The special airs at 6 p.m. and again at 8 p.m., tonight, Wednesday, March 28, on CNN. Downs will appear in the segment of the prime time special report that looks at the rise in college binge drinking and drug abuse.
A promo for the show reads, “It has been 30 years since the start of the 'War on Drugs' but drugs are cheaper, more powerful, and more available than ever before. We'll explore this deadly addiction, and we'll examine the rise in binge drinking and drug abuse on college campuses across the country and what's being done to stop it.”
Downs, former program director for the Building Responsibility Coalition (BRC), received the 2004 First State Distinguished Award for her efforts to change student behavior and influence views about excessive drinking, on and off campus. Her work has received attention from other colleges and universities across the nation.
Currently, she is active in the administration of AlcoholEdu, an online alcohol education program required for all first-year students at UD. The course is aimed at creating a learning experience that motivates behavior change, resets unrealistic expectations about the effects of alcohol, links choices about drinking to academic and personal success, and helps students practice healthier and safer decision-making.
Photo by Kathy Atkinson