The goal of the program, which blends education, awareness and fun, is to get our students to understand the use and abuse of alcohol, said Jim McHodgkins, assistant dean of student development. McHodgkins said Southeastern has participated in Alcohol Awareness Week, a national event, throughout the 1990s. Students strolling through the Student Union at noon may find themselves singled out by the Grim Reaper and handed a card with a blunt message about the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The gloomy specter will be assisted by silent students, dressed in black with white-painted faces to symbolize drunk driving victims. Dead Day is sponsored by the Campus Activities Board.
Participants can win more giveaways for correctly answering alcohol-related questions.
A panel is usually on the receiving end of questions, but in this table-turning event in the Student Union ballroom, the panel will direct questions to the student audience about their knowledge of and choices in alcohol use. Panel members are expected to include President Sally Clausen, Hammond Mayor Louis Tallo, 21st Judicial District Attorney Scott Perrilloux, University Police Director Paul Marek, Hammond Police Chief Roddy Devall, Illinois Central Railroad Special Agent Herman Newell, and Louisiana Operation Lifesaver representative Betsy Williams. The event is sponsored by the University Counseling Center. At Day in the Pits, sponsored by Recreational Sports and Wellness and CAB, students can enjoy a variety of games such as Human Bowling Ball and Orbitron and take a look through impaired vision goggles, which simulate alcohol s physical effects by distorting vision and equilibrium. Day in the Pits, scheduled for the field by Livingston Hall, will also feature jambalaya and other refreshments, karioke and music.