Personal Education, Assistance, & Referral (P.E.A.R.)

pear P.E.A.R. is a 4 week alcohol education course that typically meets for 1.5 hours per week, and includes a one-on-one meeting with the instructor in the final week. It is most commonly used as a sanction for first time alcohol violations at the University of Pittsburgh. Over several class periods students are challenged to examine the consequences of their alcohol use, understand how alcohol affects the body, explore the culture of use and misuse on campus, and evaluate their own decision making through critical thinking. The one-on-one assessment allows the instructor to determine if a student is facing further issues that need to be addressed, in which case the student can receive additional assistance. The audience for this program typically consists of undergraduate students directed to take the program as a sanction.

If you have been sanctioned to P.E.A.R.:

To sign up for a P.E.A.R. class call 412-383-1830 or stop by the Office of Health Education & Promotion.

If sanctioned to P.E.A.R. you must complete all aspects of the program in order to receive credit for completing the requirement. A non-completion fine ($100) is assessed if you fail to do any of the following:

Schedule to attend a class by the date indicated on your P.E.A.R. form
Arrive to each class (including assessment) on time and attend the entire class
Satisfactorily complete all assigned work
Actively and appropriately participate in the class

Once you have signed up for your class you are expected to attend all sessions. If after selecting a class you need to change your scheduled PEAR course you must contact the Office of Health Education & Promotion prior to the first class meeting. Failure to comply with any of these expectations will result in the student receving the non-completion fine. Fines cannot be rescinded.

P.E.A.R. II

pear2 P.E.A.R. II serves as a follow-up to the P.E.A.R. course. Typically used when a student has already completed P.E.A.R. classes, P.E.A.R. II is a one-on-one intervention, utilizing aspects of Motivational Interviewing, facilitated by the Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist. Participants work to identify risk factors, participate in guided reflection with regard to use of alcohol or other substances, examine the level and frequency of use and often participate in personal values exercises and goal setting. Participants are also directed to formulate an action plan to eliminate or reduce risk of another offense. This format allows the instructor to determine if a student is facing further issues that need to be addressed, in which case the student can receive additional assistance through a referral. The number of sessions and type of exercises assigned to each participant is left to the discretion of the Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist. There is a required $50 fee to participate in P.E.A.R. II. Failure to complete P.E.A.R. requirements (as noted above) can result in an additional non-completion fine ($100).