Former U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders will speak in East Lansing Tuesday about attitudes, behaviors and perceptions associated with alcohol in university communities.

Elders, the first black surgeon general, will give a speech entitled “Prevention or Punishment: Challenging the Environment of High-Risk Drinking in a University Community.”

The presentation will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Performing Arts Theater at the Hannah Community Center, 819 Abbott Road.

“Students have the opportunity to be exposed to a community approach on alcohol, not just individual behavior and attitudes,” said Jasmine Greenamyer, an Olin Health Center alcohol and drug educator.

Elders served as surgeon general from September 1993 to December 1994. She argued the case for universal health coverage and was a spokeswoman for President Bill Clinton’s health care reform efforts.

She was forced to resign after 15 months of service following controversial remarks about sex education. She supported distribution of condoms, abortion rights and the use of marijuana for medical purposes, and also proposed increasing taxes on tobacco and alcohol.