Alcoholism, overindulgence and binge drinking are serious issues, especially on a college campus where students are known to frequent bars with inexpensive nightly specials and house parties featuring tapped kegs and bowls of mysterious juice.
Alcohol awareness programs should reflect that seriousness instead of using games and stunts to "show" students the effects of drinking too much alcohol. Wearing drunk goggles while driving a golf cart or playing miniature golf doesn't come close to showing students what it's like to be drunk. If anything, it gives them ideas of what might be fun to do after kicking back a couple of beers. There's only one true way to know what it's like to be drunk - by drinking too much.
Giving students alcohol so they can actually get drunk isn't such a great idea. But the goggles and games aren't good ideas either because they can't possibly show students what it's like to be really drunk.
Fun and games attract students, but we don't need fun and games when beer pong and flippy cup exist. Students need to be slapped in the face (figuratively) and shown what the real, life-altering effects of drinking are.
Ball State University needs to bring in speakers who have been arrested for or affected by public intoxication, driving under the influence, driving while impaired or other alcohol-related offenses. It's not fun and cute listening to someone who spent the last five years in jail after they killed someone when driving after a night out drinking. Or hearing a parent talking about losing a son or daughter to alcohol poisoning. Or listening to Ball State students who have been arrested talk about the legal and personal consequences they encountered.
Alcohol awareness programs need to show real-life consequences, be scary and be right in front of the students' faces. Instead of setting up game and prize booths in the Atrium, speakers need to greet freshmen during mandatory orientation events and shock them into thinking twice about downing a bottle of vodka in a night. It would be a better use of money and more effective than renting a golf cart and buying bags of candy.
The speakers need to be mandatory and they need to be brought to campus early during the college experience. Otherwise, it's impossible to persuade all the upperclassmen into coming to listen to a speaker they aren't necessarily interested in.
Drinking involves enough fun and games already. It's a mature topic that needs to be handled in a more mature manner.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
