A University group recently received more than $10,000 in federal funding to educate students on safe alcohol, drug and seat belt use.

Advocating Safe Alternatives for Peers, a University student organization, received the $10,135 grant from the Georgia Office of Highway Safety and will use the money to develop educational programs and brochures about alcohol abuse prevention, underage drinking, seat belts and speeding.

Joey Marmorato, president and treasurer of ASAP, said the group is made up of drinkers and non-drinkers who stress the importance of responsibility when it comes to alcohol.

“There’s no real way to safely use drugs – and there are physical, physiological consequences to using alcohol unsafely,” said Marmorato, a senior from Roswell. “So we try to educate our peers on safe use.”

Marmorato said one use of grant money will be to pay for speakers for the group’s educational events, such as Collegiate Alcohol Awareness week in the fall and Safe Spring Break in the spring. Collegiate Alcohol Awareness week begins next week, and the group will be sponsoring several events, including a lecture from a University pharmacy professor and a beer goggle demonstration.

Carole Middlebrooks, former coordinator for drug and alcohol education for the University and sponsor of ASAP, said the group will also be conducting seat belt surveys using the grant money.

“There have been studies released that show that if you’ve used alcohol you’re more likely to forget your seat belt,” Middlebrooks said. “We already had an inclination of this, but studies tie in.”

She said the group tries to look at a new issue every year, and target a new

group audience.

“This year they’re looking at graduate students and their needs,” Middlebrooks said. “It’ll be developing brochures and informational pamphlets … that are geared directly toward graduate students.”

Students in the group said they joined to help educate others and keep them safe.

“I learned about it as a freshman, and I didn’t have any friends that drank before college,” said Fiyin Fawole, a University senior and special events coordinator for ASAP. “I just really liked the idea of taking responsibility for your actions.”