Nichols 2009 Oksoberfest Presents a New Perspective

 

Mocktails	Drunken Goggles

In the fall, college students are barraged by ads for Oktoberfest, an international festival where the main focus is on drinking large quantities of beer.  The traditional Oktoberfest begins in Germany when the Mayor of Munich taps the first keg of beer. Every year, there are problems with young people who overestimate their ability to handle large amounts of alcohol and pass out.

To combat this, in the last week in October, Nichols resident advisors, under the leadership of Residence Director Jessica Ryan, put on a series of events to demonstrate the negative effects of alcohol and to help students experience sober fun.

On Monday, Oct. 26^th, Nichols students were able to test their ability to drive while under the influence using goggles that simulate the effect of alcohol on coordination. Driving a golf cart, students had to navigate around a series of cones which represent everyday obstacles, such as kids and animals in the road. 

On Tuesday, Oct. 27^th, a large group of students in the Lombard Dining Hall brought to life statistics related to alcohol deaths by freezing in place for two minutes. As students came to attention, sobering statistics were read over an intercom.

On Wednesday, Oct. 28th, the resident advisors hosted a “mocktail” party in the Bison’s Den.  Students danced, played pool, and watched sports -- many of the same activities that are common at bars and parties. However, these students were drinking alcohol-free pina coladas, daiquiris, and margaritas. "By the peak of the evening, everyone was having a fantastic time!" comments Resident Assistant Nicole Cafaro. Students were then read a series of scenarios that corresponded to numbers on the bottoms of their drinks which displayed either positive results of responsible drinking or negative results of irresponsible drinking. 

According to the studies of R. Hingson in the 2005 Annual Review of Public Health, vol. 26:  

• 1,700 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die each year from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including motor vehicle crashes
• 599,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are unintentionally injured under the influence of alcohol
• More than 696,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are assaulted by another student who has been drinking
• More than 97,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape
• 400,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 had unprotected sex and more than 100,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 report having been too intoxicated to know if they consented to having sex

According to MADD, about 25% of student report academic consequences to drinking, including: missing class, falling behind on coursework, doing poorly on exams or papers, and receiving lower grades overall.

“Nichols residence life strives to provide programs that students want to participate in,” says Jessica Ryan. “Education is the main goal, but if students are not interested, the message is lost. Overall, we had over 600 active participants in our week of Oksoberfest events.  It was a huge success!”

 -As reported by Nicole Cafaro, Nichols College Resident Assistant