Natalie Cheng will know exactly what to do the next time she encounters a situation in which alcohol was abused.

Cheng (sophomore-accounting), a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority, was one of 40 members to learn the skills needed to prevent and intervene in alcohol-related situations from a Training for Intervention ProcedureS (TIPS) workshop.

Pi Beta Phi was the first sorority to participate in the TIPS program, which was originally taught to members of the Interfraternity Council (IFC) last semester. Now, IFC officers are using the TIPS program to train sorority members.

"It was definitely in my best interest to participate," Cheng said. "The experience was interactive and highlighted the little things, like how to lay an intoxicated person down, or how much alcohol is actually in mixed drinks."

IFC President Brian Bertges, Executive Vice President Drew Conly and Vice President of Standards Jason Yanushonis met with Pi Beta Phi members to teach the workshop on Feb. 6.

"[Pi Beta Phi] absolutely loved it," Bertges said. "At the end, we acted out the invention skills through role-playing, and they reiterated everything that we taught with information necessary for intervention situations."

Sorority President Shanna Short said she felt if her sorority participated in the program, others might follow suit.

"The alcohol issue is very prevalent on campus, and it's an issue that is gaining more awareness," she said. "[The TIPS program] helped girls in the chapter deal with alcohol-related instances that happen every weekend here."

The program costs $12 per person.

"I recommend it to other sororities," Short said. "It's one of the best resources we have in educating members, and it's very informative."

About 150 fraternity members have participated in the voluntary program so far, and required chapter training for fraternities might be implemented in the future, Conly said.

"The point is not to tell someone not to drink, or that it's bad, because that would be ineffective," he said. "We teach participants to look for behavioral clues that signal dangerous drinking styles or that someone has had too much to drink. The program is taught so that members can take proper action to prevent an incident."

Bryn Poulos, Pi Beta Phi's risk management chair, said the program is unique because peers teach it.

"Because it is run by college students, it is much more interesting than listening to someone not our age," she said. "By relating to students, we are better geared to understand the reality of the situation, and what to do when you are in it."