Iowa State will link to a live, national teleconference on campus violence and alcohol abuse at noon Friday in Room 2532 of the College of Veterinary Medicine building.

The teleconference, titled “Alcohol Abuse and Campus Violence Rights, Rebellions and Responsibility,” is produced by Washington State University-Putnam and the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators.

“We have chosen to be a downlink site,” said Linda Ciccone, coordinator of the Substance Abuse Program. “This teleconference will simply give us an opportunity to learn what other institutions around the nation are doing in this area — what has worked and what has not worked.”

She said the teleconference is open to anyone who is interested.

During the two-hour discussion, a panel of university professionals and college students will present their views on causes and solutions to the increase in campus violence and alcohol abuse. After the discussion, ISU and Ames community members will be given the chance to ask the panel questions.

“I plan to attend the teleconference because it’s a subject that is of interest to me,” said Beth Kassmeyer, freshman in consumer food science.

“I think that it’s a good idea to have a question-and-answer session for students,” she said. “It’s a good way to voice their opinion. I think the program will be beneficial to ISU students especially in relation to the controversy surrounding Veishea.”

Ciccone said this teleconference is a perfect opportunity for people to get together as a community and brainstorm prevention strategies, causes and solutions.

“Alcohol abuse and campus violence are national problems that we want to avoid,” she said. “As a community, we need to take steps to prevent this from becoming a problem on our campus.”

Ciccone said a variety of problems will be considered.

“The topics that will be discussed include the relationship between drinking and violence, how we can change the culture of entitlement among students, what the igniting force of violent outbreaks is, what we can do to prevent it, the impact on universities and communities and what research says about causes and solutions,” she said.

University administrators, Student Affairs personnel, law enforcement professionals, student health professionals, student leaders, community leaders and high school counselors are encouraged to attend the teleconference, Ciccone said.

ISU’s participation is sponsored by the Substance Abuse Program, the Department of Students Affairs, the Student Activities Program, the Department of Public Safety and the Ames Police Department.