McKinley Health Center’s Special Population’s program held an alcohol awareness display on the Quad on Monday that included a “junked car” as a model to show people how dangerous it can be to drink and drive.

The display also had games, information about drinking and prizes to promote the annual event, Alcohol Awareness: Think Before You Drink, which will be held Thursday from 6-8 p.m. in SDRP Multipurpose Rooms ABC.

One student who participated in the display, Nicole Wilson, said that she was impressed by the extremely damaged car and she said she will be more cautious by thinking before drinking.

Janki Thakkar, junior in LAS and treasurer of the program, said that this is the first year that they put a junked car in this display. They want the display to show students how drunk driving can jeopardize people’s lives. She also said the junked car worked well and it brought many students to the display to learn more about what happened to the car.

Michelle Taddeo, graduate assistant at McKinley Health Center, said the goal for this display was to notify students about drinking and how this affects their body and the people around them. Thakkar added that the goal is also to raise awareness of how to engage in safe habits when people consume alcohol.

“We really want people to know how many people are affected by accidents related to drinking, whether it’s drinking and driving or just personal injury, or domestic violence, physical assault — things like that, all things that can happen when you’re impaired,” Taddeo said. “We just want to spread that awareness, and hopefully students and campus members will really understand the importance of controlling your drinking so that you keep yourself and the people around you safe.”

The Alcohol Awareness Program event Thursday will have a mix of interactive activities and a panel of speakers. The first hour of the event will have activities including a sobriety test and a “Myths and Facts of Alcohol” activity. In the sobriety test, participators will use drunk goggles provided by the police station to feel how their perception changes when they are drinking.

A panel of experts will provide more information and answer students’ questions related to alcohol. These experts will come from the Alcohol and Other Drug Office within McKinley, the coroner’s office, Student Legal Services and the University Police Department. The event will be presented by the Special Population’s Student Health Concerns Committee and Delta Zeta Sorority.

As a member of the program, Taddeo said she researched and learned new, alcohol-related statistics of what happens on campus every year, including Unofficial statistics. As a graduate student, she said she also has a better perspective on how undergraduate students think about drinking.

“It really gives them a perspective of how alcohol affects your body, your interpersonal relationships, your community, your surroundings, your academics and your bank account,” Taddeo said. “We want to give you all of the information, so you could take it and make safer and smarter decisions.”

Ruge can be reached at [email protected].