Students unite to voice concerns

Members of the V-8s, a new student group, don't necessarily want everyone to switch from drinking alcohol to vegetable juice, but they do want people to drink responsibly.

It's a message they've decided to peddle softly to their peers, largely by offering fun, alcohol-free activities. The group's first attempt, a "Sundae on Monday" ice cream extravaganza, attracted one fourth of the freshman class--more than 700 people--to the Scrounge on Labor Day.

"The crowd was so large, the caterers were looking nervous," Nancy Nutt, Wellspring coordinator and adviser to the V-8s, said. Scheduled from 10-11:30 p.m., after freshman activities at the Bob Carpenter Center, Sundae on Monday was the first stop on the bus route from the Carpenter Center back to the residence halls.

"It was very free-flowing. Some people stopped by, made their sundaes and left; others stayed and talked or played board games or watched television," Nutt said.

Aaron Sin, a senior chemical engineering major from Hong Kong, who is co-president of the group, said the V-8s represent the majority of students on campus--those who drink, but who do so responsibly.

"We wanted to give that group a voice," Sin explained. "The 'V' in our name stands for Voices. There are eight concerns we want to give voice to--Wellness, Enjoyment, Drug Awareness, Opportunity, Campus Health, Alcohol Awareness, Responsibility and Education--summed up in the acronym WEDOCARE. V-8 doesn't just stand for an alternative to drink, it stands for Voices for Eight campus concerns."

Of the eight concerns, alcohol awareness is the primary focus, Sin said.

"There are statistics that the majority of students do not drink as frequently or as much as they are perceived to," Nutt said. "And, the majority of students choose not to binge drink. There is a portion of campus that chooses more responsible behavior."

"Students who choose not to drink are sometimes the ones who have to suffer the consequences of those who do," Sin added. "People drink in my dorm, and I've seen lamps smashed, bicycle wheels and handlebars bent, all because people were drinking too much."

The V-8s, which grew out of the Student Alcohol Use Committee, was formed last fall and spent most of its first year filling out the paper work to be an official chapter of the National Bacchus and Gamma Foundation, which promotes alcohol awareness on college campuses throughout the country.

The Bacchus branch of the organization supports alcohol awareness programs for underclassmen. The Gamma portion directs its programs at Greek organizations. There are hopes of establishing a Gamma chapter here, too, Nutt said.

As it worked to become an official Bacchus chapter last year, the V-8s sponsored a Halloween Movie-A-Thon, staffed a recruitment kiosk in the Trabant University Center and dressed as upscale waiters serving mocktails in Russell Dining Hall one Friday night in the spring.

Response to the group has been positive, Sinn said. "We're not preachy, and we're not pushing abstinence--just responsibility," he said.

Close to 50 new students expressed an interest in joining the V-8s this year, Sin said, and many new activities are being planned. Possibilities include a tie-dye booth at the Homecoming carnival where students can trade in a T-shirt with an alcohol logo for a new one to tie-dye, a mocktail bar at a popular ballroom dancing event, and an alcohol trivia booth.

The group also plans to repeat a popular activity from last year--a candlelight vigil held in conjunction with campus ministries to commemorate those who have had negative experiences with the abuse of alcohol.

The V-8s also are the force behind "The Wall That Alcohol Built," a wall of vinyl bricks on which students have recorded both positive and negative experiences with alcohol. It will soon hang outside the tennis courts near Kent Hall.

Other V-8 officers are Rachel Weygandt, co-president, Amy Kinch, secretary, and J.R. Wilkes, treasurer. Co-adviser is Trebs Thompson of the New Castle County Partnership Program, an agency that, among other things, supports responsible use of alcohol on campus.

For information, visit the V-8s home page at http://udel.edu/stu-org/v8

-Beth Thomas
Photo by Duane Perry