A fiery emotional appeal can ignite a movement. But there is also something to be said for cold, hard numbers in spurring people to action. That one-two punch of surprising statistics is the foundation of a Bentley program that encourages students to take

Joseph P. O’Shea

Finding the More in Less

The primary audience for the message may be another surprise: students who chose to drink moderately.

“These are the students who experience the greatest number of negative consequences from drinking, but often don’t recognize their choices as risky,” explains Jessica Greher Traue, senior assistant director of the Center for Health and Wellness. In developing the OneLess program, she and other members of the Student Affairs team took a measured, reality-focused approach.

“We’ve never tried to pretend that the real world doesn’t exist; that’s not the Bentley model,” says Dean of Student Affairs J. Andrew Shepardson. “Students will go out – whether they choose to drink or not – into a world where alcohol may be present. If they choose to drink, we want them to be responsible.”

OneLess aims to convince moderate drinkers — who represent the majority of Bentley students — to slightly alter their drinking habits.

“We don’t want students to feel defensive about their behavior,” says Greher Traue, who serves as program coordinator. “The challenge has been to create a message they won’t tune out.”

Sobering Statistics

Several colleagues joined Greher Traue to research the impacts of drinking: Doreen Floyd, associate dean of student affairs; Brandon White, assistant director of judicial programs; Margaret Fitzgerald, associate director of the Center for Health and Wellness; and Nina DeAgrela, assistant director of the Multicultural Center. They combined national findings with Bentley-specific survey data, to unearth several attention-grabbing statistics:

By drinking six beers one night a week, a student consumes nearly 47,000 calories each year — comparable to almost 22 large cheese pizzas;
That same student has a grade point average .11 points below that of peers who have four or five drinks one night a week;
U.S. college students spend about $5.5 billion per year on alcohol.

Armed with this data, program principals explored ways to engage students in the topic. Efforts included a mobile art exhibit showing the negative caloric, academic and financial consequences of having a sixth drink; a social marketing campaign that featured students photographed with their personal “OneLess” decision on a behavior to curb, such as procrastinating or telling an embarrassing story; and increasing awareness of alcohol-free events on campus.

Measurable Results

The movement is creating positive change. In October, marking the program’s one-year anniversary, about one-quarter of Bentley students took part in a follow-up survey. Male students reported taking one less drink per social occasion, while female students consumed a half drink less per event. In addition, two-thirds chose one less night of drinking, half deliberately chose a drink that contained less alcohol, and 55 percent set a drink limit before going out.

“We’ve heard about the consequences of heavy drinking, but that doesn’t always resonate when the weekend rolls around,” says Sophia Sirage ’15. “OneLess takes a realistic approach because instead of asking you to stop drinking altogether, it challenges you to turn it down a notch.”

The lessons of OneLess are meant to cross into other areas, according to Shepardson.

“It’s all about our efforts to prepare students to be successful when they leave Bentley,” he says. “We want them to think about establishing good habits and making good choices that will benefit their life always.”