Fort Valley State University's Office of Student Health & Counseling Services "Be the Sober One" program recently received a $6,990 grant from the Governor's Office of Highway Safety.

The Governor's Office of Highway Safety is an organization whose mission is to reduce the number of young adult driver crashes, injuries and fatalities and partners with colleges and universities throughout the state through the Georgia Young Adult Program. The GYAP encourages participating schools, like FVSU, to develop creative, innovative techniques to lower the number of fatalities through initiatives like the campus' Be the Sober One. Program.

According to Anthony White, an FVSU peer educator, the campus' Be the Sober One campaign has successfully not only reached students, it has impacted young people in the surrounding Fort Valley community and university faculty and staff members.

"Our program teaches our target range of students  from the ages of 18 to 24 to drink responsibly, always use good judgments, to make sure everyone stays together especially coming home, make sure there's always a designated driver, and finally have fun being the sober one," White said.
"The Governor's Office of Highway Safety is committed to changing the tragic trend of young adult driver death in Georgia," said GOHS Director Harris Blackwood. "We're here to make changes and I believe the students at Fort Valley State University can help us achieve the goal of lowering driver, crash, injury and facility rates statewide. Who better to address the challenges and dangers facing young adults than their peers? I'm confident these students can convince their peers to be safer, more conscientious drivers."

Jacqueline Caskey-James, director of the Office of Student Health & Counseling Services states "I am extremely proud of the success of the Be the Sober One program, continuing to build a strong model of sobriety through evidence-based programming.

Upcoming events for the program include, a joint event with FVSU Judicial Affairs Club called "Thriller on Wheels". Students, faculty, and staff will wear impaired goggles and ride through an obstacle course on a golf cart accompanied by White and other peer educators to show the dangers of driving under the influence, as well as vast amount of tabling events geared towards spreading the word of the Be the Sober One  program and recruitment for the program.