Oct. 10-14 is Saint Louis University’s Alcohol Awareness Week, organized by the recently commissioned Alcohol Awareness Assembly.
There will be an impaired driving challenge, where students can navigate a golf cart through an obstacle course while wearing “beer goggles.” Phi Kappa Theta will host a barbecue at the Simon Recreation Center pools, where students can learn surprising facts about alcohol use and abuse.
The keynote speaker for Alcohol Awareness Week is New York Times bestselling author Koren Zailckas. Zailckas’ book, Smashed, details her alcoholic past; she began drinking at 14, had her stomach pumped at 16 and lost her virginity to a “fraternity goon” at 19. Zalickas, now 24, said that her entire college career was spent drunk.
Zailckas is slated to speak on Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. in the Busch Student Center. The event is free and open to everyone in the SLU family.
On Oct. 13, SLU will observe a day of silence to foster awareness about the “silent epidemic”-alcohol-related sexual assaults.
“Students tend to think that the administration is trying to end their fun; it’s actually that we’re trying to make sure that you’re still having fun, safely,” said Adam Peck, the recently appointed director of Student Life.
The awareness week is sponsored by numerous departments on campus: Housing and Residence Life, the Division of Student Development, Student Health and Counseling and the Department of Public Safety, to name a few.
“I want to make sure that students’ drinking won’t affect their health,” said Peck. “Drinking isn’t bad per se – [Alcohol Awareness Week] is just a week for us to provide information to help students make good decisions.”
The Alcohol Awareness Assembly has been furthering its mission to educate students about the dangers of alcohol and to advocate responsible consumption.
“We are trying to encourage responsible drinking by those who are of a legal age who choose to drink, and remind students under 21 that it is against federal law,” said Julius Hunter, vice president for Community Relations.
The assembly has recently launched a campaign to get the message of responsible drinking across to students through receptive local bar owners.
“We had a meeting of the bar owners, some officers from the Missouri state liquor control board and the police captain of the Ninth District to ask them for their cooperation with the question of college alcohol abuse,” said Hunter.
Some bar owners have promised to put up posters with slogans like “If you’re under 21, the soft drinks are over there” and have their bartenders wear buttons that say, “Before you celebrate, designate.”
The Alcohol Awareness Week will shed light on the issue of alcohol abuse on SLU’s campus, but Hunter warns that “the battle continues all year long to encourage educated, responsible drinking.”
