It’s college decision time for Fairfax County seniors, and college-bound students and their parents are encouraged to attend an upcoming program that deals with binge drinking on college campuses. "The Perils of the College Drinking Culture" will be presented by the Unified Prevention Coalition of Fairfax County, in collaboration with the Fairfax County Police Department, in April and May at locations across the county.

The programs will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. on:

*Tuesday, April 24, at Herndon High School

*Wednesday, May 16, at Mount Vernon High School

*Wednesday, May 23, at Northern Virginia Community College’s Ernst Community Cultural Center

The event will feature a screening of the award-winning documentary, "Haze," followed by a question-and-answer session with a distinguished panel. Among those who will take part are: Raymond Morrogh, Commonwealth’s Attorney for Fairfax County, and his deputy Casey Lingan; William Hauda, M.D., emergency physician, Inova Fairfax Hospital; Fairfax County Police Chief David Rohrer and Captain Bruce Ferguson, Commander, Youth Services Division; Jeff Levy, father of a student who died following drinking at a college party; and Ryan Smith, a Virginia Tech graduate student.

The program is part of an ongoing effort by county leaders to address the significant health and legal risks associated with underage and binge drinking. The UPC has spearheaded the county’s Parents Who Host, Lose the Most public education campaign now in its sixth year educating parents about Virginia’s underage drinking laws, and the UPC recently received a state grant for $200,000 a year to reduce underage and binge drinking among the county’s 15- to 24-year-old population. The Perils program is partially funded by a federal Drug Free Communities grant.

For more information, visit www.unifiedpreventioncoalition.org or contact Lucy Caldwell, Fairfax County Police Department, at 703-246-3271.