The Etownian >> Campus Life
Drinking without thinking: Get ABSURD raises awareness
Thursday April 22 2010
Get ABSURD’s mock car crash last year helped to demonstrate to students the dangers of driving while under the influence.
“Every year, the crash has a different theme,” Robison, Get ABSURD’s treasurer, said. This year, the victims of the crash will be dressed elegantly, pretending to be on their way to the Junior/Senior formal. Robison will portray a drunk driver who swings into the Ober Loop and smashes into a parked car.
“Everyone has specific injuries,” he said, explaining that his will include facial cuts from a broken windshield. Police officers, fire department workers and emergency medical technicians will respond to the crash, which will begin at 6:30 tonight.
Organizers will read a dramatic newspaper article about the accident to kick off the event.
For Elizabethtown College students, “the crash really adds the shock factor,” sophomore Tess Lutz, Get ABSURD’s vice president, said. “People see it and think, ‘What if it were me?’”
In conjunction with the crash, today is Blackout Day. If you’re wondering why certain people on campus are wearing all black and ignoring you, it’s probably not because they dislike you (though if they ignore you tomorrow too, they might). Several students on campus have been asked to participate by wearing black T-shirts and remaining silent all day to represent the deadly effects of driving under the influence of alcohol. The T-shirts advertise the startling statistic that drunk driving led to 11,773 car crashes in 2008.
Each of these students has also been given five yellow arm bands to distribute to his or her closest friends, to show that those friends were affected by alcohol-induced tragedy as well. Senior Mike Mauger is sporting a black T-shirt and remaining silent today for the second year in a row.
“I participated in Blackout Day last year, thinking it was an important cause,” Mauger said. “However, over the summer, the dangers of drunk driving were brought closer to home as I watched a friend of mine get hit by a car that was flying through the air, out of control. She died on impact. The driver, whose [blood alcohol content] was .23, was fine. Drunk driving can affect more lives than you can ever fathom.”
Get ABSURD aims to inform students of this eye-opening truth. According to Lutz and Robison, the group has a reputation on campus for being an anti-drinking club, but this is not the case.
“We promote responsible drinking and knowing your limit,” Robison said.
Lutz emphasized that the point is not to abstain from consuming alcohol but rather to do so sensibly and in moderation. “Don’t have 20 beers, just have a couple,” she said. She believes that people do not have to be drunk in order to have fun.
“We hold programs to promote healthy decisions and programs that could be alternatives to drinking,” Robison said.
One of these activities is the Stoplight Social, which the group holds each year. Each attendee is supposed to wear red, green or yellow, depending on his or her relationship status. Get ABSURD also sponsors dances and hosts the spring and winter break carnivals. On Friday, April 30, the group will team up with Students Promoting Awareness and Responsible Choices (SPARC) and the Student Athlete Mentors (SAMs) in a campaign called Pullayouee.
Representatives will be outside the BSC handing out free items and promoting the initiative, which encourages students to make a U-turn if their lives are headed in unsafe directions.
“If you are in a bad situation, it’s intended to help you and educate you about how to get out of it,” Lutz explained.
She hopes that students are aware of the opportunities available to them and that they remain informed about the many potential consequences of drinking.
The Etownian >> Campus Life