Members of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity participated last month in the T.I.P.S. certification class on alcohol knowledge.
The class lasted three hours, and was taught by John Ord, an Arkansas State University alumnus. It was free to all fraternity members.
Dalton Webb, 21, a junior majoring in music, was one of the 20 fraternity members who attended the class. Webb said it benefited the fraternity members because it taught them how to handle alcohol responsibly.
"The class improved our knowledge and understanding of alcohol, because it is associated with college campuses and fraternities," Webb said.
Sigma Phi Epsilon members are now 90 percent T.I.P.S. certified. Many of them needed the class certification for their jobs -- restaurant waiters and bartenders must be certified to serve alcohol.
Will Shippen, 19, a sophomore majoring in marketing, said he was glad that he got the chance to attend the class, because he now knows what to do when someone has had too much to drink.
Shippen said, "If there is an emergency that concerns alcohol, I will know exactly what to do because I have taken this class. I can also see how much a person has had to drink by the levels of intoxication and hopefully prevent them from harming themselves."
The fraternity members learned the levels of intoxication people go through when they drink, when someone has had too much to drink and how to react.
The members said Ord showed them video clips with examples and information. He also passed around pamphlets, lectured and administered a certification test.
Ord travels to many college campuses in his spare time to teach these classes, not just to Sigma Phi Epsilon chapters, but to any fraternity whose members are interested in learning about alcohol awareness.
