Lots of fun . . . bar none

By Teri Bachman

There was a café serving free pizzas, tacos and sodas. There was a casino with blackjack, roulette and craps. There was a disco with colored lights and loud music. There was an activity area with climbing wall, obstacle course and jousting ring. And there was a fun time had by all. But what there wasn’t was alcohol.

Turbulence, an alcohol-free event for students, was back this fall for the fourth year—once again proving that you don’t need to drink to party. A sellout crowd of 4,300 enjoyed the ASUCD-sponsored event,held in Rec Hall on a pleasant Friday night in October.

Begun in 1999 as a healthy way to kick off the year, the event gained impetus the following spring with the death of a student who had drunk 21 shots to celebrate his 21st birthday. This September, the campus mourned again, following the death of third-year law/M.B.A. student Steven Cannata, who drowned in a swimming pool after an evening of drinking.

Fortunately, most UC Davis students drink responsibly or not at all, according to a survey conducted in 2000. It found that 71 percent of students drink three or fewer drinks when they party. But the survey also revealed a troubling 18 percent occasionally binge drink.

“You can’t keep people from drinking,” said Turbulence Director Laura Chavez, a senior political science major. “But you can encourage responsible drinking, knowing your limits, knowing the trouble that alcohol can get you into. . . . I think we got our message across.

Debbie Aldridge/UC Davis Mediaworks