November 3, 2011 — In 2000, an Ohio State University student named Joey Upshaw died at his fraternity during a night of heavy drinking after he ingested a drug called GHB.

Erica Upshaw, his younger sister, will visit the University of Virginia on Nov. 16 to give a talk, sponsored by the U.Va. Women's Center, about friends' interventions that could prevent such senseless deaths. The presentation, "Keep Friendship Alive," is the annual Susan Grossman Memorial Lecture and will be held at 7:30 p.m. in Maury Hall, room 209.
 
The event is free, but spaces must be reserved here by Nov. 9.

Upshaw offers advice on how to care for people who are close to one another, like friends and siblings. The Keep Friendship Alive program aspires to prevent senseless deaths by educating students on how to "party smart," identify and approach a friend with a problem, and understand what to do in an emergency. The presentation aims to inspire students and others to take action and intervene in dangerous situations.

For fraternity and sorority members, attending the event counts toward fulfilling the terms of the Fraternal Organization Agreement, in which U.Va. fraternities and sororities are required to complete six educational programs during the academic year. One program topic must be alcohol drug abuse education; a second topic must address sexual assault education.
 
The event is co-sponsored by the Department of Student Health's Gordie Center for Alcohol and Substance Education, the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Team peer educators, the Department of Athletics and the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life.