With the approach of spring break, there is no doubt an abundance of students will plan parties and trips over the holiday. Probably the last thing on the minds of these students is death. As disturbing as it is to think about at first, one group sees a definite need to bring this topic to the light.
Student Educators and Leaders will be sponsoring an event called Walking Dead on March 17 to bring awareness of alcohol-related death and accidents of college students.
Michele Winn, sociology senior from Houma and SEALS member, is one of the coordinators of the Walking Dead. She shared some of the group’s reasons for planning the event.
“There are so many students who go off to spring break with the agenda to drink and party excessively,” Winn said. “We don’t want to discourage drinking entirely, but just spread awareness of the consequences that can happen.”
Winn participated in this same type of event in her senior year of high school. Tragically, this was the same year a close friend of hers was involved in an alcohol-related motorcycle accident that caused his death.
She stressed how devastated her entire student body was that his death had happened so unexpectedly. This is one of the reasons she holds this cause dear to her.
The event will involve student volunteers taking part in a simulated incident of death.
The volunteers will be approached and removed from a planned place somewhere on campus by a person disguised as the grim reaper. The volunteer will then be returned to his or her place of “death” wearing a statistic on the front of his or her shirt stating incidents relating to spring break casualties and other damaging accidents that may not involve death.
The students participating as volunteers come from a variety of campus organizations including G.R.E.E.N. (Go Recycle; End Environmental Neglect), Beta Sigma Iota, Students Against Destructive Decisions and NAACP.
Following the public showing, the volunteer will not be allowed to interact with anyone for the remainder of the day. This is meant to signify the actual death of a classmate and cause peers to consider the very real possibility one of their friends could not return from spring break at all.
Around 3 p.m. there will be a mock funeral held in the area outside behind the Bollinger Memorial Student Union for all of the voluntary victims that will be able to be viewed by any student wishing to attend. This will further highlight the reality of the danger each student faces over spring break.
On March 18 there will be an information table set up in the Bollinger Memorial Student Union. There will be pamphlets, give-away items such as bracelets and personal contracts that the students may sign promising to be responsible and aware of their actions over the spring break holiday.
Winn said there are several ways for spring breakers to be safe. They include decisions such as drinking in moderation and always assigning a designated driver.
She hopes the event will cause students to think about their actions more closely.
“We hope it will make them think to be responsible,” Winn said.
Winn also gave credit to Angie Pitre from the Center for Health and Wellness for supporting the event and helping to promote improving both physical and mental health wellness for the student population.
Winn hopes the event will be a continuing effort after she graduates and with each year it will be able to save a few more lives.
