Last Call: Students face the facts on alcohol
By: Dana Murphy, Features Co-Editor
Issue date: 10/24/08 Section: Features
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Residential Programs, the University Clinic, and the University Police worked together to bring the awareness week to ASU students.
This nationally recognized week is traditionally held at over 3,000 campuses nationwide during the third full week in October.
The NCAAW Chairman Dr. Edward Hammond, President of Fort Hays State University, says that the goal of the week is to present students with the effects and consequences of excessive drinking and empower them to watch out for each other.
Freshman Devin Saur tested her "drunk" driving skills Tuesday afternoon at the Drunk Busters event.
"The driving is something fun to do," Saur said. "But it's also something you have to take seriously in real life. I think (this activity) is beneficial to us."
Drunk Busters gave students the opportunity to maneuver a golf cart through a course of orange cones while wearing "beer goggles." The purpose was for them to see the difference in driving ability between stone sober and one too many.
The Texas Department of Transportation sponsored "The Convincer," a rollover accident synthesizer. Students watched as dummies were thrown from the cab of a truck with one flip of the vehicle.
"I was once in a rollover," Saur said. "So the reality of this really hits home."
Other events this week included a presentation by the University Police about Texas alcohol and drinking laws, a presentation entitled "Can I Kiss You? A Hilarious Look at Dating, Hooking Up and How We Talk." Also, students got to show off their beer pong skills in a game of "Blazing Glasses," played with non-alcoholic beverages of course.
Dallas Swafford, Enhancement Programs Coordinator for Residential Programs, organized the week.
"We're just trying to find creative ways to educate students on the effects of alcohol," Swafford said. "If they're going to drink, we want them to drink responsibly. Student education and student safety is our main goal, but we want to make it fun and interactive."
Members of the faculty and student body helped in the education efforts by sporting black T-shirts with statistics about alcohol use on the back. Also a "grim reaper" paid visits to five unlucky souls during classes to give the full effect of alcohol abuse.
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