SHAPE and QuadWorks partner for Oksoberfest

According to Online Colleges News, nearly 2,000 students die from alcohol-related injuries each year, which is one death for every two colleges in America. To raise awareness on the effects of alcohol and these statistics, the Sexual assault, Hazing, and Alcohol Prevention Education program, or SHAPE, paired up with Quadworks, and hosted Octsoberfest on Oct. 23. At the festival, students visited various booths and were tested on their knowledge about the effects of alcohol and experienced how drinking affects their motor abilities.
Before students could visit a booth, they queued in a line and received an Octsoberfest card. By participating in three out of the five activities, they earned three stamps on their card. With their three stamps, students earned a pretzel and refreshment. Activities at the festival ranged from a game of “drunk” basketball to trivia questions relating to alcohol awareness.
QuadWorks member, Abbey Sellers, said, “We try to make the activities fun but also remember to promote awareness at the same time. The facts used for the trivia games are prevalent. A lot of times people think that it won’t happen to them.”
One of the most popular activities at the fest included students playing a game of “drunk basketball.” For this activity, students put beer goggles on, which gave the participants a realistic perspective of how alcohol affects their eyesight. After dribbling to orange cones, the participant aimed the basketball into a trash can. However, this difficult feat proved to be almost impossible with the beer goggles on.
Another activity that was hosted at the event was the mock DUI test. For this activity, students placed the beer goggles over their eyes and made a 180-degree turn. Then, they proceeded to walk nine steps in a straight line.
Some students felt nauseous even putting the beer goggles on. “Oh gosh, I’m going to throw up,” said freshman Madeleine DuRant, as she placed the beer goggles over her eyes before attempting to take her nine steps. DuRant “definitely didn’t walk in a straight line,” according to Ellyn Couillard, a Student Support Services Counselor, who supervised the mock DUI test booth.
“I think it’s a great experiment for students to the repercussions of alcohol and see how it affects their abilities,” said Couillard, who wore a German-inspired outfit in the spirit of the fest.
Although the hosted activities were light-hearted, a crushed truck parked on the street next to Porter Patch served as a symbolic reminder of the serious effects of drunk driving. The driver of the truck lost his life because of drunk driving. “The car serves as a reminder for students about the importance of drinking safely,” said Director of Student Affairs Cindy Drury.
Towards the end of the event, Emily Bless, a student working the Dummy and Smarties booth, summed up her opinion of the event, “I think this event is informative and a fun way to learn more about hazing and alcohol consumption.”