Alcohol awareness week was a success on campus

Samantha Weber, Editor in chief

Oct. 17-21 was Alcohol Awareness Week. There were many events held on campus throughout the whole week that students could attend. One of the biggest events occurred on Wednesday, Oct. 19. This was the annual Mocktail Night hosted by Cam-pus Involvement. All clubs and several offices on campus are encouraged to partake and create a mocktail for others to enjoy. This year, AIM, Art Thera-py Club, Campus Ministry, Mercyhurst Dining, Fashion Council, HMA/PCMA, MEOW, MSG, Bystander Intervention Commit-tee, the Marketing Department and Sigma Tau Delta were the organizations on campus that made mocktails. The groups are also encouraged to pick a theme and dress up in costumes to get everyone into the Halloween spirit. The people who came to participate in Mocktail Night got to vote on which group they thought had the best theme, costume and mocktail. The winner of the best theme was Sigma Tau Delta with their theme of Scooby Doo and the Ghoul School. The winner of the best costume was HMA/PCMA and they dressed up as Hocus Po-cus characters. The winner of the best mocktail was Fashion Council and they made a strawberry shortcake mocktail. There were other stations that students were encouraged to attend at mocktail night including the perfect pour and an obstacle course that students completed while using drunk goggles. The perfect pour was where students could practice pouring a “standard drink” of different types of alcohol. This allows students to learn about the proper amounts that should be consumed so they can accurately measure how much they have had to drink. The other station in the Student Union on mocktail night was an obstacle course where the students could put on “drunk goggles” that mimic what it feels like to be drunk and then they have to complete certain tasks. Jared Fagan, graduate assistant for Campus Involvement, helped facilitate the course and practiced it before the event started. “The course was really difficult to complete with the goggles on, the tasks are simple, but with the impairment, it made it really hard.” MSG had a booth where they served a Presidential Sangria mocktail and the members of the executive board dressed up as President Getz in different events. They were the inauguration Getz, football Getz, dunk tank Getz and daily Getz. It was a fun spin to honor our awesome university president. The theme for mocktail night was “anything but a cup.” Some people got really creative with it. The most creative ones were a crock pot and a pill bottle. This theme was chosen to help promote MSG’s new initiative regarding single-use plastic water bottles. MSG and MAC/SAC are no longer providing water bottles at events to decrease their use of plastic. They are encouraging students to bring their own refillable water bottles or cups to events. There were also many other events going on throughout the week that students could attend to learn more about alcohol awareness and safety. The week started off on Monday with Booooze in the Waterford Room in Ryan. Then on Tuesday, there was Rum Rum Relay in McAuley and Drunkin’ Pumpkin Function in Warde Hall. On Wednesday was Mocktail night and then Thursday was Baldwin’s program that was Skeletons out of the Closet. On Friday, Ryan Hall hosted a program called Know Your Potions. And then this past Monday was another event for Ryan Hall and it was called Bam-booozled. Additionally, RAs were encouraged to make bulletin boards in their residences to promote awareness and encourage safe drinking habits among their residents. If you choose to drink, be safe and smart Lakers!