The amount of rain water present in West Chester was sure to quench even the thirstiest of Thursdays last week on the 22nd. Those in attendance of the “Booze News” program staged by Residence Life and Housing Services staff members were sure to wake up hangover free the next morning; not only because of the water saturating their bodies, but the amount of useful information saturating their minds.Resident Assistants from various buildings conducted the “Booze News” program, providing interactive educational sessions for people to attend and learn about the dangers of drugs and alcohol, their use and abuse on college campuses, and preventative measures that can be taken to ensure for a safer environment.
Adale Sholock, director of the Women’s Center, along with Dee Donato, communication outreach coordinator from the Crime Victim’s Center (CVC) of Chester County, provided several shocking statistics in regard to sexual assault.
They informed students that alcohol is the most common date rape drug. In fact, 90% of all sexual assaults in college involve alcohol.
“Unfortunately it [alcohol] is part of our culture,” Donato expressed. “Unfortunately so many younger people are starting to utilize it more than they ever have before.”
Another important piece of information revealed was that eight times out of ten the victim of a sexual assault is familiar with their attacker. Unfortunately, only two of every ten people report being sexually assaulted.
Sholock pointed out that “It’s really important to know that when someone is intoxicated, their capacity to give consent is diminished.”
She also wanted to make it clear that people need to know where to get help. The Women’s Center and CVC hope that people utilize their services, which are all anonymous, and that the victims realize they should never feel at fault and prevent themselves from reporting the situation.
Another campus resource at the program was Health and Wellness Center alcohol educator MaryJane Rogan. Rogan stressed the importance of making a phone call if a person ever felt as though a friend was in a significant amount of danger due to intoxication or overdose.
Students were informed of different signs to look for when evaluating the situation (vomiting, passed out, irregular/slow breathing, clammy skin) and were advised to intervene in a situation if they notice a significant loss in a person’s motor coordination.
“The goal is to get people to pick up the phone and make that phone call when they have that moment of concern,” Rogan commented about her “Drunk or Dying?” program.
The Department of Public Safety, along with Security and Police Divisions, was a great contributor to the second annual “Booze News.”
During an interactive educational session with several officers, students were given precautionary measures to take so that they are aware of their surroundings.
Students were advised to not only place Public Safety’s phone number in their cell phones, but also ICE (In Case of Emergency) contacts. ICE contacts such as a parent, relative, or friend nearby, could be used by Public Safety in order to get in touch with someone who has lost their cell phone. Members of the division also suggested that students check with Public Safety for lost personal belongings.
The most important message stressed to students was to have a game plan for where they are going and with whom, It was also suggested to make sure somebody such as a roommate knows their whereabouts.
Lieutenant Ray Stevenson made the comparison of pre-gaming and pre-planning. “Part of the pre-gaming is the pre-planning,” he said. “Knowing what you’re going to do, who you’re going to do that with, is important.”
Sergeant Matt Paris and K-9 Officer Piper were also in attendance to speak with students about substance abuse on campus during their session entitled “Join Us in the Land of Reality Because Drugs ARE HERE.”
Sergeant Paris explained a little bit about investigations as well as Officer Piper’s role in these investigations. There was also an array of drug paraphernalia available for students to view.
Another interactive session that supplied very helpful information on the topic of judicial documentation was available for students to attend.
Judge Mark Bruno explained the process of receiving a citation for underage drinking from start to finish during the session “I Just Got Busted for Underage Drinking. Now WHAT?!” He explained that upon receiving a citation, the student has the option to plead guilty or not guilty.
If the student chooses to plead guilty, they would lose their license for 90 days and have to pay a $300 fee for a first offense. If the student decides to plead not guilty, they would have to set up a hearing in front of the court and the officer who issued the citation would have to prove his case. In this situation, the defendant could have an attorney at his/her side.
“Sometimes the kids learn,” Bruno pointed out after being asked about how well the message sets in with people when it comes to losing their license and encountering the fines. “But I’ve seen kids four, five, six times for the same charge, too.”
Judge Bruno expressed his interest in participating in the session because he believes that “There should be more kids who want to be at these programs and want to learn. If we would be more proactive in doing these types of things and have the students participate it may make an impact.”
Attendance for the program was not affected by the rain and, although students walked away without the promised BBQ food, they left with knowledge to better their lives and help the lives of those they care for along with stomachs full of food from local eateries such as Pita Pit and Papa Johns.
Commenting on the event, RA Ciara Pagan from Allegheny Hall said “Even though we were rained out we definitely had a great turnout. People participated and our presenters held their ground and definitely answered a lot of questions for people who didn’t know where to go and ask for the information.”
Sarah Gurgal is a second year exercise science major. She can be reached at SG727785@wcupa.edu.