This last Thurs. morning, the Sonoma State Alcohol and Other Drug committee sponsored “Coffee with the DSS Crew” in an effort to give information about the dangers of alcohol abuse, as well as explain more about what type of disability resources are available on campus. This is among many events held this week for National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week to help further educate the community about the responsible use of alcohol. 

The event was hosted by committee-member, Sydney Johnston, as well as Brent Boyer and Michael Eynon from Disabled Student Services (DSS). According to the DSS website, the goal of the department is to “ensure equal access to students with disabilities by providing appropriate accommodations and specialized support services, and by providing guidance to faculty, staff, and the campus community.” 

In order to fit the theme of Alcohol Awareness Week, DSS provided some information about binge drinking in their presentation. A flyer at the event displayed 5 statistics about binge drinking, stating that only 40% of students will admit to binge drinking, while 25% say that binge drinking had a negative impact on their academic performance. 

“It’s just surprising to me,” says SSU sophomore Jackson Rice, about what constitutes binge drinking. In a two-hour period, four drinks for a woman and five drinks for a man constitutes binge drinking. The flyer also states that there are about 1,500 thousand deaths every year due to heavy drinking and about 600,000 accidental injuries and 700,000 physical assaults. 

“It looks like they are just trying to help people who maybe get into trouble drinking alcohol. It’s very informative with Halloween coming up.” Says Rice on the DSS pop up. 

Many of the different services that DSS provides were topics of discussion. Some of the many resources that DSS offers students are assistive technology, alternative media, testing accommodations, and disability management advising. Disability Management Advisor Michael Eynon says that thanks to DSS, “We have a greater insight into what some students can and can’t do, and what they are capable of and how we can help them.” 

According to a study done by the American Addiction Centers, Halloween ranked number five among the list of average number of drinks consumed by holiday. The troubling facts of the study also found that 9.3% of men and 6.6% of women also reported that they blacked out from drinking. 

SSU alum Michael Eynon has been working in the DSS department since 2018, but has been working at SSU since 2005. Last year, he led a student panel for Disability Awareness Month, regarding students who felt comfortable enough sharing what their conditions are and how it affects them as Sonoma State students. “It was really great and I’m trying to work on getting ready to do it again next semester. I’m just really proud that six of our students felt comfortable enough with me to share what’s going on with them,” said Eynon. 

National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week takes place during the third week of October every year and is recognized by more than 1,000 colleges and universities nationwide. NCAAW encourages students to take the lead on how they want to participate in raising awareness on their campus and in their community. The Coalition of Higher Education Associations for Substance Abuse Prevention promotes the NCAAW with their 20 higher education associations working to eliminate substance abuse as well. 

The Coalition of Higher Education Associations for Substance Abuse Prevention is an organization that aims to end the abuse of alcohol, tobacco, legal and illegal drugs among college students. As stated on their website, they strive to “inspire students to review their lifestyles and make informed decisions regarding these substances.”

Coffee with DSS was one of many events done during Alcohol Awareness Week, and they stressed the importance of getting help when it’s needed. For more information about NCAAW, visit https://coheasap.myacpa.org/ncaaw/. For more information about DSS services and resources, visit http://dss.sonoma.edu/.