2008 Woodie Awards
Drug-free weekend offers sober merrymaking
Monica Boland
Issue date: 2/1/07 Section: News
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Students found an alternative to the stereotypical party life last weekend at Emerson's annual Free for the Weekend events, sponsored by Student Life.
The events, which ran from Thursday, Jan. 25 to Sunday, Jan. 29, were designed to encourage Emerson students to pledge to remain drug and alcohol free for the weekend by providing them with fun alternatives.
"I think people feel that they need to use substances in order to have a good time, but these events prove that isn't the case," said Tim Stokel, a junior theatre education major.
Stokel spent Saturday afternoon in the Cabaret in the Little Building, where students could visit a health nutritionist and decorate infant onesies for expectant mothers while eagerly awaiting appointments with psychics.
"I pledges because I think this is for a good cause," Stokel said. 279 students pledged this year: 203 were on-campus students and 68 were off-campus.
Laura Collins, one of the co-chairs of the events and the coordinator of Wellness Education, said that between 300 and 500 students pledge each year. She said that almost all pledges come to at least one event, though some just want to challenge themselves by signing the pledge.
A wide variety of activities were offered in hopes that at least one activity would interest participating students. The weekend opened on Thursday night in the Bill Bordy Theater and Auditorium with kickoff speaker Darcie Fisher and hypnotist Him Spinnato.
Thursday night's kickoff speaker and Emerson alumna, Darcie Fisher, gave students who pledged but are not always substance free a new perspective.
Fisher, a former reporter from the WB 56, now called the CW, shared her personal experiences. Her brother is currently in jail because of heroin addiction, according to Collins.
On Friday, students played in the beer goggles foosball tournament in West I & II of the Little Building and enjoyed performances by Emerson's comedy troupes in the Bill Bordy Theater.
The events, which ran from Thursday, Jan. 25 to Sunday, Jan. 29, were designed to encourage Emerson students to pledge to remain drug and alcohol free for the weekend by providing them with fun alternatives.
"I think people feel that they need to use substances in order to have a good time, but these events prove that isn't the case," said Tim Stokel, a junior theatre education major.
Stokel spent Saturday afternoon in the Cabaret in the Little Building, where students could visit a health nutritionist and decorate infant onesies for expectant mothers while eagerly awaiting appointments with psychics.
"I pledges because I think this is for a good cause," Stokel said. 279 students pledged this year: 203 were on-campus students and 68 were off-campus.
Laura Collins, one of the co-chairs of the events and the coordinator of Wellness Education, said that between 300 and 500 students pledge each year. She said that almost all pledges come to at least one event, though some just want to challenge themselves by signing the pledge.
A wide variety of activities were offered in hopes that at least one activity would interest participating students. The weekend opened on Thursday night in the Bill Bordy Theater and Auditorium with kickoff speaker Darcie Fisher and hypnotist Him Spinnato.
Thursday night's kickoff speaker and Emerson alumna, Darcie Fisher, gave students who pledged but are not always substance free a new perspective.
Fisher, a former reporter from the WB 56, now called the CW, shared her personal experiences. Her brother is currently in jail because of heroin addiction, according to Collins.
On Friday, students played in the beer goggles foosball tournament in West I & II of the Little Building and enjoyed performances by Emerson's comedy troupes in the Bill Bordy Theater.
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