UT RALLY PUSHES LEVY FOR ALCOHOL, DRUG PROGRAMS

Heidi Jenkins firmly believes that education can be an effective weapon
against such problems as binge drinking.

That's why the University of Toledo student government vice president has
devoted time this year to informational programs on campus concerning the
issue. And it's why she joined with community leaders yesterday to rally in
support of a levy that would raise $3.8 million a year for drug and alcohol
treatment and prevention programs in Lucas County. "It's a problem at every
campus. This campus is no exception," she said. "I think education is
really important for a college freshman."

The most recent data show that 37 percent of UT students surveyed said they
had consumed five or more drinks at one sitting in the previous two weeks,
an amount that has been referred to as binge drinking. The national average
is 45 percent.

Some of the preventative work at UT is made possible by a $25,000 grant
from the Lucas County Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services board, which is
trying to raise support for the 0.5-mill, five-year levy that will be on
the May 7 ballot. The proposed levy would cost the owner of a $100,000 home
$15.32 a year.

Similar levies to support treatment and prevention programs were rejected
by voters twice in the past, but the margin of defeat in November was much
narrower than the one in 2000. This time, proponents have spoken to more
than 30,000 residents and more than 170 groups, according to Jay Salvage,
the agency's executive director. The gathering at UT was part of a daylong
program that spanned the county.

Levy proponents greeted Jeep workers at the Stickney Avenue plant at 4:30
a.m., caught parents dropping off their children at Ottawa River Elementary
School in Point Place, and rallied at Maumee Municipal Court. Outside the
Lucas County Children Services Board building in downtown Toledo, advocates
for the levy said money spent on treating drug and alcohol addicts
ultimately would benefit children.

Dean Sparks, executive director of CSB, said 70 percent of the children
under his agency's care come from homes with drug and alcohol abuse.

And standing in the shadow of University Hall's bell tower at UT, Mayor
Jack Ford said that the treatment and prevention made possible by the levy
would have widespread implications.

"Every family at some generation has had some problem with drugs and
alcohol," he said. "This is a rather cheap investment for the amount of
treatment dollars we will get."