A new series of six videos -- from one to four-and-a-half minutes long -- is aimed at first-year Cornell students and cover personal safety, mental health, the dangers of Ithaca's gorges and the illegality of some music and video downloading.

Slick production values, text bubbles, hip music, a non-hectoring approach and fast editing make warnings against underage drinking, among other topics, palatable. The clip that covers alcohol use, for example, notes that the university does not punish students who seek medical help.

"The idea of the videos came from the father of a student whose son died in a gorge accident," said Allen J. Bova, director of risk management and insurance at Cornell, who suspected incoming students might prove impervious to written guidelines provided by the university. He expanded the idea to include a variety of safety messages and information that each incoming student should know.

"I think most of the credit for this production should go to Micah Cormier, the creative genius who made this project come alive. Risk management is a team effort, and there are hundreds of folks who played a role in the success of this project," said Bova.

Cormier, a producer in Cornell's Computing and Communications Center, took messages collected by Bova and Mike Powers, University Communications senior director for operations, to write the script, which was vetted by campus groups and reworked before arriving at the finished product. A DVD of the videos was sent to freshmen and their parents last summer along with a letter from Cornell President David Skorton asking that parents watch the videos and discuss the topics with their student.

It is hoped that the videos will inform student behavior and make Cornell a better, safer, more caring place. The magazine Risk and Insurance has named Bova an innovator of the year in higher education, and Liberty Mutual has given him its "Responsibility Leader" award for his efforts. Other universities plan to follow in Cornell's carefully trod footsteps.

See the videos online: http://newstudents.cornell.edu/welcome/QuickTour.html.