Staying officially sober on Unofficial

By Kate Gleason

For many students on campus, Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day means waking up early and going to bars or house parties for green beer and drinking games all day.

Those who choose not to drink may feel excluded from the holiday because much of the celebration is focused on drinking.

However, according to Nick Donaldson, this does not have to be the case.

Donaldson, a freshman in Engineering, is the president of the Alcohol-Free Illini, a group that is both a Registered Student Organization and a Facebook group. He said Unofficial can still be fun for those who do not drink.

The Alcohol-Free Illini, which Donaldson described as “more of a social planning association than a club,” is planning a trip to the movie theater and then going out to dinner afterward.

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“We’re probably going to try to get as far away from campus as we can that day,” he said.

Donaldson said the Alcohol-Free Illini organizes events very similar to ones that people who drink would do, they just do them without alcohol.

“We like to put on events that you would typically associate with alcohol, but we just take out the alcohol part,” he said. “For example, this semester we are going to organize a restaurant crawl. We’ll go to a few different restaurants along campus and get appetizers at one, the main course at another, and end up somewhere for dessert.”

Donaldson said there are about 60 people on his mailing list. The organization also works closely with Avalanche, a group on campus based in substance-free dormitory Snyder Hall.

According to the group’s Facebook description, Avalanche is “an organization for people who want to spend their weekend nights doing cool things with friends . without drinking.”

Kelsey Matthews, a sophomore in education, is a member of the Avalanche Executive Board.

“Avalanche is a program that is fully funded to give students a substance-free alternative for the weekends,” she said. “At times, the pressure that’s applied towards alcohol can affect our turnout for the worst.”

Matthews said she does not drink for a variety of reasons.

“I choose not to drink because it’s illegal for my age, the consequences for drinking are not worth the risk and most of all, it’s very dangerous to consume a substance that will alter your inhibitions,” Matthews said.

Matthews said that Friday she will be the emcee for the Avalanche Open Mic Night. It will take place at the Illini Orange at 7 p.m. as an alternative to those not partaking in Unofficial drinking activities.

“I don’t understand where the idea of Unofficial began, and it makes me feel uncomfortable,” she said. “If college students are allowed to make a random weekend dedicated to alcohol, what’s next?”

Lance Wright, the interim associate director for the Illini Union, said that although Illinites is not putting together an event this Friday, there will be a free showing of the movie “King Kong” Thursday at 8 p.m. in the Illini Union Ballroom.

Wright said that in addition to the free film, there will be free food and drinks, as well as giveaways and specials on cosmic bowling.

Jonathan Ray, a junior in LAS, is the creator of the Facebook group, “Fun without alcohol/drugs.” The group has 358 members at the University.

The group’s description reads that it is a “group for anyone who rarely/never drinks, never smokes, and never uses any other legal or illegal drugs unless prescribed for a legitimate medical reason.”

Ray said that although he cannot speak for his group, he chooses to not celebrate Unofficial.

“It’s just a normal Friday for me, which I’ll probably spend playing games or something,” he said.

Asked why he does not drink, Ray offered a candid response.

“I don’t drink because it kills brain cells,” he said. “I think Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day is just an excuse to get plastered.”