National Speaker to Discuss Alcohol Risk

09/27/2016 

One night of alcoholic excess can destroy a college career, if not a life.

SUNY Cortland has invited Michael “Greeny” Green, a man who understands that fact very well, to speak to first-year and other students about it on Wednesday, Sept. 28.

	Mike "Greeny" Green

The Health Promotion Office and the Student Development Center, which work to help students fulfill a College priority of well being, have asked Green to discuss “The Four Stages of Drinking” at 7 p.m. in the Corey Union Function Room.

The talk, presented by the College’s Student Conduct Office, is free and open to the public.

Green, who is the president of Collegiate Consultants on Drugs and Alcohol, draws on his background as an athlete, coach, educator and recovering alcoholic to provide him with the know-how to help students create a low-risk relationship with alcohol.

“Even the ‘one night problem’ can have a lifetime of consequences,” said Green, who has experienced firsthand the dangers that drugs and alcohol pose for many students.

The founder of Collegiate Consultants, he has presented on more than 2,000 college campuses nationwide in his effort to make drug and alcohol awareness and education an integral part of every student’s life. Green is a recognized leader in the field who has earned the respect of both his colleagues and the students he has counseled.

In 1987, he was chosen to give expert testimony before the United States House of Representatives Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control.

Green serves as a consultant to the student affairs and athletic departments of numerous universities including Boston College, Florida State, Pennsylvania State, Brown, Princeton, Hobart College and the University of Vermont.

He is listed among the Outstanding Young Men of America and was recently added to the ranks of West Chester University’s Distinguished Alumni.

At the request of Sen. Bill Bradley, Green developed drug and alcohol programs for New Jersey high schools. In the non-academic setting, he produced programs for the New Jersey and Virginia medical societies and for professional sports teams including the Philadelphia Flyers.

Green has appeared as a featured guest on various television programs including “A.M. Philadelphia” and “People are Talking,” as well as having had interviews published in The Chronicle of Higher Education, Coach, Athletic Management, Scholastic Coach and in hundreds of campus newspapers.

He produced a series of videotapes that include many of the innovative “think before you drink” techniques demonstrated during actual presentations.

As a defensive lineman, he received All-Pennsylvania Conference and All-State Honors and a tryout with the Philadelphia Eagles. A high school athletic director, Green has coached Division II football at West Chester University.

Sponsored by the Health Promotion Office and the Student Development Center, the Fall 2016 “Wellness Wednesday” series continues each Wednesday through the end of the semester at 7 p.m. in Corey Union Exhibition Lounge, unless otherwise noted. The events are free and open to the public.

Co-sponsors for Green’s visit include the Campus Artist and Lecture Series, University Police, Educational Opportunity Program, Counseling Center, Recreational Sports, Greek Life, Athletics and the offices of Vice President for Student Affairs, and Residence Life and Housing.

For more information about Green’s lecture, contact Mike Pitaro, associate director in the Student Conduct Office, at 607-753-4725. For information about “Wellness Wednesday” events, contact Lauren Herman, the College’s health educator, in Van Hoesen Hall, Room B-1, or at 607-753-2066.