On Wednesday, Jan. 30, hundreds of students crowded Alumni Hall in search for new ways to get involved this semester. Around 50 clubs and organizations were present. Amongst them was SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions).
Michelle LaPoint, a sophomore veterinary technician major and President of SADD, hosted the table, where there were pictures of the drunk driving demonstration last semester and “SADD” pencils and stickers that they received from the national organization.
Lapointe has been a member for a year and a half and says the reason she joined was “to help people make the right choices.” Last semester they received 90 e-mails addresses from students who wanted to join, though they only received one member this time around.
SADD promotes the dangers of drunk driving as well as AIDS awareness.
“We decided to take it upon ourselves to make it more encompassing of other things,” stated secretary Rebecca MacEwen, an athletic training major.
At their meetings, members of SADD discuss the major events for the semester: keynote speakers and “mocktails,” which are non-alcoholic beverages made for other clubs such as QUAD (Quinnipiac After Dark) and SPB (Student Programming Board).
SADD also works with SHADES to work on this semester’s project, the AIDS quilt.
“We are bringing an AIDS quilt to Quinnipiac in April,” said Lapointe. This quilt is to remember everyone who has died from AIDS. Their budget can only cover one production each year.
Every fall semester, SADD works with TKE to demonstrate the mock drunk-driving car crash.
MacEwen explained that all members had to get up at 7:30 that morning for makeup and to start the production at 11. “We probably could have gotten more people (to show up) if we promoted it more,” stated MacEwen.
Q30’s Brett Ainsle helped with the promotion by filming the production for the station.
MacEwen said planning the car crash took a month. There were a lot of places to contact: the police, the ambulance, the funeral home and “Wheelers,” an auto junk yard that donated wrecked cars.
SADD is now working on airing a film to increase the awareness of AIDS for their next production. MacEwen explained that they chose the film because speakers do not promote attendace. MacEwen said that people get bored of listening to speakers just talk about AIDS. Therefore a film seemed like a better outlet. The film is about the progression of AIDS, how the person deals with it internally and how it affects the people around them, including friends and family members.
Last fall, the members of SADD held an ice cream social right outside the Irma Residence Hall. The weather was hot and the ice cream was melting, but it was their way of getting more people involved.
MacEwen and other members of SADD are hopeful that the film will finally bring the recognition to the club.
