Q. What is PAWS?

A. PAWS stands for “Pair Alcohol With Safety. This group of established and involved RIT student leaders represents the next evolution from our grant's original peer programming group – PERDA. Concentrating on a piloted effort this year to be present and “educating” students at some of RIT's bigger – and newer – programming efforts, the PAWS is an effort to utilize creative marketing and messaging to spark healthy thinking about responsible choices and drinking.  

Q. How would I get involved in PAWS?

A. You can click here for a list of responsibilities of PAWS members. You can contact Paula French ( paula.french@rit.edu ) or Karey Pine ( ktprla@rit.edu ) for more information.

Q. If I am worried about my alcohol or drug use, is there someone on campus who I can contact?

A. At any time, you can contact a number of offices at RIT for help. The Student Health Center (located in the August Building ) is home to IMPACT, which is run by Ms. Karen Pelc. She is a chemical dependency counselor for RIT. If you are an NTID student, SAISD (located in the August Building ), has a number of counselors who specialize in chemical dependency counseling. The RIT Counseling Center (also in the August Building ), has counselors and psychologists who are available to talk with students. And, RIT Campus Safety is available 24 hours a day/7 days a week to assist students in any way they can.

Q. If I get in trouble at RIT regarding alcohol, or other drugs, where can I find out information? What will happen to me?

A. The best course of action is to review the RIT Rights and Responsibilities Handbook regarding the Student Conduct Process and outcomes. If you have questions regarding the process, you can contact anyone in the Center for Student Conduct and Conflict Management Services to have your questions answered. Reviewing the RIT Alcohol and Drug Policies would be helpful, too.