DATE: November 06, 2007

CONTACT: Kathy Cauthen, (864) 656-3053
kcauthe@clemson.edu

WRITER: Angela Nixon, (864) 656-0382
anixon@clemson.edu

Clemson University, city partner for alcohol safety

CLEMSON – Clemson University and the city of Clemson will focus on safety during EMpower Weekend Nov. 9 and 10.

EMpower Clemson is a student-driven campaign to encourage students to make healthy, safe decisions and to take care of themselves and each other. A main focus of EMpower Clemson is alcohol safety, but EMpower’s motto, “Be responsible. Be a Tiger,” applies to other safety-related issues as well.

At 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 9, at Clemson City Hall, Mayor Larry Abernathy will officially proclaim “EMpower Day” in Clemson. Along with Clemson student Lindsey McKinney and Clemson Community Coalition chairman Butch Trent, he will sign a proclamation declaring that EMpower Day will “promote safe and responsible behavior, for students, and by students, with a special emphasis on alcohol management.”

“EMpower Day illustrates the kind of relationship that the city and university enjoy,” said Abernathy. “It’s a relationship that’s recognized nationally as the standard by which town-gown relationships are measured. We want to use that strong relationship to team up on reducing risks for the young people at Clemson.”

Representatives from the Pacific Institute of Research and Evaluation (PIRE) will also be on-hand for the proclamation. PIRE is a national nonprofit public health research institute with centers in eight U.S. cities that is supported primarily by federal and state research and program funds. Researchers from PIRE’s South Carolina branch will collect data and conduct focus groups and interviews to help Clemson develop priorities for alcohol safety and prevention strategies.

“Using PIRE gives us credibility and it lets the community know that this issue is important enough for us to use the best tools we can,” said Kathy Cauthen, prevention specialist for alcohol safety at Clemson University.

Representatives from the Clemson Student Senate, campus alcohol and other drugs task force, the Clemson Community Coalition members and other community partners also will be invited to the proclamation signing.

As part of EMpower Day, Clemson’s swimming and diving teams will make the day a part of their match against Savannah College at 4 p.m. Friday at Fike Natatorium with special announcements and giveaways.

EMpower Weekend continues Saturday, Nov. 10, with an EMpower Blitz tailgate event from 9 a.m. to noon at Littlejohn Coliseum. This free event will feature food, games, giveaways, a dunking booth and music by Clemson student and country singer Doug McCormick.

“We wanted to provide a tailgate activity where families and students can enjoy an alcohol-free area and experience the Clemson spirit in a safe atmosphere,” said Lindsey McKinney, a biochemistry major from Greenville and member of student government who helped start EMpower Clemson. “My hope from day one has been to encourage students to empower themselves and empower one another to make Clemson a safe place to go to college and to live.”