DeKALB, IL -- Officials at Northern Illinois University today announced the formation of a task force to examine university practices and policies related to campus alcohol education.

“Across the nation, universities are looking for new and better ways to deal with issues related to alcohol and we want to stay in the forefront of those efforts,” said NIU President John Peters. “We want to have the best possible programs to assist students in making informed and responsible decisions about using -- or not using -- alcohol, and to ensure that we are providing appropriate assistance to those who have a problem with alcohol.”

The Alcohol Education Task Force, which was created by Vice President for Student Affairs Brian O. Hemphill, will be a collaborative effort between the university and the DeKalb community. Representing the city will be DeKalb City Manager Mark Biernacki, DeKalb Alderman Kris Povlsen and DeKalb Chief of Police Bill Feithen.

“We recognize that the university is a member of the greater community at large. Alcohol-related issues touch not only campus but the whole city, so it is only appropriate to include representatives from the city in these discussions,” said Hemphill. “Our goal is to strengthen our relationships with the DeKalb community by ensuring that our policies are promoting positive civic behaviors.”

Membership will also include representatives from a cross section of university departments, including Housing and Dining, Judicial Services and Public Safety; three faculty members; and five student leaders active in residence halls, campus activities and fraternities.

The 28-person group will be co-chaired by Kathy Hotelling, director of Counseling and Student Development for the past 18 years, and acting director of Health Enhancement Amy Franklin, who has been a health educator specializing in alcohol issues at NIU for the past 15 years.

The task force, which will begin meeting in February, is to conduct an internal audit of all current alcohol education programs and services on campus, benchmark those efforts against cutting-edge programs at other universities across the country and make recommendations on ways to enhance NIU’s alcohol education programs. The group is expected to finish the report later this year.

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