———————— I - Mocktailsfeßetter than cocktails? by Bob Misulich Collegian Staff Students on campus are opening their eyes to the drinking problems here at Behrend. Alcohol Awareness Week has brought attention to the many problems associated with drinking and lasting effects. BACCHUS, Boosting Alcohol Consciousness Concerning The Health of University Students, has been trying to reach out to students this week with a display in front of the Wintergreen Cafe. “We try to hit home with the students the fact that problems with drinking can happen at a small campus. ” -Linda Lombardi , Residence Life Coordinator Students have been attracted by the free “mocktails”, Pina Coladas and Strawberry Daiquiris, donated by Housing and Food Services. One display, “The Wall” is covered with red and brown paper bricks sharing stories of alcohol experiences. Students are encouraged to write on the bricks and recall stories of what happened to them or one of their friends while drinking. The red bricks indicate positive experiences, and the brown denote negative experiences. Media slant Media slant and the 1996 _ ~.. .„. Election was a hot topic at last Dr. Kelley added that Americans night’s open forum, Elections *96. l*kc spcctocle; they hke their A panel of six people led the P°' ,Ucs 10 1)6 exciting, discussion. Two panS members A major supporting .deabchmd , r,, campaigns is that one of the best wereJacuHy: Dr. Colleen Kelley. tics is and Dr. Robert Speel. ' encouraees e .u e Three students, Adam Levenstein, wn . e " ?* media encourages tne John Rossomondo and Mike publ.c through advert.sement of the Woycheck were also on the panel in canaMlates ‘ addition to Sam Epps, a recent Another major issue last night graduate. was how to get better candidates to One of the main discussions at run. the forum questioned if the media Mike Woycheck said that "the was slanted. best candidates never run. The Many Americans enjoy watching [candidate] process itself has flaws the candidates "slam” each other - and unattractive qualities that the media picks out issues and discourage a better candidate from enlightens the public oh them. seeking public office". According to some members of Often, many potential candidates the panel, the media is an industry do not run because of the high that makes profits off the expenses. Campaigns can cost candidates. millions of dollars. •v *- English to speak at Behrend in town hall meeting United States Congressman Phil English (R-Pa.) will be at Perm State Behrend Wed., Oct 3) tor a town hal-styte question and answer session. The session wi begin at 5 p.m. in the Reed Commons and refreshments will be provided. English is me incumbent candidate for congress against chawngsr Ron DiNicola. His visit to Behrend is made possible by the Behrend College Republicans. Al students, faculty and staff are invited to share concerns and nave any questions answered 6y English. Kyra Kindon, member of BACCHUS, said “There seems to be more brown bricks than red, and even though the red bricks are supposed to be about positive drinking experiences, there is a negative aspect about them.” One brick recounts one student’s feelings when pulling up to the scene of a car accident and recognizing the crashed car. It belonged to a friend he had just been partying with. Meghan Curry, BACCHUS, said “Alcohol Awareness Week will bring attention the affects of alcohol to those people who usually don’t think about it.” Highway Safety Network’s Program Coordinator, Lynne Gotham, was also at the display to hand out informational pamphlets, pens, highlighters and key chains in an attempt to reach out to students about underage drinking and driving. She said this is a major concern for her and her department, which is funded by Penn Dot. by Justin Grimm Collegian Staff member of she believes Gotham’s goal is to heighten awareness to the problems of people thinking it is safe to drink and drive. Gotham said that if she can “prevent one life from being taken it has made a difference." Linda Lombardi, ResidenceLifc One drink can lead to trouble for those under 21 A change in Pennsylvania’s drinking law is going to make a big impact on anyone who is under 21. The new Zero-tolerance law will go into effect Saturday, Oct. 26. The law lowers the Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) for anyone under 21 from .10 percent to .02 percent. The defendant will be charged not only with underage drinking, but also driving under the influence. A BAC of .02 percent is equivalent to one drink. Police officers in the past were limited to charging underage drinkers with a summary offense when caught driving. The penalty used to be a fine and driver’s license suspension. “I have no choice but to enforce it here at Behrend. ” The Zcro-tolerencc law for minors over 18 means incarceration for forty-eight hours if the defendant docs not accept or does not qualify for the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (A.R.D.). the A.R.D. program consists of 1 to 12 month license suspension, community service, probation, attendance at Alcohol Highway Safety School and its costs, court and administrative costs and treatment and other conditions that a judge may impose. In addition, the defendant will have to pay a fine between $3OO - and undergo a drug and alcohol evaluation. Offenders also face thousands of dollars in legal fees and increased insurance premiums. Bob Misulich/Collegian Photographer Have a drink on me: Linda Lombardi, Residence Life Coordinator, and students Steve Jecker, Brian Uhri, Jim Weaver, Kim Angelo and Missy Hyatt enjoy mocktails, aka non-alcoholic cocktails. The drinks were donated by Housing and Food Services for Alcohol Awareness Week. PA has Zero-tolerance by Bob Misulich Collegian Staff ’, PA 16563 Coordinator, has been working with BACCHUS in trying quality programs to impact the students. “We try to hit home with the students the fact that problems with drinking can happen at a small campus,” Lombardi said. Mcadvillc Police Chief, Hal Tubbs, said,"l don't believe a large portion of drunk drivers are under 21. The law does make it easier for police to prove a minor was drunk while driving, but still may not cause minors to think twice before taking a drink of alcohol." Police officers cannot pull a car over without probable cause (driving too fast, running a stop sign/light, swerving, etc.), but using the .02 BAC as a standard for minors may lead to more arrests at state police roadblocks. The Behrend community has many students from out of state who are not familiar with Pennsylvania’s drinking laws. Some states don't suspend driving privileges, only impose a fine. In -Bemie George, Police and Safety the state of Maryland, crashes involving minors dropped by 11 percent once a Zero-tolerance law was enacted. Each year, according to Chief Tubbs, one third of all highway fatalities involve 15 to 20 year olds. Police and Safety Officer Bemie George said he believes this law is going to be challenged at some point, but as of right now, “I have no choice but to enforce it here at Behrend.” The law is supposed to deter under age drinking and driving, as of right now losing a driving license isn't enough. Passage of the law enabled Pennsylvania to qualify for $1.7 million in alcohol prevention funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. OPINION Drugs at the Math Seminar, see page 3 ENTERTAINMENT International Film Series see page 6 After this week Lombardi hopes that students will take a more serious look at their drinking habits. Students who need support can contact Sue Daley, Personal Counselor, in the Career Had the law not passed by October 1998, five percent of the 1999 federal aid highway funds would have been withheld. If the law still wasn't passed by October 1999, 10 percent of those funds would have been withheld. The Zero-tolerance law removes any loopholes that were in the previous system. A minor pulled over with alcohol on his/her breath will face severe penalties. Charges for underage drinking have gone from a summary offense to a misdemeanor. Driving Under the Influence. SPORTS Lady Lions on a roll see page 7 Men, Women’s Soccer see page 8 Development and Counseling office. Daley offers a program called Moderation Management for students who feel they may be drinking too much. Gannon University Student Government Association presents a Public Town Hall Meeting featuring Atty. Ron DiNicola, candidate for congress, and Atty Jane Earll, senate candidate Sat., Oct. 26 12 noon to 2 p.m. Zurn Science. Center 143 W. 7 St. Rooms 101 and 104 NON-PROFIT ORG. US POSTAGE PAID ERIE, PA PERMIT # 282 Vol XLV, No. 8
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