A Syracuse University organization used food, volleyball and a student disc jockey competition to spread awareness about the dangers of alcohol poisoning to students on campus.

The BE Wise campaign held its third annual BE-BQ event on the Quad on Friday to educate people about alcohol poisoning and how to be safe on campus, said supervisor Demi Douglas, who oversees public relations, publicity and media for the project.

The BE-BQ itself was aimed at educating people about the campaign in a more laid-back environment where students could relax and have fun rather than absorb straight facts and statistics, Douglas said. Although the goal was to attract students of all years, it was directed particularly at freshmen that may not have heard about the campaign yet, she said.

At the event on the Quad, students were welcomed with a variety of activities that included lawn games, volleyball courts and a student DJ competition, along with other activities that allowed students to have fun while learning how to recognize the signs of alcohol poisoning and what to do to be safe on campus, Douglas said. The campaign’s mascot, an owl, also made an appearance at the event.

Hill Communications, a student-run public relations firm that’s based in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, promoted the BE-BQ. The organization promoted the event mostly through social media, said Jensen Cannon, a sophomore public relations major who is a Hill Comm member. The organization began working to get the word out about the BE-BQ at the beginning of the semester. Members also helped setup the event on Friday.

Eva Narun, a sophomore public relations and marketing dual major who is also a member of Hill Comm, said turnout for the event was great, especially toward the beginning. She said she thought the nice weather helped attendance, and added that there were lots of small children with their parents playing games and running around.

Narun said that she thought it was great that unlike some other programs, BE Wise is a campaign that has students promoting alcohol awareness.

“I think it’s a positive thing to have on campus,” she said. “And I think since it’s students, it has more of an effect because it’s not like you’re being preached to.”

Paige Carlotti, a senior magazine journalism major, was the runner-up in the student DJ competition at the BE-BQ. She said it was a fun competition between four student DJs, each going on and playing a set that they made and entertaining the crowd for 25 minutes.

“I ended up finding a new hobby,” said Carlotti, who was new to the art of DJing prior to this event. She said that she would do something like that again.

Other upcoming goals for BE Wise include continuing to generate awareness at events on campus such as football games. They also hope to create a presence in bars during the Halloween season, Douglas said.

The third week in October is known as National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week, which is a big week for the campaign, she said. During this week, the group hopes to further spread its message around the university.

Published on September 22, 2014 at 12:01 am

Contact Erin: eemcdona@syr.edu