At NOVA Wednesday Night: Perils of College Drinking Culture Forum

College-bound Fairfax County students and their parents are encouraged to attend a program tonight (Wednesday) that deals with binge drinking on college campuses. 

The Unified Prevention Coalition of Fairfax County (UPC) will present “The Perils of the College Drinking Culture.”  The forum will be held Wednesday (May 21) at 7 p.m. at Northern Virginia Community College’s Ernst Community Cultural Center on its Annandale campus.

Supporting the event are the Fairfax County Police Department, Safe Community Coalition and Northern Virginia Community College.

Each two-hour event will feature a screening and panel discussion on the award-winning documentary, HAZE, designed for parents and their college-bound teens, and for any citizens concerned about underage drinking. Parents are encouraged to attend with their adolescent children.

Featured speakers and panelists will include: Ray Morrogh, Commonwealth’s Attorney for Fairfax County and his chief deputy Casey Lingan; Fairfax County Police Sgt. Dan Pang, School Resource Officer supervisor, Community Resource Division; Mary Ann Sprague, director, George Mason University’s Wellness, Alcohol and Violence Education and Services (WAVES); Jeff Levy, father of a student who died following drinking at a college party; Ryan Smith, Virginia Tech Transportation Institute alcohol researcher; and University of Virginia senior Alexandra Bocharnikov. A question-and-answer session will follow.

The program, launched in 2010, is part of an ongoing effort by county leaders to address the significant health and legal risks associated with underage and binge drinking.

The Unified Prevention Coalition of Fairfax County is a nonprofit organization that partners with more than 60 community organizations to keep youth and young adults safe and drug free. The Perils program is partially funded by a federal STOP grant.

Note: Tonight's event will be held at NVCC, 8333 Little River Turnpike, Annandale (Free parking in Lots B12, B13 and B14 only). For more information, contact UPC at 703-938-8723, or visit www.unifiedpreventioncoalition.org.