With spring break right around the corner and students flocking to warmer climates for some sand and sun, campus groups are hosting fairs to raise awareness about having fun while still being safe.
Jodi Roberto Hancock, educational program coordinator for the Women's Resource Center, organized the event that took place Tuesday in the Shaw Hall cafeteria and will continue through the next two weeks at other locations.
Representatives from the MSU Department of Police and Public Safety, Olin Health Center's Health Education Services, the American Cancer Society at MSU, the Sexual Assault Crisis and Safety Education Program, and Self Defense for Women passed out fliers about issues such as general safety, alcohol, skin cancer and sexual assault.
The police department had pamphlets containing laws from three popular spring-break locales - Texas, Florida and Mexico -along with four sets of "beer goggles," which have specialized lenses to simulate different levels of intoxication.
English sophomore Katie Derthick demonstrated a pair of the goggles.
As she attempted to walk along a line made out of masking tape, she veered off-course.
"I looked down, and my feet were a foot away from where the line was," she said. "It's weird going from being sober to being drunk, because usually it's gradual."
The event was interactive, something that Olin health educator Jonathan Kermiet said is beneficial.
"We know that for us to have any impact with students, we need to engage them in some way," he said, adding that they could have set up all the booths with no activities, but students might not have come up to them.
Kermiet created a game for students, allowing them to visit all the vendors and receive information.
"The main thing is to just be safety-conscious," Kermiet said. "A lot of students just pack everything away ... they want to party, they want to have a good time, but they leave their sensibilities behind."
The objective of the board game was to move a game piece from start to finish, answering questions about health and safety and earning fake money if participants answered correctly.
Students had to visit other vendors to earn more money, and prizes could be "purchased" using any of the money left over. Prizes included items such as Mardi Gras beads, condoms and an Olin first aid kit.
Advertising senior Maura Less volunteered for the fair and said she hoped students become more informed.
"Even though they're far from home and this is supposed to be the time of their lives, they still can, but they need to realize they're not as invincible as they think they are."
