By Grace Tesoro, staff writer
Susquehanna hosted Alcohol Awareness Week from Oct. 1–6, during which students were able to participate in different games and events while learning valuable pointers about alcohol consumption.
Susquehanna’s Alcohol Awareness Committee annually designs a week filled with educational events regarding safe drinking on campus. This year, the committee put together boards in Mellon Lounge containing informational sheets regarding alcohol intake, making smart and safe choices and the long and short term effects of alcohol.
Tonya Valentine, Interim Program Director at the Counseling Center and chair of the Alcohol Awareness Committee, explained this theme in more depth.
“We wanted to emphasis this theme to make students think about their actions while they are sober; would they be making the same choices when they are intoxicated,” Valentine said. “It is meant to make students think more.”
She also explained the strategic planning behind this specific week promoting safety and awareness while drinking.
“Since we are having events all week leading up to Homecoming weekend, we hope that people will have that education on safe drinking and harm reduction techniques that will deter them from drinking excessively over the weekend,” Valentine said.
The essential message of Alcohol Awareness Week is not to simply tell students not to drink, but to ensure that if they do decide to drink, they are going to do it safely.
“We understand that students are going to drink, but we want to put the message out there if students do drink, do it responsibly and make solid choices so that they can decrease the negative effects of alcohol,” Valentine said.
There are also various resources that students can receive when they attend these events, provided by the Alcohol Awareness Committee.
As a peer educator, senior Terrayn Moore joined the Alcohol Awareness Committee to delve into her passion of self-care and her plans of becoming an addiction therapist.
“As a student, the message I want to get out to others is that they can drink safely and still have fun on campus. Students shouldn’t feel pressure to go out and party just because their peers are doing it. More importantly, I want to let students know it is okay to take a step back and say, ‘You know I’m not really into this,’” Moore continued.
