It’s no secret that students gain more than an education in college. Along the way you probably learned how to play more than one drinking game and you probably know how many beers you can have before you are over your limit, or have you? According to CollegeDrinkingPrevention.Gov, about 1 in 4 college students report academic consequences from drinking, including missing class, falling behind in class, doing poorly on exams or papers, and receiving lower grades overall.

The Wellness, Alcohol, and Violence Education Program (WAVE) an organization on the NMSU campus has continued to educate students on Wellness, Alcohol and Violence. The harm reduction program has been working towards creating a safer environment for the NMSU community since 2006.

“We are promoting a safer campus by telling students about binge drinking, alcohol poisoning, domestic violence and suicide,” said WAVE staff member and NMSU graduate, Tiffany Tyson. Tyson has been working with the organization since 2013 and says that WAVE educates on issues that are important for students to know about like safety when drinking and physical fitness.

WAVE, tables around campus about two to three times a week with different topics at each table. They also offer presentations upon request that range from responsible alcohol usage to sexual assault. The organization can also tailor any presentation to meet the needs upon request.

“The more people know about it, the less danger people are in,” said 19-year-old, Visual Arts Major, Shaunia Grant. WAVE uses strategies that have been proven effective through research in order to provide the community with the best strategies they can. WAVE uses verbal and written sources for information on the strategies they share with students because they recognize that only having one source may not be as efficient as having multiple sources.

WAVE also offers the Steven David Judd Scholarship each year in memory of Stephen David Judd who died of alcohol poisoning in November of 2005 one day following his twenty-first birthday. Steven was a junior Crimson Scholar at NMSU majoring in Computer Science and President of the Delta Chi Fraternity. Steven’s parents, Steven and Karen Judd, established a scholarship to be awarded to the NMSU student who “has made the greatest contribution toward alcohol prevention and the reduction of high-risk drinking at NMSU.” The scholarship is a reminder of why WAVE continues to educate students on these issues.

WAVE not only strives to share knowledge with students about these issues, but they also want students to go beyond understanding the information and strategies provided to them. WAVE encourages students to apply the information and strategies to their lives.

“WAVE is a great program even if you’re just volunteering,” said English Major, Cherokee Sullinger. “You’re going to help people whether you know it or not.”

The organization hires students every semester, but if any student wants to volunteer with the organization they can visit the WAVE office in room 106 in the Aggie Lounge located in Corbett Center.

WAVE provides services and support to students regardless of sex, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion or national origin. The purpose of the organization is to provide programming that will positively impact the behavior of the student population.

For any information on WAVE you can contact the organization at 575-646-2813