Csu Students Canvas City with Alcohol-Related Death Prevention Information in Memorial to Students

Colorado State University student volunteers, leaders, student government and Greek members as well as university staff and community volunteers will canvas Fort Collins and campus this week, targeting students with information about the danger of alcohol-related death in memory of students lost in the state this year.

The recent death of Bennett Bertoli, a Colorado State student whom investigators indicate also likely died from alcohol-related causes, has promoted students to take action in sharing this alcohol-overdose prevention information with others through a massive volunteer effort.

The information will be distributed to students living in 25 targeted neighborhoods as well as to students on campus in the student plaza, library, bookstore and student food court, in residence halls, at the student information desk in the Lory Student Center, and through the student body government and Greek Life offices. President Larry Edward Penley will also participate in handing out the cards to students. Information also will be distributed to businesses that students frequent on College Avenue and Campus West as well as in Greek houses.

The Ace of Spades cards educational campaign was the creation of former Sigma Pi fraternity members at Colorado State. The campaign, which was supported through the Alcohol Task Force, will provide free wallet cards to students that list the signs and symptoms of alcohol overdose. The cards provide symptom information on the back and display an ace of spades on the front in tribute to Samantha Spady, a student who died of alcohol poisoning earlier in the semester.

The cards also encourage students to pledge to take care of themselves and others and to take action if they see someone they suspect has overdosed on alcohol.

"Our primary concern is to encourage students to take care of themselves and others to avoid these highly preventable deaths. And we believe that one-on-one contact is the best way to get this message across about personal responsibility," said Anne Hudgens, Colorado State University executive director of Campus Life.

The cards were originally developed to be forwarded as a recommendation to the Alcohol Task Force and then to President Larry Edward Penley in the final report scheduled to be issued on Feb. 1. The plan to distribute the wallet cards was accelerated this week.

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