At Langley Tuesday Night: Perils of College Drinking Culture Forum

College-bound Fairfax County students and their parents are encouraged to attend an upcoming program 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” community forums twice this spring. The first forum will be held Tuesday, April 29 at 7 p.m. at Langley High School.

The second forum will be held May 21 at 7 p.m. at Northern Virginia Community College’s Ernst Community Cultural Center on its Annandale campus.

Supporting the events are the Fairfax County Police Department, Langley High School PTSA, 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: The April 29 program will be held in the school auditorium, 6520 Georgetown Pike, McLean. The May 21 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.