By Victoria Martin
On
Wednesday, March 27, 2013 Compton 226 was home to a lecture presented by Jeff
Graham focused on Greek Life and why the things usually associated with it,
alcohol, hazing, and partying, are so often connected. The event took place
directly before the anti-hazing workshop, a mandatory event for those who are
in the process of pledging for membership in a Greek organization. The timing
of the event prompted many students currently in Greek organizations to attend
as indicated by the majority of the seats being filled.
As the
speaker for the evening’s talk, Graham created excitement in the room before he
even began. Graham has served as Associate Dean of Students at Frostburg State
University for the since 2007. Known by many students, Graham’s presence elected
enthusiasm from much of the audience. Anticipation was furthered as each person
in attendance was given automated clickers, used for interactive PowerPoint’s
often in various classes, signaling that everyone was essentially going to be
able to participate.
“Its cool
because I never get to use these in class,” explains Angelica Thomas, senior
biology major.
At the
start of the lecture, Graham showed a video featuring footage of various
college-aged people partying in West Virginia. The film elected laughs from
many students as the scenes showed various gatherings featuring having alcohol
and the consequences of it in more humorous ways.
After the
video, Graham began to talk on various points including how the acts and antics
of this generation are nothing new and in his own days as WVU, partying was
very similar to what it is today. He also highlighted that people tend to
consume alcohol in groups and that because Greeks are strong and prominent
social groups, drinking it often associated with them. He added that that fact
is not also a negative.
He focused
in the negative fact coming from high-risk drinking including things such as
grain alcohol or mixing alcohol consumption with the intake of other things
like illegal drugs.
The
component of the lecture that made it different from more common ones is the
constant poll questions that were placed throughout the PowerPoint. Some asked
for students’ individual drinking habits or choices of beverages while others
asked for opinion on FSU’s alcohol usage statistics.
It was the
ability for students in the audience to directly influence the outcome of the
results that made the lecture so interesting. Chris Polhemus, senior wildlife
major, says that he “really enjoyed the parts where we voted.” Polhemus’
viewpoint was clearly shared by many in the large applause presented to Graham
and the end of the lecture as well as the many laughs along the way.
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