Southeastern NEWS

                                                       Southeastern Louisiana University
                                           Public Information Office
                                           publicinfo@selu.edu
                                           SLU 10880, Hammond, LA 70402
                                           985/549-2341/fax 985-549-2061
    Date: 4/12/02
      Contact:                           Christina Chapple   132

GREEKS SPONSOR "BLOCK PARTY WITHOUT BOOZE"
     HAMMOND -- Southeastern Louisiana University's Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity and
Alpha Omicron Pi sorority have teamed up to stage a "Block Party Without Booze" to illustrate
the message that you don't have to drink to have fun.
     The event, scheduled for 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Thursday, April 18, isn't just for college
students, said organizers Mike Venski of TKE and Angela Puglia of AOPi. Everyone from the
campus and community is invited to share in the socializing, free food and music at the Village,
the complex on University Drive that includes five sorority and three fraternity houses.
     "We all know people who have gotten DUIs (citations for driving under the influence),
have been in accidents or have had alcohol poisoning because they drank too much," said
Venski, a junior marketing major from Baton Rouge.  "We're having this party on Thursday
night, when a lot of students traditionally go out, so everyone can get together and be with their
friends without being in a bar and being tempted to drink and drive." 
     This is the second year that TKE has sponsored the no-alcohol party, which drew
approximately 150 Greek and non-Greek students last year after being forced indoors by bad
weather. Venski said Linda Bryant of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) has been invited
to attend and will have informational literature on hand. TKE and AOPi are also seeking support
from a number of campus organizations, such as the Student Government Association, the
Campus Activities Board and Southeastern's chapter of BACCHUS, an international association
of college and university based peer education programs focusing on alcohol abuse prevention
and other student health and safety issues. 
     Venski and Puglia are also asking those who attend to bring teddy bears or articles of 
clothing, which will be donated to the young clients of Court Appointed Special Advocates
(CASA).   
     Jim McHodgkins, Southeastern's assistant dean of student development, said the "Block
Party Without Booze" is the kind of peer-designed and run educational event that students like 
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BLOCK PARTY WITHOUT BOOZE   Add One

best. 
     "Everyone is searching for ways to eliminate alcohol-related hazards such as binge
drinking," said McHodgkins, who oversees Southeastern's strict alcohol policies. "Studies show
that events created by students for students are better attended."
"It's exciting from our (the university's) standpoint that the students are taking the
initiative," McHodgkins said. "They're doing all the legwork to set this event up."  
     "Anytime the message gets out that you can have fun without going to a bar, that you
should drink responsibly and that you have the right to not drink at all, that's good,"
McHodgkins said. He pointed out that by staging the block party, the organizers are not
"preaching" about the evils of drinking to their peers, but they are providing education in a fun
way.
     Ironically, just as the Greek organizations are scurrying to finalize their block party plans,
a new national study, released April 9, says alcohol annually is responsible for 1,400 college
student deaths, 670,000 physical and sexual assaults and uncalculated damages to students'
academic careers and general health. The report, by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and
Alcoholism's Task Force on College Drinking, also estimates that one-fourth of the nation's
college students between the ages of 18-24 have driven under the influence of alcohol within the
past year.
     The study, which will be distributed to every college president, urges that colleges and
communities get together to combat the "culture of drinking" on college campuses.
     McHodgkins said Southeastern's own study, conducted during the 1999-2000 academic
year, indicated that the university is ahead of many of its sister institutions in preventing alcohol
abuse through programs that stress education, intervention and self-policing.
     Those programs include Alcohol Awareness Week, which includes events such as
"Mocktails," a popular non-alcoholic drink mixing contest, and the "Sober Monitors" program,
which requires that at least eight students who have been trained on alcohol laws and policies
must be present at any student event where alcohol is served. The university's dorms are alcohol
free and the campus alcohol policy, which is evaluated regularly, was created by a panel of
students, faculty and staff, McHodgkins said.
                             -SLU-
Press release available online at www.selu.edu/news/spring02.html