MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Faced with issues that plague any major university, West Virginia University has targeted Alcohol and drug abuse among students with the formation of the Advisory Council on Alcohol and Other Drugs.

"Our goal is to help students be safe and to educate about the impact Alcohol and drugs can have on them and, ultimately, on their careers later on," said Ken Gray, vice president for Student Affairs, who was present for Tuesday's meeting of the advisory board.

Representing a number of different entities on and off campus, the council hopes to collectively brainstorm and put into action measures to alleviate problems such as underage drinking and drug use, and to raise awareness associated with potentially dangerous behaviors.

Present at the meeting were representatives from the Alcohol Beverage Control Administration, Morgantown Police Department and Department of Public Safety. Members of the WVU administration, including Gray, Mary Collins, executive director for Student Affairs; Missy Pforr, program coordinator for Alcohol and drug education at WVU; Tom Sloane, senior associate dean of Student Life, and judicial officers were at the meeting as well.

Also in attendance were students who participate in the council, including Student Government Association member Britini Schoonover, graduate student Shaw n Golden and public relations student Adam Gibson.

By involving students, WVU administration hopes to get a more complete picture of the kinds of activities and behavior students are currently engaging in.

"They're out there living it; they're the ones who can tell us what's going on," said Collins, who is coordinating the advisory council. "We definitely have a student role in these decisions.

"We want to continue to add community and state representation, so it's a campus, community and state coalition across the board," Collins added.

A multitude of ideas were discussed at Tuesday's board meeting, many of which will need time, research and work before they may come to fruition.

MPD Chief Phillip Scott discussed recent efforts to stem bar crawls and possibly introduce a nuisance ordinance.

"We worked with bar owners to stop the last (bar crawl) and were very effective. As of right now ... no one's having any bar crawls," Scott said.

He mentioned the possibility of extending the hours for the Mountain Line and said that those involved have been receptive to ideas so far. He said by extending the hours, there may be safer transportation available, as well as fewer DUIs and parking problems.

"We trying to look at alternatives to make things safer," Scott said. As for the nuisance ordinance, there currently is only one in existence in the state, according to Scott; however, they could use examples from other college towns to work from. "This is not just a bar thing ... it's also houses and businesses."

Another awareness initiative geared toward students is a program facilitated by the Kennedy Center Federal Correction Institute in Morgantown. In this effort, inmates sentenced for drug or alcohol-related charges conduct a presentation based on their own real-life experiences. The inmates involved in the program are strictly screened and participate in residential living situations and aggressive counseling.

"Many of these inmates are students or professionals who have fallen by the wayside because of Alcohol or drugs," said federal warden Dominic Gutierrez.

In the end, the council hopes to make their objective clear: They want to protect the students at WVU.

"One of those students outside may find the cure for cancer or make peace in the Middle East. Over 1,700 students die every year, 600,000 are in accidents, and we don't know how many drop out (as a result of Alcohol or drug use). The stakes are high here ... those are the future minds. We've got work to do," said ABCA education and prevention supervisor Gig Robinson.