FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 6, 2001

As September approaches and the fall semester begins at colleges and universities across the country, many eighteen-year-olds will find themselves making the transition from high school students to college freshmen. The combination of naiveté and independence makes college students, especially freshmen, easy targets for victimization. Youthful exuberance and the feeling of immortality often can result in poor judgment, where the outcome can impact a lifetime. Unfortunately, our nation's college campuses are not excluded from the problems of alcohol, drugs, crime and violence. 95% of all student-on-student violent crimes on college campuses is alcohol and/or drug related.

Just in time for fall, SOC has released a new "Campus Security Audit" brochure that students and parents can use to evaluate safety at their school or a school they are considering attending. SOC has also released a revised "Parental Notification" brochure that is designed to educate the parents of dependent college students about the importance of staying involved and aware of serious problems their children are facing on campus so that they can intervene before a tragedy happens. It also provides a form parents can use to request information from their child's school.

"The Best Years Of Your Life?" is a hard-hitting video that educates high school and college-aged young people about the real dangers of "binge drinking." It includes interviews with the friends and parents of college students killed in binge drinking incidents, as well as graphic images of injuries and car wreckage. This 23 minute video, hosted by students, is a must watch for high school seniors on their way to college. It is perfect for high school guidance counselors, college officials, and other individuals concerned about the most serious problem facing our young people today, the epidemic of binge drinking.

"Wasted Youth" is a short video that puts a "human face" on the devastation brought about by alcohol abuse in our nation's college and university communities. The approximately 15 minute video features interviews with the family and friends of Jonathan Levy, 20, a Radford University student who died in a 1997 alcohol related crash. Rape crisis counselor Tori Hilton is also interviewed and recounts how shots of hard liquor were involved in a gang rape. Kevin Price, a Bucknell graduate who killed 5 people in an alcohol related car crash, tells his story. The family of Raheem Bath, a 20-year-old Duke University student, recounts the circumstances that led to his death in 1999 from alcohol related causes.

"Best Years" and "Wasted Youth" have both been distributed nationally by SOC to over 11,000 schools, hospitals, police outreach programs, and military organizations. Our major project for this school year will be the production of an education video aimed at combating campus sexual assault.

All of our materials and programs are provided Free of Charge. The information and materials SOC provides to students may ultimately end up saving their lives and preventing senseless tragedies.

Sincerely,

Connie & Howard Clery