is NOT an energy drink. It’s an extremely dangerous concoction (it approximates six shots of alcohol and five cups of coffee) that has caused life-threatening side effects.

  Currently, there is a lot of media attention about the drink Four Loko and the attendant side effects characterized as “black out in a can.” This morning’s Boston Globe includes an article titled Colleges Sound Warning on Four Loko. I have included a web-link to this article below and encourage you to read it. The piece provides a good overview of why college administrators, health professionals, and even the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are concerned about the potential risks of Four Loko and other similar products that contain high amounts of alcohol and caffeine. 

  The fact that a Wheaton student recently received emergency room treatment for alcohol poisoning believed related to using Four Loko, underscores the real dangers of mixing alcohol and caffeine. One 23 ounce can of Four Loko contains the alcohol equivalent of four 12 ounce beers and 156 milligrams of caffeine (nearly equal to the caffeine in 3 Mountain Dews). The danger here is not just the alcohol content, but rather, the combination of high amounts of alcohol and caffeine.

  We strongly recommend that you stay away from these types of drinks and avoid mixing alcohol with other caffeine containing beverages. Here are some reasons why:

  Five reasons why mixing caffeine or energy drinks with alcohol is a really bad idea.*
  1.    Mixing caffeine and alcohol can increase the risk of alcohol poisoning. Since caffeine makes people feel “less drunk” than they really are, they tend to drink more than they should.
  2.    Mixing alcohol and caffeine can make your heart rate and blood pressure rise.
  3.    Caffeine can make you feel energetic even if you’re drunk. Why is this dangerous? Because people can be “tricked” into thinking they are alert enough to do things like drive a car, when they really aren’t.
  4.    Caffeine and alcohol are both diuretics, leading to dehydration (and really bad hangovers).
  5.    Adding caffeine to alcohol can make drinking alcohol all the more addictive.

  We share this information to encourage you to be smart and safe if and when you use alcohol. If you see someone using alcohol in a way that makes you concerned they could hurt themselves or someone else, please help them or call for help.

  For information on alcohol poisoning and ways to avoid alcohol risk, click on the following link:

  http://wheatoncollege.edu/yellowwood/files/2010/09/Alcohol-Poison-Signs.jpg

  Boston Globe: Colleges sound warning on Four Loko

  http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2010/11/02/college_officials_sound_warning_over_four_loko/

  *Source: AlcoholEDU

• Signs of Alcohol Poisoning September 22, 2010 Cynthia Maricle

  If you are at all concerned, call 911 or Public Safety at 508-286-3333.
• Wheaton Joins the Alcohol Prevention Coalition August 4, 2010 Cynthia Maricle

  In the spring of 2010, Wheaton College join the Alcohol Prevention Coalition, a new nation-wide collaborative of colleges and universities committed to state-of-the-art prevention approaches, effective policies, and pioneering practices that bolster academic success and reduce alcohol-related harm. The APC is led by the national alcohol prevention organization, Outside the Classroom.

  Alcohol Prevention Research Summit

  This summer Wheaton participated in the Alcohol Prevention Coalition’s Annual Alcohol Prevention Research Summit, a two day event at Babson University convening institutions from around the country to review the latest literature and best practices aimed at reducing alcohol risk and supporting student success. Deans Jack Kuszaj, Mark Hoesley, Jim Mancall, and Craig Andrade shared rich conversations with experienced colleagues from around the country about what is and isn't working in the college alcohol challenge.

  Looking Forward…

  The Yellow Wood Commission reconvenes in September to continue reviewing campus policy, assessing the latest research, and preparing for the next open forum. Stay tuned…

  The Alcohol Prevention Coalition 2010-2011 Coalition Partners
  

  • American University
  • Babson College
  • Bentley University
  • Boston College
  • Bucknell University
  • California State University—Channel Islands
  • Dickinson College
  • Duke University
  • Frostburg State University
  • Gettysburg College
  • Lehigh University
  • Loyola University of Chicago
  • Marquette University
  • Miami University of Ohio
  • North Carolina State University
  • Ohio University
  • Providence College
  • Purchase College—SUNY
  • Radford University
  • Roger Williams University
  • Tarleton State University
  • Texas Tech University
  • Towson University
  • Union College
  • University of Alabama
  • University of California—Berkeley
  • University of Colorado—Boulder
  • University of Connecticut
  • University of Dayton
  • University of Maryland—College Park
  • University of North Carolina—Greensboro
  • University of South Carolina—Columbia
  • University of South Florida
  • University of Southern California
  • University of Tennessee—Knoxville
  • Villanova University
  • West Virginia University
  • Wheaton College
  • William Paterson University
  • Young Harris College
• Safe Ride Cabs April 14, 2010 Craig Andrade

  Take a Ride on the Safe Side with SAFE RIDE CABS, a service provided in collaboration with the Checker Cab Company of Taunton. The SAFE RIDES program resumes September 23rd.

  Take a Ride on the Safe Side with SAFE RIDE CABS, a service provided in collaboration with the Checker Cab Company of Taunton. The SAFE RIDES program resumes September 23rd.