Watch Your BAC
At Babson, we believe that wellness is central to students' academic, personal, and professional success. In other words, in order to do well, you have to be well. As part of physical, emotional, social, and intellectual wellness, it is important to consider issues of alcohol use and social life in college.
While drinking under 21 years of age is illegal in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, we realize that many students will choose to drink before they turn 21. Because high-risk drinking affects academic, interpersonal, social, and residential life in significant ways, we have developed Watch Your BAC, an alcohol education program designed specifically for Babson students.
Watch Your BAC: Part 1 provides incoming students with a shared foundation of knowledge about alcohol, its effects, how to help in an emergency, and campus policies and resources relating to alcohol & other drugs. Part 1 takes approximately 1 hour to complete.
Got Your BAC is a small-group Orientation session facilitated by the Peers on Wellness. In this workshop, students will review what they learned in Part 1, and practice applying that knowledge in real-life situations. Got Your BAC is a 1 hour session.
Watch Your BAC: Part 2 goes deeper into bystander intervention and provides personalized feedback on students' alcohol and cannabis use. Part 2 takes approximately 30 minutes to complete.
Login Instructions
To take the course you will need a computer or tablet with Internet access and audio capabilities. If you do not have access to a computer at home, you may use any publicly available computer with internet access.
Accessing the online course:
- Go to Canvas and log in using your Babson username (i.e. the first part of your Babson email address without the "@babson.edu") and password. If you do not yet have a Babson username and password, please contact the IT Department by emailing support@babson.edu for assistance.
- Click on the "Courses" tab on the top right, then select Watch Your BAC: Part 1 from your list of courses. If Watch Your BAC: Part 1 is not listed under your courses, please email Wellness & Prevention Services at wellness@babson.edu or call them at 781-239-5200 for assistance.
Accessing the survey:
- Check your Babson email account for the email invitation, where you will find a link to the anonymous survey.
- If you cannot find this email, contact wellness@babson.edu for assistance.
Students may log in and out of the Canvas course at any point in time, however the survey should be finished in one sitting.
About This Requirement
All incoming students, including first year, January admits, transfer and exchange students, are required to complete Watch Your BAC: Part 1 before arriving on campus.
To ensure a 100% completion rate, we will track compliance, alongside the Office of Community Standards, and follow-up with those students who do not fulfill this requirement. A hold may be placed on any student's account who has not completed both the online course and survey, preventing them from registering for classes, adding/dropping courses, and/or participating in the housing lottery. If a student has already registered for classes and/or received their housing assignment, the Office of Community Standards may drop them from their classes and/or cancel their housing agreement. Additionally, this type of hold indicates that one is not in good standing with the College, which may result in a loss of various College-related privileges including, but not limited to, receiving one's grades, being cleared to graduate, being eligible to serve in leadership positions, and participating in study abroad/off-shore courses. A notification of non-compliance will be issued to students who do not complete the program and will be placed in their file.
Please note that the data we collect from responses to the program is anonymous and strictly confidential. We can only access aggregate data and thus, cannot view identified, individual responses.
Parent and Family Resources
Because students consistently identify families as a primary source of health information, we hope to enlist your support in our efforts to combat alcohol abuse. Please review our parent handbook:
Talking With College Students About Alcohol (pdf)
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: I am a transfer student, do I need to take Watch Your BAC?
A: Yes.
Q: But I took a similar program at my previous institution. Doesn't that satisfy the requirement?
A: Transfer students are still required to take Watch Your BAC because it covers information and resources specific to Babson that are important for all incoming students to learn.
Q: I don't drink/my religion prohibits drinking. Do I still need to complete Watch Your BAC?
A: All new Babson students need to complete the course. Even if one does not drink, they may still be impacted by alcohol use in the college environment. Watch Your BAC provides students with important information regarding coping with potential drinking behavior of their peers and intervening to help someone in the event of an alcohol-related medical emergency.
Q: I am over the age of 21/a non-traditional-aged student. Do I stil need to complete Watch Your BAC?
A: Yes. Even if you are familiar with the effects and risks of alcohol, the course will be a nice refresher (and you may even learn something new!) Watch Your BAC also provides information and resources specific to Babson that are important for every student to know, regardless of age.
Q: Do I need to pass an exam at the end of the online course?
A: No. There is a survey called "Test Your Knowledge" in the final module of the Canvas course. This survey is designed to measure your learning for program evaluation purposes. This is not a test, and you do not need a specific score to pass. However you do need to complete the survey to complete the course.