As Keene State heads into the holiday season, the Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) Committee has been working to find ways to keep students safe and spread awareness.
Emily Alexander, co-chair of the AOD committee and senior coordinator for Student Involvement and well-being, shared some of the ways she and the committee are advocating for students to stay safe as the holidays approach.
“We are currently working on identifying different programs and tabling,” Alexander said. “We’re receiving promotional materials to pass out to students and we plan on putting out some education around winter break.”
Alexander confirmed that the Stall Street Journal initiative from last year is continuing this fall, and that they plan on having them up shortly with safety tips about driving.
Alexander also reflected on the make your own mocktail event on October 7, which was a part of Wellness Week. According to Alexander, around 130 students stopped by during the event.
Margaret Smith, professor of health sciences, provided some further details about the risks posed to students over the holiday season.
“6.9% of all fatal car crashes involving drunk driving take place over the holidays,” Smith said. “Students reach a higher BAC [blood alcohol concentration] on New Year’s Eve.”
Smith also reflected on the work with the Stall Street Journal, pointing out how the AOD committee makes a point to educate year-round about drinking risks, instead of just taking a stance during the holidays.
“I think with any end of something, end of semester or finals, there’s a celebratory feeling,” Smith said. “And some students engage in high-risk drinking practices and other risky behaviors.”
Smith said that one major point of concern for her is how much walking is done by students around campus, stressing that students should take precautions when crossing the street or walking alone during the holidays. She also reinforced her belief that stress– either in regard to school or family life– could influence students to drink more heavily.
Smith warned that students should stay with people they know and make sure to never leave their drink alone. She pointed out that many students don’t know how much alcohol is in their drink, often due to a lack of measuring.
“I think the big thing is people never think it will happen to them,” Smith said.
College Parents Matter, an initiative and resource for parents of college students, stated some of the misconceptions about college drinking and how “most college students do NOT drink excessively. Unfortunately, the popular—but false—notion that underage and/or excessive drinking is ‘normal’ leads some students to rationalize their participation in what is actually an extreme behavior.”
The National Highway Safety Administration states, “a small amount of alcohol can affect driving ability. In 2023, there were 2,117 people killed in alcohol-related crashes where a driver had a BAC of .01 to .07 g/dL.”
Overall, 12,429 people died in traffic crashes caused by drunk driving in 2023 alone.
Chloe Erno can be contacted at
