Junior nursing major Jordan Rook of Phi Mu participated in this year’s board game-themed ‘Mocktails.’ Annie Goodman/The Lion’s Roar
Beginning with a lecture and ending with a board game-themed party, “Mocktails” informed Greek Life students about responsible drinking.
“‘Mocktails’ is an alcohol awareness program that’s been in existence for a number of years,” said Director of the Office for Student Engagement Angela James. “This is a fun way to have the students be aware of responsible drinking and also a fun atmosphere around a pretty serious topic.”
Phi Mu and Kappa Sigma were announced as the winners of the drink contest with their Candy Land-themed non-alcoholic cocktail.
“It feels so great,” said freshman nursing major and member of Phi Mu Madison Sedlock. “We worked so hard. We are so excited about being paired with Kappa Sig and everything. I mean, it’s just so great. We work so hard on these drinks, and we all just came out and had a great time despite this cold weather.”
The event held Wednesday, Oct. 25 in the parking garage next to Strawberry Stadium, is an annual event that discusses topics such as hazing, making smart decisions, suicide, leadership and more.
“I love it,” said junior accounting major Jaimie Jakes. “I think it’s good for being informative, and it’s also fun at the same time. Especially with the recent events going on with the alcohol and the hazing and stuff, I think it’s important that we have rules and regulations. I hope students realize the importance of awareness of alcohol and how it can affect you.”
James further explained the purpose of having a speaker.
“It’s a two-part program,” said James. “The first part of the program, we have a speaker that usually talks about being safe on campus, how do we make sure that we are creating a culture of safety, and when I say we, I am talking about the student body. I think this is just a good follow-up to that because we then use this as an opportunity to really be thoughtful about the things that we do.”
Director of Recreational Sports and Wellness Seth Thomas participated in the judging of the drinks and favored the peppermint drink of Candy Land.
“It was fun, and I got to meet all the students,” said Thomas. “I’ve been here a month on the job, so I got to meet all the students and see their creativity in a fun atmosphere. I think students and faculty, staff, community need to be aware of the effects of alcohol and all the problems it causes then also, teaching them responsibility.”
James enjoys seeing the students get involved in an event focused around a serious topic.
“I think my favorite aspect is seeing how excited the students get about it,” said James. “They dress up in costumes. They decorate booths. They get really creative with the drinks. I think, just to see that level of engagement from the students about a topic that’s really about being safe and taking care of themselves and each other, is really an amazing thing to see.”
At the end of the speaker’s presentation, students were allowed to go onstage and share “their story” with the audience.
“I was actually really surprised, but I really enjoyed the speaker,” said Sedlock. “I love the energy and the support from everyone in the crowd. Honestly, I just loved coming out here and having so much fun.”
James feels the event went well if it can influence the decisions of one attendee.
“If the student makes a decision and thinks, ‘You know what, I’m not going to drink tonight,’ or, ‘I think I’ve had enough. I probably need to give my keys to someone else,’ if we could get one student to make a decision like that based on these programs tonight, then this will have been a success,” said James.
